http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a605d872 … z3rfi6vQAa
I doubt that Vice President Michael Temer has the answer to Brazil's political nightmare, but AT LEAST he and his PMDB party are proposing possible solutions (What a novel idea!), instead of spending all their time and energy blaming others. Did somebody somewhere wake up and smell the coffee? Or per the comment in the Comments Section, is Temer's "Bridge to the Future" simply another Bridge to Nowhere and yet another opportunity for some crooked politicians to take advantage of the current situation? 
I'm skeptical...of both the intent of Temer and his PMDB party and of the solutions themselves.
In its platform, the PMDB proposed making flexible mandatory spending limits in the budget on areas such as health and education that are obligatory under the constitution. Brazil doesn't spend enough on health and education as it stands, but now they want to reduce the mandatory spending limits in these areas?
Other proposals included making Brazil's rigid labour laws more flexible to allow direct wage negotiations between employers and their workers and reforms to the minimum retirement age to stop an explosion in unfunded pension liabilities. I'm not sure what the first part of this sentence means - does it mean that the proposals aim to minimize the role of Brazl's tedious labour unions during wage negotiations? As for the second part, increasing the minimum retirement age is just the first step in the right direction.(The average retirement age in this country is 54!) 
Indexation of pension and other payments to rises in the minimum wage would be scrapped, as would nationalist laws in the oil sector. Again, please excuse me, but I'm not exactly clear on this sentence. Does it mean that pensions, other payments,and the minimum wage will NOT be adjusted for inflation (i.e. indexation)?
Brazil needs to implement A LOT more structural reforms than just these "solutions," but again, AT LEAST there is now some sort of discussion being held on how to move forward. (Brazilians like to complain about their country and all their problems but rarely do I hear them propose solutions for the problems.) Can these proposals be considered "progress?" Can one at least hope?
A Brazilian politician proposes...a solution?
The guy is just as crazy as Dilma is!!! If he had half a brain he, as Vice-President, wouldn't have allowed her to get into this situation in the first place.
I'm afraid that this country is in far too much trouble for any kind of a quick fix. The entire political landscape has to change and unfortunately that takes a great deal of time, time this country doesn't have.
There are too many problems to fix, it would require completely overhaulling the electoral system, really bringing in the "ficha limpa" laws that were enacted but have really never taken effect. If we can't even ensure a government that doesn't have convicted criminals at the helm then we're lost before we even start out.
And of course, Brazilians themselves have to bloody well learn how to vote, why they should vote and how to chose the right person to vote for. Oh yes, and they've got to learn how to hold those they've voted into office accountable.
Cheers,
James Expat-blog Experts Team
James wrote:The guy is just as crazy as Dilma is!!! If he had half a brain he, as Vice-President, wouldn't have allowed her to get into this situation in the first place.
I'm afraid that this country is in far too much trouble for any kind of a quick fix. The entire political landscape has to change and unfortunately that takes a great deal of time, time this country doesn't have.
There are too many problems to fix, it would require completely overhaulling the electoral system, really bringing in the "ficha limpa" laws that were enacted but have really never taken effect. If we can't even ensure a government that doesn't have convicted criminals at the helm then we're lost before we even start out.
And of course, Brazilians themselves have to bloody well learn how to vote, why they should vote and how to chose the right person to vote for. Oh yes, and they've got to learn how to hold those they've voted into office accountable.
Cheers,
James Expat-blog Experts Team
I guess I'm just looking for a silver lining in this mess. 
Victoria, you're forgetting that this is Brazil and they've turned that old saying around the other way. Here it's.....
For every silver cloud there's a dark lining! 
Cheers,
James
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