Argentina Deploys Troops to Contain Looting

Wall Street Journal ^ | 21 Dec 2012 | Ken Parks

[docbnj]

Looters attacked supermarkets in several Argentine cities Friday in the latest challenge to President Cristina Kirchner, who is struggling to revive a weak economy and maintain her control over the ruling Peronist Party.

What started with the ouster Thursday afternoon of a supermarket in the Patagonian resort town of Bariloche quickly spread to other parts of the country, with thousands of looters attacking supermarkets and shops in the cities of Rosario, Campana and Zárate. In the central city Rosario, two people were killed during the incidents and 137 people arrested.

[docbnj]

Article recounts that rioters, apparently well fed, took mainly TVs and other items of value. The attacks were prepared, with trucks available in some cases to carry off the loot. Author notes that government has coddled the underclass, and counted on their support; but now their pets are turning on them.

[mylife]

Why don’t they just declare Argentina a looting free zone?

[BipolarBob]

This sounds like a country in need of some good guys with AR-15s and high capacity magazines to fend off the bad guys.

[MeganC]

Look for the Argies to invade the Falkland Islands soon as a distraction for the disaffected crowds at home.

[Wisconsinlady]

I won’t cry for you, Argentina.

[GeronL]

Interesting, so what set this looting off?

[JRandomFreeper]

Interesting, so what set this looting off?

It's a south american hellhole, they don't need a reason.

Sad part is, it's a very rich part of the world in natural resources. The only thing standing in the way of good people doing well is.... once again... government.

/johnny

[Cyber Liberty]

I guess Lizard-Neck is in trouble. Oh my.

[Cementjungle]

It's a south american hellhole, they don't need a reason.

I've always liked Argentina, and have been there many times and have some friends there. It's anything but a hellhole... but things certainly have taken a turn for the worse with the current socialist in power (her late husband too). It's very sad to see actually.

[JRandomFreeper]

Any place with looting is by definition, a hellhole. See Watts, etc...

I wouldn't mind living in Argentina if they had a decent government. They don't, I won't.

/johnny

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks docbnj.

...with thousands of looters attacking supermarkets and shops in the cities of Rosario, Campana and Zárate.

Coming soon to an Occutard riot near you.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Where are good fascists like Juan and Evita Peron when you need them?

Madame Kirchner is just a light-weight, Chavez/Castro wannabe clown.

The mob sounds like one that Community Organizer Barack Obama organized in Chicago. Maybe they were outsourced to Argentina to teach them how to flashmob correctly.

[familyop]

That’s what the degreed/licensed political/regulator class does, when it no longer receives its wealth from government debt.

[tet68]

So now the people “nationalize” grocery stores?

[familyop]

"Interesting, so what set this looting off?"

That's a great question. I wonder if any of us have signed up for the WSJ "professional edition" and are able to read the rest of the article?

In most cases during or after government defaults, layoffs of higher income government employees, cuts in funding for government-linked businesses, cuts in pensions, etc., tend to precede such riots. Some people aren't accustomed to real work (e.g., technical, manufacturing,...), can't do anything real for themselves and throw tantrums when no longer among the elite.

[concerned about politics]

Author notes that government has coddled the underclass, and counted on their support; but now their pets are turning on them.

Won't be long before the democrats have to tell their freeloading base it can't afford any more free handouts. That's not going to go over well. They have a "right" to everybody elses stuff, darn it!

[familyop]

"...in the Patagonian resort town of Bariloche..."

Might be a hint there. Looks like it may have happened in one of the tourist reserve utopias.

[DoughtyOne]

I think a 14 day waiting period to loot would solve this.

[GeronL]

Always very organized.

The socialist government hasn’t explained it to the masses yet they have to live with less? Less prosperity, less freedom, less food, less everything?

Sooner or later the socialist-communists have to get around to that point. Where the “safety net” becomes the ONLY income and it gets smaller and smaller. Soon they won’t need to worry about looted supermarkets and stolen luxury goods because there won’t be any.

Then they will all live in glorious noble utopian squalor, while the leaders of the country will be rich and powerful beyond measure.

[gaijin]

I heard Argentina confiscated their version of folks’ IRA’s, 401k, etc.

Popular, huh?

And I heard they’re planning the same, here.