Radical Avenue

President Evo Morales has a finger on the pulse of his nation. His constitutional reforms passed by a wide margin in the January 25th Bolivian national election. The new constitution gives greater political autonomy to indigenous people and recognizes 36 local dialects as official languages of the country.

President Morales continues to draw strong support from eastern Bolivia. His reforms are mostly opposed in the western provinces of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz and Tarija.

Bland Rhetoric
In the US, the Obama administration congratulated President Morales and the Bolivians on their election. Acting State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said, “we congratulate the Bolivian people on the referendum… we look forward to working with the Bolivian Government in ways we can to further democracy and prosperity in the hemisphere.”

Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca responded favorably. “Bolivia wants to construct a positive relationship with the United States, and we’re talking about reestablishing our ambassadors.” The United States ambassador to Bolivia was expelled last November along with US Drug Enforcement Agency employees.

Even Republicans want in on all the good vibes. Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had this to offer. “If our two countries can continue to speak to one another respectfully, and if we can each designate ambassadors, yet another step would be taken to ensure that these developments represent a positive new stage in relations between the United States and Bolivia.”

Post Cold War Politics
In other words, no one’s staying awake at night in Washington worried about what’s going on in La Paz. Apparently US politicians have decided that Bolivians can work out their differences amongst themselves. We have our own problems.

During the Cold War years, a leader like Mr. Morales would have provoked some hand wringing in the United States. His decision to nationalize major industries would have not gone over well. We’d be hearing about Bolivia falling into the hands of the Soviets.

Now US politicians shrug their shoulders. The Soviet Union no longer exists. But hey, as long as President Morales is nationalizing private companies, maybe we can get him to take Merrill Lynch off our hands.

The executives over at Merrill Lynch probably threw some outrageous parties to celebrate the $3.4 million in bonuses that they just received from their good friend and mentor, John Thain. Parties are great for caterers and liquor distributors. But that kind of stimulus package doesn’t help the rest of us much.

Cronyism Triumphs Again
By now US taxpayers know what happens when you give a very wealthy man a truckload of cash with no strings attached. He awards most of it to his buddies, and spends the rest on a million dollar office makeover. Imported area rug: $87,000. Golden trash can: $1,400. Squandering other people’s money in style: Priceless.

Such is the life of a Wall Street Kingpin. Gordon Gekko described the prevailing mentality of Thain’s clan succinctly. “Greed is good.”

Of course any CEO worth his salt would note that you have to reward performance in order to keep good people on your team. The only question then, is whether the gang at Merrill Lynch deserves greater recognition for their company’s $15.3 billion in fourth quarter losses or for their contributions to the current Bank of America death spiral.

Bankrupt Banks
Just as it is possible to work as a stockbroker without living on Park Avenue, it is also possible for banks to restructure their debts through federal bankruptcy court. Creditors and shareholders would take the hit for a company’s bad investments, not taxpayers. We have a process for dealing with organizations that can’t pay their bills. Merrill Lynch should be required to follow that process.

This past week’s inauguration ceremonies felt like a coronation. All that’s missing is a crown and scepter. American presidents have managed to consolidate so much authority into the Oval Office that we may as well call Barack Obama King of the United States.

The founders staged a bloody rebellion against their King and never intended to create a monarchy in America. According to the Constitution, the president doesn’t pass laws, doesn’t decide when the country goes to war and doesn’t sit in judgment of anyone.

Romance Novel Presidents
Americans are infatuated with fairy tales. We expect Mr. Obama to use his celebrity cachet and persuasive charm to “change” Washington, so that the world will never look at us the same way ever again. Good luck with that Mr. President.

Congress Takes a Holiday
Partisanship is the Tao of Congress. Every initiative plays out as us vs. them, with one side using the office of the presidency for strategic advantage. And since presidents know that the veto pen magnifies their vote, the chief executive sets the legislative agenda and Congress follows along.

None of this will change under President Obama. He is already touting his economic recovery plan on the White House website. I guess if Congress won’t lead, someone has to.

While US citizens fret over worsening economic conditions, Mexicans worry about survival. Bombings, assassinations and vigilante justice are on the rise in northern Mexico, with no clear end in sight. The illicit drug trade has gotten so lucrative that drug merchants keep government officials on the payroll, and the officials that can’t be bribed are murdered. Now innocent civilians are getting caught in the crossfire.

The explosion of violence in Mexico is just another sordid chapter in America’s long running “War on Drugs”. In the 1980s President Ronald Reagan made clear his intentions to fight domestic drug abuse by attempting to stop the flow of drugs into the US, primarily from Latin America. But drug abuse is still rampant, and the violence from illegal drug sales continues to plague communities all across the continent. By any objective standard, the War on Drugs has been a dismal failure.

