Politicians, the new Royalty

[captainmcd]

I think these kind of expenditures are a manifestation of our ailing value/social and economic systems. President Fernández does exactly what Sarkozy, Obama, Merkel, or any other politician does. Two wrongs don't make a right.

At any rate, the question being asked is a good one: How can these politicians truly claim to identify with the people when they're buying $5,000 shoes or having a $50,000 vacation in Martha's Vineyard?

I did not start this thread as a condemnation of CFK, but of politicians in general, of all stripes. They need to practice what they preach. In NGO's that rely on voluntary donations they either are careful how they spend their money, or they go out of business. But governments have the ability to tax, and feel no moral obligation to be careful on how that money is spent. For me it is hard to justify that having 20 pairs of shoes, whether $1000 or $5000 a pair is necessary for conducting international diplomacy, especially when less expensive and adequate shoes made in your own country were available.

 

[PhilipDT]

Yeah, how can she support catastrophic import restrictions at home while happily spending 100k+ on her own overseas shopping sprees

 

[dani28]

This is business as usual for CFK.
For years, she has been widely criticized for those $5,000 (USD) Chanel couture suits she wears, her lavish jewelry, the ¨vacation apartment¨ she owns in NYC worth $6 million USD in which her daughter lived in when she was studying in NYC, etc etc etc etc.
So much so that she once took offense to this and snapped at a reporter along the lines of, ¨Well, so what? Would dressing like a poor person make me a better politician?¨
The funniest and most ironic are the campaign photos of her decked out in her couture and lavish jewelry (in the one where she is tenderly walking holding hands with some villa school children you can clearly spot her diamond studded Rolex on her wrist) surrounded by a few hundred ¨villagers¨ , makes me think of Marie Antoinette.

I think anybody that works hard and aspires to own nice things, should be able to go out and do so. I do not judge as I myself enjoy nice things, however I do not think that if I were the president of a country with a 37 percent poverty ratio, and the sad reality of cartoneros, women with babies on street corners begging for money, I would deem it ethical to indulge in this sort of lavishness, being the head of state of the country it gives off a very wrong message.

Also, there is no excuse for her to buy things that Argentina produces damn well, such as leather goods (shoes, bags, etc) in France when she is encouraging everybody here to buy national.

 

[Matt84]

that abbreviation of the presidenta always makes me think of fried chicken... I just can't get pass over it!

in any case, those are the perks that come with the position, and Argentina is a society of status not of contract

 

[Lucas]

Yeah, how can she support catastrophic import restrictions at home while happily spending 100k+ on her own overseas shopping sprees

Please, could you stop that CRAP!...thanks.

Desmienten que Cristina haya comprado zapatos en Paris

El vocero presidencial, Alfredo Scoccimarro, desmintió que la presidenta Cristina Fernández de Kirchner haya adquirido calzado por un valor de 100 mil dólares en su reciente viaje a París, como informó el "diario sensacionalista estadounidense New York Post".

Has been denied that Cristina bought shoes in her recent trip to Paris

Presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro, denied that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has acquired shoes worth $ 100.000 on his recent trip to Paris, "as reported by the U.S. sensationalist tabloid the New York Post".

Therefore, as I said all along, lies and misinformation make rational and otherwise intelligent people, silly.

Source

 

[John.St]

If the New York Post is the source, CFdeK has probably bought two pairs of shoes at 3-400 Euro a pair.

There are lies, damned lies, statistics and New York Post truths.

 

[Julia2]

Was the french President wearing a hundred dollar suit? Does he stays in hostels when he travels? I don t think so.

That is no argument! Just because other people are as bad as somebody, that does not mean that this person is good and doing right! It is a shame for all politicians how they are living and spending our money while others have to steal to feet their families. We all have to stop that!

 

[fifs2]

The funniest and most ironic are the campaign photos of her decked out in her couture and lavish jewelry (in the one where she is tenderly walking holding hands with some villa school children you can clearly spot her diamond studded Rolex on her wrist) surrounded by a few hundred ¨villagers¨ , makes me think of Marie Antoinette.



CFK is perhaps channeling (or should that be CHANELing) her inner Eva Peron who insisted on wearing lavish clothes and jewellery to work with the poor as it made them happy to see her so beautiful and wearing pretty things. The intelligensia of the country at the time hated it and ridiculed her for these ostentacious displays within the country and on trips abroad....acc. to one biography I read.

 

[cbonanni]

Christina is worth $70 million. She can buy what she wants. Considering when her deceased husband took office , they were worth "only" $7 million, that should be a topic , not the brand of shoe she buys or the cost.

 

[ghost]

Christina is worth $70 million. She can buy what she wants. Considering when her deceased husband took office , they were worth "only" $7 million, that should be a topic , not the brand of shoe she buys or the cost.

That is the topic.............in a round about way.