Panama hit by violence in pension reform protests

[quaoar]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25435186.htm

PANAMA CITY, May 25 (Reuters) - Panamanian police battled thousands of demonstrators around the national assembly on Wednesday in the third straight day of fierce protests against pension reforms.

Construction workers and teachers joined the protests and burned effigies of President Martin Torrijos, promising "sticks, stones and molotovs" if the reform proposals became law.

Protesters hurled bottles and rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and shotgun blasts.

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The social security system's reserves are inadequate for its future pension commitments, and the government needs pension reform to rein in a hefty budget deficit.

[wellst0nev0ter]

1. How Long Before We See Similar Scenes Here?

Or do we agree that promised Social Security benefits our parents and grandparents enjoyed is too "socialistic" for today's country?

[Erika]

2. As soon as the American Public wake up

Bush is doing his best to turn us into a third world country. But I think we'll take over Crawford before we allow that.

I am lost as how to make the freepers and such to wake up as to the destruction of this country and DO something. Don't they understand what their kids and grandkids have to lose? Their ignorance blows me away.