tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post4427754616106933004..comments2023-05-01T11:44:04.490-03:00Comments on D for Disorientation: Power fees going up in Buenos AiresPablohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296074005654785159noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-70561284594212713462008-08-02T10:01:00.000-03:002008-08-02T10:01:00.000-03:00Jeff: By "Buenos Aires", unless stated otherwise, ...Jeff: By "Buenos Aires", unless stated otherwise, I mean the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. There are shanty towns inside the city, but most of the poverty in the metro area is around, not inside, the city itself.<BR/><BR/>All that poverty, by the way, has stayed the same for quite a while now, despite the huge subsidies granted to utility companies and public transportation, which suggests that those subsidies (money mostly taken from the "interior") aren't the appropriate tool to fight poverty. The federal funds granted by the government to local Greater BA administrations (at the whim of the president, and based on partisan loyalty considerations) suffer from the same "problem".<BR/><BR/>The federal state breaks tax collection records every month and yet there seems to never have enough money to "help the poor" (sarcasm intended). Note I don't advocate for less taxes -- I'm only saying they must be doing something wrong with them.Pablohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296074005654785159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-78515922659620714092008-08-02T05:02:00.000-03:002008-08-02T05:02:00.000-03:00I guess I failed in asking whether you refer to BA...I guess I failed in asking whether you refer to BA as simply the capital city, or the entire province???<BR/><BR/>If you are refering simply to the capital's center, then I would ask about the cost of living their compared to else where in the province.<BR/><BR/>While I have only ever been a tourist, I do know that rental costs are, at least, double in BA compared to the relatively rich Mendoza province. This would lead me to believe living expenses are also much higher in BA???<BR/><BR/>And, although I do know that you believe that the poor are poor for more reasons that the rich making them poor, I would question whether or not the official figures count the nearly countless amount of people living in the poor "shanty towns" that surround the capital city? <BR/><BR/>That wall, on the way to the airport, was not built to support graffiti artists but rather to hide the poor communities behind it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-5666931724390912082008-08-02T04:55:00.000-03:002008-08-02T04:55:00.000-03:00You do realize, unless my Spanish is failing me in...You do realize, unless my Spanish is failing me in this reading, that BA is ranked below the GDP of Santa Fe and Mendoza in the article you gave as your source???<BR/><BR/>If I am correct, this would merely show that BA, with a huge buying power and population - which comes hand in hand with decreased infrastructure costs - would actually require lower costs for necessary items than the richer provinces???<BR/><BR/>I know the percentage might not justify the extreme dollar value, but it is something significant to realize that Santa Fe, Cordoba and Mendoza, all of which benefit from cheaper accommodation and food costs, would naturally have higher prices for some nationally subsidized amenities???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-47955700050023047552008-08-01T09:07:00.000-03:002008-08-01T09:07:00.000-03:00Jeff,I just found this report about per capita GDP...Jeff,<BR/><BR/>I just found <A HREF="http://oberaonline.com.ar/portal/content/view/6297/9/" REL="nofollow">this report</A> about per capita GDP by province. I believe income is also highest in Buenos Aires, though that's more like common knowledge, based on what you hear from people who work and live there. AFAIK the only places where people consistently earn more than in Buenos Aires are in Patagonia (where the cost of living is considerably higher as well).<BR/><BR/>In my opinion, in this case the state should regulate the utility fees to match the income level of the place. The capital proper should be charged at least double its current fees. Problems arise because the Autonomous City and the Greater Buenos Aires are interdependent, so for example, if you charge the BA-based companies more for power, that'll hurt their ability to hire and keep employees and pay them higher salaries, and many of those employees could come from the poorer areas around the city. The same goes for buses: for a middle-class porteño, a 1-peso ticket is ridiculously cheap, but not for the people from the Conurbano who must ride on the same bus. In the end, it all results from economic inequality, which the national government claims it's fighting against, though it really doesn't look like it.<BR/><BR/>Regarding the urban structure of Argentina: the first wave of colonization came from the north, and gave us cities like Salta, Santiago del Estero and Córdoba. But then Buenos Aires started to dominate. Rosario grew because it became a major port, just as Buenos Aires. People did migrate to the countryside, but the whole structure was designed to obtain primary products and ship them towards the ports. Our extensive railway system was built for the interests of British export companies, and it was designed so that products could get quickly to overseas ports and from there to the British Empire, which is why a railway map of Argentina looks like a half spider web centered in Buenos Aires, instead of the rectangular grid it should be.Pablohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296074005654785159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-63962999793817334282008-07-31T19:43:00.000-03:002008-07-31T19:43:00.000-03:00Hey Pablo,Curious to know if you have any sources ...Hey Pablo,<BR/><BR/>Curious to know if you have any sources for your statement that says BA has the highest per capita incomes? It was just shocking for me to read, as there are overwhelming numbers of poor in and around the capital. I would have guessed that cities like Rosario, Cordoba and Mendoza would have had higher per capita incomes....<BR/><BR/>As for the idea that the largest center having the most demand and the lowest prices, that is the eventuality of any open market. I am not saying it is right, but buying power and infrastructure costs insure that the prices are lower than in other areas.<BR/><BR/>Has Argentina always been built around the Capital and the "interior"? Latin-America, in general, is known for its mass migration to the capitals from the countryside in hopes of landing jobs. The shanty towns throughout Latin America are so large compared to other regions because the higher salaries rarely cover the higher cost of living. Is BA different then cities like Santiago, Rio, Sao Paolo, Lima, etc in this idea?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-36579502612103591942008-07-31T13:56:00.000-03:002008-07-31T13:56:00.000-03:00Hi, Pablo.As a potential denizen of the country, I...Hi, Pablo.<BR/><BR/>As a potential denizen of the country, I find this post interesting. I am one who consumes a lot of electricity.<BR/><BR/>I still admire your having learned to write in English so well, even though I notice some British spelling mixed in with an American style. I wonder what the pronunciation is like for those who learn the language there. I found a blog by somebody in Funes who is an instructor at ARICANA, but it seems she does not check her blog that often. What is your background as far as having learned the language? I wish I had studied some while growing up there.<BR/><BR/>You can leave this out:<BR/>You should replace the word <I>remembers</I> with <I>reminds</I> in your current post. Also, it might help to revise a manual of style for some punctuation issues related to American English.<BR/><BR/>Take care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com