Evo Makes His First Move

After being officially inaugurated this week, Coke-hatin' Bolivian president Evo Morales is fed up with his country's crushing poverty.

Ironically, his first initiative is fairly mustachioed. Evo is voluntarily cutting his own salary from $3,900 a month down to a modest $1,875 a month. In addition, he is asking all Bolivian cabinet members to voluntarily cut their own salaries to a level no greater than his own.

I have no problem with government taking a vow of poverty, but this populist grandstanding will boost E. Mo's popularity with MoveOn dittoheads before it lifts the Bolivian people out of poverty. Bolivia will maintain its status quo while Morales gets praised for being a selfless champion of the people. Much like Chavez in Venezuela sending "complimentary oil" to the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina to maintain an image of righteousness within the Left while Venezuelans take corruption in the rear, Morales' gesture will end up being more useful politically and publicity-wise than as an effective cure.

Economic development is the true cure for Bolivia, but in the eyes of E. Mo and his ilk, that would be an unacceptable solution because it would require a "selling out" to the evil machine of globalization. Evo may be making less money, but his people won't be making any more until intelligent economic decisions are made on behalf of the country.