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January 5, 2007 [LINK / comment]
Widespread corruption in Chile
Contrary to public perceptions, news reports over the past year or two suggest that Chile is plagued by as much corruption as are other Latin America countries. The Miami Herald has compiled a list of some of the most egregious cases of bribery and embezzlement. Late dictator Augusto Pinochet kept secret accounts worth at least $28 million in foreign banks, and several officials belonging to the Socialist Party (of which President Michelle Bachelet is a member) have been convicted of bribery or are under investigation for various kinds of financial wrongdoing. The article rightly points out that much of the problem stems from the fact that the same center-left coalition has controlled the government for the last 16 years. (Hat tip to Randy Paul.) The question is whether the revelations of government crookedness will undermine Chile's reputation as a safe place to invest money. Gaining its reputation as a haven for foreign capital did not come easy, and it would be a shame for a country that has achieved so much to squander it all away.
More tensions on Mexican border
UPDATE: The U.S. Border Patrol reported that a team of National Guardsmen manning a border post in Arizona was forced to retreat after being fired upon and assaulted by a group from Mexico, according to azcentral.com (via Instapundit). If this is accurate, it would dispel the widespread belief that the border is sufficiently secure without a fence, or without heavy reinforcements. Further west, Mexican army troops ordered the local police in Tijuana to disarm, as they try to retake control of the city from drug traffickers. Police forces have been accused of helping the smuggling operations. See BBC.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 05 Jan 2007, 4: 18 PM
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Category archives:
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 4, 2007 ~ 110th Congress: open for business
January 24, 2007 ~ The State of the Union, 2007
March 28, 2007 ~ Mark Steyn's America Alone
April 19, 2007 ~ Senator Hanger comes to Staunton
April 30, 2007 ~
Sen. Hanger's campaign kick-off
June 1, 2007 ~
Stars shine for Senator Hanger
June 12, 2007 ~
Republicans In Name Only? You be the judge!
June 13, 2007 ~
How sweet: Reason prevails
June 24, 2007 ~
SWAC bloggers air dirty laundry
August 13, 2007 ~ Hasta la vista, Karl Rove
August 21, 2007 ~
Fading dreams of democracy
August 6, 2007 ~
Nats sweep World Champion Cards!
September 23, 2007 ~ Au revoir, RFK Stadium
October 18, 2007 ~ Nationals 2007: Year in review
October 25, 2007 ~
Augusta County Campaign 2007
October 29, 2007 ~ Red Sox sweep Rockies; Dynasty?
November 7, 2007 ~ Democrats win Virginia Senate
December 14, 2007 ~ The Mitchell Report is released
December 29, 2007 ~
The death of Benazir Bhutto
December 31, 2007 ~ Baseball 2007: Year in Review
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Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
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The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
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