Monday, June 17, 2013

It's So Peaceful in the Country

The country is Chile.  There's an election. The candidates respect one another (and their constitution that Augusto Pinochet bequeathed to them);

The Alianza debate, which featured Andrés Allamand of the center-right National Renewal (RN) party and Pablo Longueira of the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI), was the first in the political bloc’s 24-year history. Until this election cycle, the coalition had bypassed the primary system altogether, with party officials choosing a nominee behind closed doors.
Still, the conservative candidates did not treat the new format as an opportunity to take jabs at one another. Rather, the evening was marked by broad ideological agreement and a civil, reserved tone.
On the issues, both Allamand and Longueira stressed their support of free markets.
Longueira said that competition has provided Chileans with an “historical leap” in social and economic conditions. The UDI candidate also stressed that it was the role of the government to increase competition among private enterprises.
Even among schools, as;
On education, both candidates agreed even more wholeheartedly, defending the status quo, notably the subsidized school option — which is funded by a combination of public and private funds.
The 'subsidized school option' means 'vouchers for school choice', which about half of Chile's families take advantage of. The also have a private social security option, highways and waterworks. All seemingly popular, since even the Socialists who were elected president, Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet, didn't change them.

As the song has it, you really ought to try it.

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