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"Latvians most emphatically did protest both the corruption and proposed austerity following the fall 2008 crash."
Neoliberal regimes condemn resistance. Harshness was force-fed. Many people emigrated. Protests abated. People most vocal and angry sought better times elsewhere.
Latvia's post-Soviet population dropped from 2.7 million to "an official" 2.08 in 2010. "Demographic reports originally (said) 1.88 million in 2010. Some Latvian demographers" say totals were inflated.
Latvian "success" reflects "neoliberal Potemkin Village illusion." The country's 2008 economic collapse "was the deepest of any nation when the financial bubble burst."
The depth of its crisis permitted a dead-cat bounce. Officials and media scoundrels claim recovery. Privileged few alone benefit.
Success reflects population and capital flight, clear-cutting forests, de-industrialization, neoserfdom, unprotected workers, poverty-level wages, and addressing underdeveloped agricultural and transit sectors.
"Neoliberals call austerity and emigration 'stability' and even economic growth and recovery, as long as people don't complain or demand an alternative."
Is Latvia's model heading for America? Bipartisan complicity to destroy popular benefits suggests the worst of hard times ahead. They'll arrive incrementally over time.
The America older generations grew up in doesn't exist. Worse times loom. Younger ones face dystopian harshness. They'll be no place to hide.
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