Tens of millions of Argentineans are excluded, at a particularly tough time of the year for many of them. A sector in the grip of ongoing financial difficulties has been plunged into crisis by the global recession. Major organizations have been unable to deliver basic services, several seemingly on the verge of bankruptcy, and the public has been desperate, taking to the streets in protest. The private sector has failed to live up to its much vaunted promises to provide cheap, affordable coverage for all. But, aware that such matters are a right and not a commodity, President Cristina Kirchner has stepped into the fray to announce a national, government-sponsored plan which will fill the doughnut hole and ensure that from now on all Argentineans, irrespective of wealth or background, will be offered universal access.
That’s right: whilst the United States is wasting its time in divisive battles over healthcare, the government of Argentina has decisively moved on to more fundamental questions, proving once again that leadership in the Americas in the twenty-first century will come from the other end of the continent. As the BBC reports, El Presidente Cristina will be providing more than $155m to the Argentine Football Association to provide free, universal coverage of the domestic league’s matches on the terrestrial television channel. A massive funding shortfall from the private sector TV rights package had left the major clubs in dire financial straits and indefinitely delayed the starting of the football season. Now the games will be able to continue. Argentineans are ecstatic.
"Today is a historic day for football, for the AFA, for Argentines and for the possibility of living in a more just and democratic society," Ms Fernandez said. Thank goodness at least one country in the Americas has the cojones to make the truly important decisions when it comes to a crisis!
(For more info, see Argentine Football Association)
