1980s Latin America Debt Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

1980s Latin America Debt Crisis - Essay Example Latin American countries followed a heavy reliance on debt finance. First, increases in foreign debt in these countries were higher than the revenues they had derived from their annual exports. In 1976, Mexico exported oil which paved the way for excess imports since cheap loans can be readily tapped. Brazil implemented a program of industrial expansion. Argentina and Chile established an overvalued exchange rate policy as an integral part of anti-inflationary strategy. Diverse government policies led these Latin American countries to defective exchange rate policies and excessive dependence on external capital flows.Another factor for the persistent debt problem was the fact that state enterprises became the conduit for absorbing external resources. The government guarantee provided for foreign denominated loans was attractive to external lenders who had no information on the real risk profile of the debtors. Public enterprises implemented programs of investment which guaranteed dir ect control over the foreign exchange proceeds to the national government. (Wesson, 9)In the years after 1983, these countries suffered from capital outflows and from the persistent slide in primary commodity prices. From 1983 up to 1986, Latin American terms of trade declined by 15 percent. Increased exports were negatively affected by falling prices. Countries. Argentina and Peru were especially hard hit. Mexico went into crisis due to falling oil prices in 1986.The lingering imbalance in the U.S. balance of payments contributed to the disadvantage of Latin America. The United States buys manufactured imports from Asian Countries (NICs) while shutting off capital flows from Latin American countries. Japanese and European surpluses were sent to the United States to get higher rates of investment. Economic growth in Latin America was supported by an import-substitution industrialization which protected the domestic industrial economy by means of high tariffs, import duties, and government subsidies. The initial arrangement benefited the economy but by the late 1960s, it was beginning to negatively affect agriculture which provides the needed foreign exchange. The industry had expensive domestic inputs that resulted in making major Mexican agricultural exports uncompetitive. Government policies which controlled domestic food prices also discouraged the increase of food production. As the population increased, consumption rose, reducing the amount of food available for export. It became necessary either to generate more resources to satisfy the demands of the population, or to control or decrease such demands without undermining the peace of the ruling party. By 1970, Lus Echeverra Alvarez, was elected president. He implemented the policy of stabilizing development. Stabilizing development is the economic strategy which emphasized growth over equity. The assumption had been that these resources would trickle down to the poor. The Echeverra administration opted for a strategy of shared development. This policy would emphasize equity and growth by policies that channel a greater share of economic gains to Mexico's lower classes. Echeverra encouraged more aggressive trade unions and he rued that foreign investors and domestic businessmen for exploiting the country. As conflict increased and confidence in the administration's policies declined, capital flight began. The government was forced to devalue the Mexican peso twice. Echeverra's anger and dismay led him to expropriate vast tracts of private agricultural land to give them to landless peasants. The president's attempt to spend his way into growth and equity had clearly failed by 1976, when Jos Lpez Portillo succeeded him. Portillo assumed a conciliatory approach in the face of problems. He then decided to secure foreign funding using the vast petroleum reserves of Mexico. Finally, commercial bankers were lining up to lend Mexico money in an attempt to reinvest billions of petrodollars that Arab governments had placed on

Living Through God: The Meaning of a Christian :: social issues

Living Through God: The Meaning of a Christian "Without God, the thinkers of the world will never grasp the meanings of life, origin and destiny†, so the strong spirited young woman remarks about life. Teenagers today appraise their lives through school, work, and friends. Often times, there is one type of teenager that displays a greater attitude, in which whom goes beyond the obvious by simply shining a little brighter. A courageous teen of determination, providing inspiration, possesses such positive attributes, gives reason to classify her by inspiring and strengthening the youth of today. On October 25, 1985, an individual, so concise, diminutive, or what seemed to be not much of great impact of this world, was born. Subsequently, becoming one that gives profound importance in the hearts of those she will touch. Arica Helaine Ingratta, a teenager of uniqueness in every way, persists by perceiving life by one entity, God. Initially, Arica procures from a family consisting of a younger brother, an older sister, a set of parents, one dog, two cats, and a hamster. Indeed, one may perceive this family to be a little unconventional; it is. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Arica grew up with a strong grasp on life from the very beginning. Her story entitles one to be unique, inspiring, and meaningful. â€Å"Arica Helaine†, derives from her father’s name, Ericolino, and Helen, the name of her mother. Her beginnings of education sets out at St. Gabriel’s catholic school where, in grade 4, she transferred schools to the Maranatha Christian Academy and later to First Lutheran Christian Academy where she developed a fundamental Christian basis. She was an intelligent, little princess that was often called â€Å"peanut†. An asset to her character is her genuine smile. Filled with energy and ambitions, she carries a strong spirit in whatever she does or is determined in becoming; so on to discover the meaning of life. Having acquired from a Christian family, she learns the meaning of God through her parents and school. While the world celebrated the coming of the New Year on December 31st of 1998, Arica was celebrating a rather different event. At a Christian concert, she became saved by accepting God into her life. She developed a personal relationship with God while continuing to live through Him. While many young teenagers were thriving about their girlfriends or boyfriends, their physical appearances, or the newest pop artist, Arica, by age 14, determined in becoming a youth Evangelist.

