[rabble]

Mujica's great. I've lived on and off in Uruguay for a decade and really things are going pretty well. There's laptops for all kids, free internet for everybody, no taxes on tech companies, free universal education and universal healthcare. What's more he's somebody who believes in leading by example.

The thing is, he's not actually retiring. He's president of the senate and leads the largest faction of the governing coalition. Once he steps down from the presidency he'll still be the major power broker in the government and 3rd in line to be president again if anything should happen to Vasquez (new president) and Sendic (new vice president).

He's a friendly old uncle figure who everybody finds adorable. But don't for a minute think that he isn't an incredibly savvy political player. I think he plays up the act because it's not as scary than having somebody who's a libertarian marxist as president.

[Trufa]

I'm Uruguayan, and the picture you're painting is not quite accurate.

> There's laptops for all kids

This was indeed a great achievement, but not all kids, this is for the public (state) education.

> no taxes on tech companies

This is not like that, there are certain businesses that are exempt from certain taxes because of what they do, but that statemt is simply not true, and taxation in Uruguay is pretty pretty high, 22% VAT plus a very high income tax on basically everything plus all other sort of taxes.

In fact if you're a small tech company in Uruguay, taxation will be a heavy burden.

> free universal education and universal healthcare.

True, but they are completely understaffed and underpaid, the conditions in many of the public hospitals are deplorable, basically no one from upper middle class upwards uses it, you pay for public hospitals with taxes and pay for private sector hospitals.

Take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gYCS_FHjzU it's in spanish but you'll get a point.

> free internet for everybody

Where? For whom? There is no such thing as free internet for everyone in Uruguay.

> He's a friendly old uncle figure who everybody finds adorable

I could just show you screenshots of my facebook timeline, some people really hate him, quite a lot in fact, he was involved in guerrilla fighting, that will raise some controversy at least, he is quite popular but the country is very fragmented!

> libertarian marxist

For good or for bad, I don't think his policies have either been libertarian or marxist.

> things are going pretty well

That is if you don't take into consideration small issue like insecurity and extreme poverty.

Hey, I'm not even an opposer of him, he's done some great things in my opinion, but since his media attention and his portrayal of saint, most have seemed to lose there objectivity in something as complicated as politics.

[singold]

Some details from a Uruguayan (myself :)

- There's laptops for all kids Of public schools, that in most cases, are pretty bad. Also not from Mujica's adminstration but from Vazquez's (same party, different president)

- Free internet for everybody up to 1GB, also, I dont think this is merit from Mujica.

- No taxes on tech companies I don't think this is true, maybe tech companies have some exemptions, but that's all.

I like Mujica, but not everything good that happens is because of him, also he likes to throw ideas all the time, without the seriousness you would expect from a president.

All in all, I think he is a good president, but not the hero the world wants it to be.

[cesarbs]

> free universal education and universal healthcare

Do they have universal education up to the university level? Do you know how their public healthcare compares to the Brazilian SUS (Brazil's universal healthcare system)?

[singold]

Yes, we have universal education up to University. Can't compare healthcare, but I think we have a lot to improve in that regard (it is also, a lot newer that university).