Comparsion of supermarket prices Montevideo vs BA

[joftoronto]

You've made your feelings about the US and its citizens more than clear.

I disagree with you. I've deliberately refrained from commenting and making broad generalizations, unless directly addressing points raised by the prior poster. I do take it exception with people making patronizing comments about my own country. As I'm sure you would with respect to your own country.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

How did this thread veer from supermarket prices to Canadian trans kids.

 

[sts7049]

How did this thread veer from supermarket prices to Canadian trans kids.

because it's 2024, this is how discourse is these days

 

[joftoronto]

I take my share of the blame and perhaps I overreacted to what I perceived as rude comments and generalizations about my home country. Maybe in particular because it was from a person that I recognize from being from my own community, (LGBTQ). When asking questions and/ or advice or providing comments, I try to remember that this is an expats forum, and to make an effort not to inject glib commentary or patronizing comments about the home country of any person who now may live here but comes from abroad. I guess I need a thicker skin. I did try to keep my original response short and I did note that it was not connected to the subject matter of the thread, but, in retrospect, perhaps it was not necessary. So my apologies to all.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

I take my share of the blame and perhaps I overreacted to what I perceived as rude comments and generalizations about my home country. Maybe in particular because it was from a person that I recognize from being from my own community, (LGBTQ). When asking questions and/ or advice or providing comments, I try to remember that this is an expats forum, and to make an effort not to inject glib commentary or patronizing comments about the home country of any person who now may live here but comes from abroad. I guess I need a thicker skin. I did try to keep my original response short and I did note that it was not connected to the subject matter of the thread, but, in retrospect, perhaps it was not necessary. So my apologies to all.

All good friend!

 

[Ries]

Switzerland is in the heart of Europe, which as a bloc is one of the world's largest markets. Uruguay is surrounded by two protectionist and somewhat closed economies with strong local manufacturing to compete with. It is miles away from the nearest "free" markets of scale without easy transport links or infrastructure.

Swiss industrial policy is simply one of a free and open market.
Switzerland is also one of the most neo-liberal countries (ranked number 2 in terms of economic freedom, after Singapore) and it fully embraces the free market.
The Swiss state does not help Swiss manufacturers other than literally open doors to other markets by opening their own doors. The capital and skill of Swiss manufacturers and their global customers help Swiss manufacturers, punto final.

It seems pro-local manufacturing posters owe a lot to the free market after all... and if you want to talk about an expensive country (as per the original subject of this thread) then you can't get much more expensive than Switzerland complete with its thriving local manufacturing industry!

The Swiss have a lot of government programs that support business. Only as of Jan 1, 2024, did they drop tariffs on industrial imports.
They have government departments that help sell swiss products abroad, https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/singapore/en/home/services/handelsfoerderung-unternehmen.html
They have an innovation department that funds and supports innovation in companies- https://www.innosuisse.ch/inno/de/home.html
Some recent projects they funded, here, include electric vehicle batteries, computerisation of farms, magnetic rotors, artificial snowmaking, and much more. https://www.innosuisse.ch/inno/de/home/erfolgsgeschichten/Projektbeispiele/innovationsprojekte.html
They fund projects to attract green businesses to Switzerland, they support trades training for 2/3 of the students in Switzerland, they have a gigantic government supported loan program to small businesses that assumes 65% of the debt in case of default.
There are dozens and dozens of Swiss government agencies that do things to support Swiss business, most of which exist in neither Uruguay nor Argentina.
There is, without a doubt, a single, government coordinated, Swiss Industrial Policy, built of intertwining laws, loans, regulations, schools, and support of business and Unions, both monetarily and governmentally, that helps Swiss Business.

"Free Markets" is an indefinable term, which means something different to everyone.
There is no market on earth that is 100% free, nor pretty much any that is free of corporations doing business. Even the Russians, the Burmese, and the Cubans have some corporate activity allowed. China is very capitalist and corporate, but hardly "free".

Every country decides to balance taxes, regulation, economic controls, social services, and support of local business.Its a spectrum. Argentina, under Peron, did a lot of things to support business and local production.
This is not a pro or anti Peron thing- its a fact. They did what they did for their own political reasons, but the result is that there is an industrial base in Argentina, which I support keeping, rather than opening to foreign imports without any oversight.

 

[Alby]

Immensly enjoyable reading about Canada and its 49 southern states.

 

[antipodean]

The Swiss have a lot of government programs that support business. Only as of Jan 1, 2024, did they drop tariffs on industrial imports.
They have government departments that help sell swiss products abroad, https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/singapore/en/home/services/handelsfoerderung-unternehmen.html
They have an innovation department that funds and supports innovation in companies- https://www.innosuisse.ch/inno/de/home.html
Some recent projects they funded, here, include electric vehicle batteries, computerisation of farms, magnetic rotors, artificial snowmaking, and much more. https://www.innosuisse.ch/inno/de/home/erfolgsgeschichten/Projektbeispiele/innovationsprojekte.html
They fund projects to attract green businesses to Switzerland, they support trades training for 2/3 of the students in Switzerland, they have a gigantic government supported loan program to small businesses that assumes 65% of the debt in case of default.
There are dozens and dozens of Swiss government agencies that do things to support Swiss business, most of which exist in neither Uruguay nor Argentina.
There is, without a doubt, a single, government coordinated, Swiss Industrial Policy, built of intertwining laws, loans, regulations, schools, and support of business and Unions, both monetarily and governmentally, that helps Swiss Business.

"Free Markets" is an indefinable term, which means something different to everyone.
There is no market on earth that is 100% free, nor pretty much any that is free of corporations doing business. Even the Russians, the Burmese, and the Cubans have some corporate activity allowed. China is very capitalist and corporate, but hardly "free".

Every country decides to balance taxes, regulation, economic controls, social services, and support of local business.Its a spectrum. Argentina, under Peron, did a lot of things to support business and local production.
This is not a pro or anti Peron thing- its a fact. They did what they did for their own political reasons, but the result is that there is an industrial base in Argentina, which I support keeping, rather than opening to foreign imports without any oversight.

And the Uruguayan state doesn't have incentives, financial aid, an innovation department and policies of its own?
https://www.uruguayxxi.gub.uy/es/quiero-invertir/plataformas-de-negocio/innovacion-1/
https://www.gub.uy/tramites/apoyo-emprendimientos-productivos
http://www.c-emprendedor.gub.uy/otros_apoyos.php

As for the definition of Free Market... looks pretty well defined and simple enough to comprehend to me (which also corresponds to what I vaguely seem to recall from back in my university days...) Again, Switzerland is ranked number 2 in the world as most closely matching this definition.

 

[NoSoyDeAqui]

Argentina:
a household employee making A$2000/hour (2usd) needs 7500 hrs of work to buy a Fiat Cronos

Uruguay: same employee makes U$150 (4usd) needs 4500 hrs to buy a similar car (Chevrolet Onyx)

USA: at the lowish 15usd/hr, a worker needs just 1700hrs of work to buy a Nissan Sentra

Viva Peron!

 

[Reply Guy]

How did this thread veer from supermarket prices to Canadian trans kids.