Credit Due: President Showed Calm, Decisive Leadership & Dedication to Citizens

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

The president of Chile, that is.

It makes you wish he was our president:

By sad contrast, Obama stayed far away from the Gulf during the BP spill, as if to deny it, and made only a few brief appearances later.

Sadder still is what happens in China, where miners are routinely left for dead after mines collapse — a big reason more than 2,000 parish in such accidents each year.

"Lucky people who were born in Chile. ... If it was us, we would definitely have been buried alive and died," a Chinese wrote on the Internet, as quoted by the Christian Science Monitor.

Pinera is different. He focused on avoiding conflict and laying blame while the rescue was still on. He took accountability himself by firing incompetent inspectors on his own side, but didn't condemn business or shut down an entire industry, as Obama did with his Gulf moratorium, only now being lifted.

Pinera worked with local officials instead of bickering with them or throwing up bureaucratic obstacles because they belonged to the wrong party. Sadly, that's what Obama did with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who had to take matters into his own hands in building berms when Louisiana's coast was threatened by the April spill.

Chileans, by contrast, said the crisis united them as never before. That takes leadership, and it comes about only because Pinera believes in openness, free markets, transparency and putting himself last.

That, along with the bravery of the miners, the effectiveness of the tools and the remarkable organizational skills that were brought to bear, turned a horrible tragedy into perhaps the greatest rescue operation in history.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=550307

[IassaFTots]

I don't know all that much about President Pinera, but what I did see I was very impressed with.  He and his wife both. 

Another point of note.  I saw President Pinera's speech last night, and aside from giving a personal "shout out" to all of the other leaders of South America, he singled out PM Cameron and PM Netanyahu, for their calls to him.  I never once heard our leader's name.  A tad embarrassing if you ask me. 

[ironhorsedriver]

I was actually proud for Chile. Thankful that they are moving to the right instead of the Chavez model.

[true_blood]

I was impressed as well. They showed dignity and class.

[Karin]

It makes you wish he was our president:

  Those were my thoughts exactly! 

Then, I had a chilling thought.  What if this exact same thing had happened here on Obama's watch, along with his band of idiots?  They would still be doing environmental impact studies on the capsule and the like.  What if they were all white?  I can scarcely think about it.  And why should I have to think this way in these United States?  Damn. 

[MrsSmith]

While we're giving credit, how about some for Center Rock, Inc. of Berlin, PA?  They are the tiny company - 75 people - that made the drill bit responsible for getting there.  The owner, Brandon Fisher, was the American that was featured in a couple stories.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20101014/UPDATES01/101014011/1005/NEWS01/Pa.+drilling+firm+basks+in+glow+of+Chilean+rescue+

And bets on a bit capable of this rescue being produced in a non-capitalist economy?   

[RightCoast]

My local radio guy brought up a good question this morning: he asked can you picture a circumstance where BHO would wrap his arms around some people he had never met and sing the National Anthem?

I think no, is the appropriate answer.

He also pointed out that the rescue, contrary to Chris Mathews portrayal, was a huge victory for Capitalism. Companies from around the world sent their best equipment and their brightest engineers to make this rescue possible.

[IassaFTots]

While we're giving credit, how about some for Center Rock, Inc. of Berlin, PA?  They are the tiny company - 75 people - that made the drill bit responsible for getting there.  The owner, Brandon Fisher, was the American that was featured in a couple stories.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20101014/UPDATES01/101014011/1005/NEWS01/Pa.+drilling+firm+basks+in+glow+of+Chilean+rescue+

And bets on a bit capable of this rescue being produced in a non-capitalist economy?   

Oh, I am all about that.  And to NASA, and to Oakley, and to Greg Hall, from Driller Supply International. 

http://thedailycougar.com/2010/10/14/houstonian-aids-rescue-efforts-for-chile-miners/

[true_blood]

My local radio guy brought up a good question this morning: he asked can you picture a circumstance where BHO would wrap his arms around some people he had never met and sing the National Anthem?

I think no, is the appropriate answer.

He also pointed out that the rescue, contrary to Chris Mathews portrayal, was a huge victory for Capitalism. Companies from around the world sent their best equipment and their brightest engineers to make this rescue possible.

I would agree there.