Current Issues Between the Native Americans

The four groups that I have chosen for identifying their linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions and statues of Hispanics groups living in the United States are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and South Americans. To start with they all speak Spanish yet they do have different dialects depending on where they are located. I have had experience with the Cubans personally and the Mexican American personally everything else I have learned from our research. The Mexican American population is the largest minority group in America. There are many Mexican Americans that do not speak Spanish at all and only speak English, but these are the ones that were usually born in the United States. There are also some that are bilingual and then there are some that do not know English until they start school. The Mexican Americans are also active in the civil rights movements, from workers rights to voting rights. Their social status is poor due to lack of education and they are strongly tied to their families. Families are very large and extended family is just as important as immediate family members. Most are Catholics and their religion is very important to them, but there are some that are protestant. Mexican Americans tend to take low paying jobs and this means that they work in mining, agriculture, transportation and ranching. Puerto Rico’s Linguistic background is strongly defined by Spanish and English. Most Puerto Ricans speak both languages fluently and use it in everyday life for work and play. Puerto Rico’s political division is the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which supports the commonwealth rank for the island; has been the leading political party since 1940. Their has been a large decline in the popularity of the PPD over the years but it is still remains the island’s main political party. Their families are very close just like all of the other Hispanic groups. Family life and the amount of time they spend with their family is very important to the Puerto Rican society as well as other Hispanic groups. They usually live close to family members and attend church together, which is a very important part of their culture. They are generally Roman Catholics and their culture has a heavy influence on African and Spanish beliefs and traditions. When it comes to Cubans who are generally located in Florida or that region and they migrated here to be freed from Fidel Castro. Like the other Hispanic groups the Cubans have very large families and are very close to all members including extended family members. Cuban Americans are generally affiliated with politically with Jewish Americans and are known for their powerful conservative ethics.

Kant - 1960 Words

In the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant undermines many of our moral certainties. Our Western philosophical tradition teaches that choosing the right path to virtue is in ones own hands. Aristotle’s understanding of virtue comes from our moral bearings, which are taken from exemplars of virtue. Kant’s idea of morality is sought from a single individual. Only few people are universally accepted as this ideal conception of morality, such figures like Gandhi or Jesus. Kant believes that we cannot derive this idea of morality simply from examples of those around us but we can only decide morality from a specific principle. This notion of morality is rooted from an idea that is not used by most individuals. He has little faith in†¦show more content†¦If we loose this capacity to act freely, how does someone truly experience morality? To further explain this concept Kant uses two examples of how without categorical imperatives ones idea cannot become a u niversal moral law. His first example is a man who wishes to take his own life because he no longer finds any happiness. However, he questions the moral integrity of this action and whether that is a good rule in which to follow. In this case pain outweighs pleasure, and a sense of duty is imposed on oneself to stay alive. This contradicts the concept of a universal law of nature because this evil is outweighing a sense of satisfaction. Without this man’s understanding of imperative his result outweighs his actions (422). The second example that Kant uses with this idea of self-love is whether one should borrow money when in need, knowing that he will not be able to pay it back (422). Giving a false promise violates the universal law of morality. Using someone as a means to improve ones ends is by definition an immoral action. This example that Kant uses, displays many hidden assumptions of how people act in any given situation. One would not want to universalize these codes because it is portraying a society of giving and taking. In the last example presenting someone else a mean does not present itself as a moral code, which should be followed. What one does is for the sole purpose of onesShow MoreRelatedImmanuel Kant And The Kant Essay1263 Words   |  6 Pages Immanuel Kant Lying Chiyane Peterson MCCC Ethics MW 1:30pm Parviz Dehghani Lying the one form of communication that is the untruth expressed to be the truth. Immanuel Kant states that lying is morally wrong in all possible ways. His hatred for lying has made him â€Å"just assumed that anyone who lied would be operating with a maxim like this: tell a lie so as to gain some benefit.†(Landau,pp.171) This is true for a vast number of people, they will lie in orderRead MoreKant s Principles Of Kant1743 Words   |  7 Pages The work of Immanuel Kant focuses on the idea that of everything in the world it is only good will that can be taken as â€Å"good without qualification† (Kant, 393). Unlike qualities or talents, which can be used both for good and for bad, good will is considered by Kant to be unequivocally good. 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Here are some of his ethical works, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), the Critique of Practical Reason (1788), and the Metaphysics of Morals (1797), which contains bothRe ad MoreKant And Kant s Philosophy2023 Words   |  9 PagesImmanuel Kant was an exceptional philosopher who often fantasized about the wonders of the human perception. Through the power of imagination in the human mind Kant was able to postulate possible answers to the great questions of existence. He was daring and bold to wonder what constitutes the beauty of the human soul, how the existence of an all-powerful entity would be possible, and also what do human beings really do to perceive their surroundings. With such notable works as Critiques of PracticalRead MoreKant And Kant s Metaphysical Theorizing1303 Words   |  6 Pageswere possible. For Kant, the question of how synthetic a-priori judgements operated was central to understanding the nature of human thinking, and to enabling metaphysics. 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Kant defines his Universal Law to demonstrate the necessary action one must take in order to act in a way that is morally permissible and uses it in support of his belief that one’s motive is the soleRead MoreKant And Kant s Moral Ethics862 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Kant, We have these absolute duties to ourselves and these duties to oneself become the supreme principle of all duties. Therefore, these supreme self-duties are the reason why moral ethics exist, and without our duties to oneself there would be no other duties, nor would we, as a species, survive at all. However, these self-regarding duties can be very contradicting, but can help us understand the bigger picture of the categorical imperative. Kant believes that we must â€Å"act only according