In the US, the government believes that it can block recreational drugs from entering the country and that this will miraculously put addicts on the path to sobriety. If public policy were based on clear headed analysis rather than cheap political slogans, our government would recognize that taking one drug away will only lead addicts to some other intoxicant. Substance abuse treatment programs are more deserving of public support than drug interdiction operations.

In America we champion individual rights and responsibilities. We should expect adults to make smart decisions when it comes to recreational drug use. Prohibition didn’t work with alcohol. It’s not working with other drugs either.

The California legislature has taken quite a beating in the press lately over their failure to deal with the state’s $42 billion budget deficit. Governor Schwarzenegger wants lawmakers to find common ground in time for his state of the state address on Thursday. If no such miracle occurs, the governor could always do what any self respecting modern politician would do; use soothing language to make screw ups sound like accomplishments. Here are a few suggestions.

Family Friendly Furloughs
Rather than talk about monthly work furloughs as unpaid days off for state employees, the governor should emphasize all the extra time parents will have to spend with their children. Families can share quality moments engaged in fun activities like clipping coupons, playing checkers and listening to the radio. It will be like the 1930s all over again.

Snowed Under Days
Why should those East Coast kids get a day off from school every time a blizzard passes through New England? Out here schools are buried in red ink, so dropping five days from the school year saves money and gives California students a head start on that laid back lifestyle.

Promise to Pay
Californians won’t enjoy getting IOUs in the mail next month instead of state income tax refunds. After all, IOUs seem so childish. The governor should pretend that these obligations are real and refer to them as solemn promises to pay.

Ghana
Democracy proponents are encouraged by in the recent peaceful transfer of power in Ghana. This is the second such democratic transfer of the Ghanaian presidency since the 1990s. Jerry Rawlings, a military leader, held an election in 1992 and became president of this tiny coastal nation. Then Mr. Rawling’s National Democratic Congress lost the presidential election in 2000, and John Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party took over. Now, John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress is the president.

A vibrant democracy and open markets in Ghana have attracted international investors to a nation once plagued by military coups and political instability. Still, Ghana is a poor country and Mr. Atta Mills will have his hands full as he tries to bring greater prosperity to his people.

Guinea
In Guinea, a captain in the military staged a coup last month after the death of President Lansana Conte. While most consider this a set back for democracy in Guinea, the leader of the coup has already expressed a desire to hold a presidential election. Captain Moussa Dadis Camara says he hopes to stage the election sometime within the next 12 months. If Captain Camara is true to his word, then Guinea could follow Ghana’s lead, and help establish more democratic institutions in western Africa.

Nigeria
Independent observers consider Nigeria’s 2007 general election deeply flawed due to numerous reports of stolen votes, corruption and intimidation. Now several Nigerian politicians are pointing to Ghana as an example of how to conduct fair elections on the continent. Time will tell if the rhetoric leads to real democratic reforms in Nigeria.

The minerals and gases we burn for fuel here in the United States are destroying lives.

Coal
In Kingston, Tennessee a billion gallon coal ash sludge spill inundated fifteen homes last month, rendering some of them uninhabitable. Coal ash sludge is a mixture of ashes from burnt coal and water. The toxic brew sits in open air lagoons surrounded by earthen dikes. One of the Tennessee dikes ruptured and unloaded on the neighborhood.

Coal ash sludge contains a number of poisonous heavy metals, including arsenic and uranium. Even small amounts of arsenic and uranium will cause cancer in humans. Coal ash sludge also contains high levels of mercury, another lethal substance.

According to an inventory obtained by the New York Times, the Kingston plant also produces 49,000 pounds of lead, 1.4 million pounds of barium and 91,000 pounds of chromium every year. All of these dangerous chemicals have now begun to contaminate Tennessee streams and rivers in the middle of the rainy season.

Natural Gas
PG&E, the organization that made Erin Brockovich famous, is at it again. The company seems to have no explanation for a natural gas pipeline explosion which leveled a home in Rancho Cordova, California on the day before Christmas. The explosion killed one of the home’s inhabitants, and left two others in critical condition.

Although several local residents reported smelling natural gas in the days leading up to the explosion, no action was taken to protect the public. The expert appointed by the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the explosion said “typically, if you smell gas, you’d evacuate the whole neighborhood.”

These incidents give US voters one more reason to demand more investment in clean energy. Wind turbines and solar panels don’t kill people.