[ironhorsedriver]

  It was Chile's President who was pushing for rescue, hell, he's the one who pushed for even the initial hole that proved they where alive.
  Lord Obama would have NEVER committed to that degree. He probably would have never even said anything about it at all, except to condemn the Mine operators.
  To be honest, I think dead miners play into his agenda better. He's that kind of disgusting, parasitic, slime ball to me.

[IassaFTots]

  It was Chile's President who was pushing for rescue, hell, he's the one who pushed for even the initial hole that proved they where alive.
  Lord Obama would have NEVER committed to that degree. He probably would have never even said anything about it at all, except to condemn the Mine operators.
  To be honest, I think dead miners play into his agenda better. He's that kind of disgusting, parasitic, slime ball to me.

Indeed.

[GOP Congress]

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Pinera is the first right of center president Chile has had since Pinochet. Keep in mind the only reason he is president is because the earlier president, Socialist Michelle Bachelet was termed out. In fact, when she left office, her popularity was in the 80 percentile range. Presidents can not spend more than 8 consecutive years as president, BUT they can run again once another president has had a term, so I will assume she will run against Pinera next time around.

Pinera has a long row to hoe. Despite the fact that he's popular with the rescue, Pinera will have to move in favor of socialist union changes to remain popular. Otherwise, if he sticks to a capitalist script, he runs the risk of becoming very much the outcast, setting up Bachelet's inevitable return. The plain fact is that the mining industry WILL have to increase its safety, but it's lightyears behind the US safety codes, so it's going to be a tough road.

I am not saying that Bachelet is the key here...far FROM it. But reality is reality, and South America is entrenched in the socialist mindset, unlike the US. I don't see any realistic changes south of TJ / Juarez anytime before 2020, even 2030, unless the US becomes a conservative/libertarian country, as opposed to a republican/democrat model. If we become the former, then we have a chance at exporting liberty around the world in a more consistent manner.

[foghorn]

Call me cold, but... I could give a rat's ass about Chile or the miners.  This affecte me how?

[MrsSmith]

Call me cold, but... I could give a rat's ass about Chile or the miners.  This affecte me how?

If in no other way, the successful drilling operation is a "feather in the cap" for a deserving American company!  Hopefully, our government and labor unions will not now see fit to pursue that company with the intent to cause damage.

[ironhorsedriver]

Call me cold, but... I could give a rat's ass about Chile or the miners.  This affecte me how?

Mainly because it could prove useful in mine disasters here, in good ole' USA. As a resident of WV and living in the coal fields, it is promising technology.

[ToddWB]

Oh....the president of Chile! I tho't you had soem real breakiong news here!

[GOP Congress]

Call me cold, but... I could give a rat's ass about Chile or the miners.  This affecte me how?

I notice you've been banned, but let me elucidate.

The plain fact is that WE have the technology to save lives, no matter where. WE have the know how, and the ability to do so. Finally, WE are a very life-oriented people. We do NOT cower with fear, or abandon people, such as China when they didn't do a damn thing excavating their own people in mind disasters or earthquakes.

These miners are human, and they are producers. And if their government allows our citizens in to help get them out, by God that's what we're gonna do. We are AMERICANS.

Now, having said that, let me elucidate on what I said earlier regarding Pinera's chances. Frankly, from a political standpoint, unless he can somehow institute a lot of pro-capitalistic choices that can supercharge the Chilean economy in less than two years, he will easily lose. I'd love to see Chile make an exception and become, and stay, an ACTUAL capitalistic democracy, but that's not likely to happen.

With America about to get its head out of its progressive ass that its been inserted in since FDR, and actually since TEDDY Roosevelt (who was the first official "progressive", though not as Alinsky-ite as it is today), and reintroduce principles that will ultimately free our capital society, we will finally be able to export democratic CAPITALISM more succinctly. As our own Hispanic population becomes more conservative of its own right outside of their family structures, hence more fiscally conservative as well, they will be instrumental in introducing capitalism to the south. The Western Hemisphere is ONE large country ready, actually ACHING, for development, and once the adults in America run this country for a few successive cycles, THAT is when the world will become more inclined to reject their own state brands of socialism.

But it ALL depends on America...and THAT depends, first and foremost, of an American Congress that mandates a return to its Constitutional roots. In turn, that will allow the people to more greatly affect the presidential, and in time the judicial branches of government. Once that happens, we export capitalism, and everything else falls into place.

Of course, this precludes major terrorist activity. But this is something that MUST happen, and it will. How fast, and how much, is determined by circumstances that will be dictated on November 2.