Reply #14: The average Bolivian has been the target of multinationals [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

and stretched beyond his ability to pay. They have been wildly misused by foreign interests.

It's obviously very serious. They are not a nation of idle, stupid coca leaf chewers, as some racists would have you believe.

Bolivia has seen a series of political upheavals, starting with a revolt against the privatization of water supplies by the U.S. Bechtel Corporation and the French utility giant, Suez de Lyonnaise des Eaux. The water uprising was sparked off when Suez announced it would charge between $335 and $445 to connect a private home to the water supply. Bolivia's yearly per capita gross domestic product is $915.

The water revolt, which spread to IMF enforced taxes and the privatization of gas and oil reserves, forced three presidents to resign. The country is increasingly polarized between its majority Indian population and an elite minority that has dominated the nation for hundreds of years. Six out of 10 people live below the poverty line, a statistic that rises to nine in 10 in rural areas.
(snip/...)

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=HAL20051124&articleId=1322

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The elder _Bush has been firmly connected with Bechtel. Privatization of the natural resources allowing people like _Bushes to bleed Bolivians mercilessly was NOT accepted. It's a goddamned shame they had to be abused to the point revolt was necessary.