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Elected by and abiding by the will of the people. Obama should try it sometime.

Bolivia once again is beginning to assert itself as a independent national entity.  More importantly, a democratic entity that actually resembles a democracy.

From Al-Jazeera:

“Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, signed a decree authorising the nationalisation at the offices of one of the companies in the city of Cochabamba on Saturday, hours after police had moved in to secure them.

“We are here to nationalise all the hydroelectric plants that were owned by the state before, to comply with the new constitution of the Bolivian state,” Morales said.”

Taking back what once belonged to the people, for the benefit of the people.  What a unique idea!

“Basic services can not be a private business. We are recovering the energy, the light, for all Bolivians.”

Thank you Mr.Morales, thank you for stating the obvious.  The wave of privatization and the idea that private ownership is the best only way for a nation to function has engulfed North America presently needs examples to show that the private ownership model is not a one size fits all solution.

“This is essentially what Morales, the Bolivian president, was elected on,” Alex Van Schaick, a Bolivia analyst, told Al Jazeera.

A government doing what it promised to do….*cough*…yes we can… *hack* hope and change; others should try that.

“It is the state’s obligation to compensate investors for their assets, we made an effort to reach an agreement with the private, multinational companies, but they were unwilling to reach an accord,” he said.

Several companies have launched legal action over the compensation they were offered as part of the nationalisation.”

Essentially, “how dare they take away my golden egg laying goose?”  I would be surprised if there was not a tooth and nail dragged out process of wresting Bolivia’s energy sector away from the robber barons who infested the country circa 1994.

Bolivia is doing it right.  Running its country for the people, as a opposed to the wealthy elites.  Bravo!