Submitted by Thomas Kolbe
Only contrast reveals one's own mistakes. Javier Milei is the antithesis of Germany's political class, and the comparison could hardly be starker.
While Germany continues to expand the state, Argentina is slashing subsidies and radically reducing the size of its public bureaucracy. While Berlin piles up enormous amounts of public debt, Buenos Aires is posting a primary budget surplus. Friedrich Merz believes in the healing powers of state intervention, whereas Milei is deregulating markets and paving the way for an investment boom.
Argentina has achieved an economic turnaround while Germany continues its economic decay. Argentina's economy is growing steadily, private-sector employment is expanding, and the poverty rate is falling rapidly.
At a time when Germany is doubling down on debt, the arms industry, and green state planning, Milei appears like a comet defying both political gravity and conventional doctrines of government.
The Argentine president's latest initiative is the so-called "Grillete Fiscal"—literally, the "Fiscal Shackles."
Behind the martial name lies what amounts to a fiscal revolution. Milei first unveiled the proposal in his characteristically entertaining style during a televised address to the Argentine people. The bill must still be approved by Congress, where his party, La Libertad Avanza, is expected to secure the support of allied parliamentary factions in both chambers.
Although Milei lacks a parliamentary majority of his own, his alliances have thus far proved remarkably resilient.
If enacted, the legislation would break with one o
