VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN SÃO PAULO, RIO AND OTHER CITIES

Hello.

Thank you for these informations William.

Aurélie

Brazilians from every walk of life are today sending a very clear and strong message to governments from the municipal level all the way up to the federal government. The past week has seen demonstrations in many major capitals throughout the country, but nothing like what has taken place today.

Unlike demonstrations earlier which turned violent today was a model of what things should be like. Across the country hundreds of thousands took to the streets peacefully. The protests started out as a public outcry against the increase in public tranportation fares in many capital cities in Brazil. This has turned into a generalized demonstration which is no longer limited to fares, but rather the astronomical tax burden on the Brazilian population, lack of return on those taxes in the form of services like education, public health, security as well as the uncontrolled public spending for such events as the Confederations Cup, World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, none of which seem to be extremely popular with the average Brazilian. Other reasons for the demonstrations' spread is the rampant corruption in government at all levels and government turning a blind eye to the public demand for significant reforms to the Penal Code and Estatuto de Criança e Adolescente (ECA), Brazil's juvenile laws. The average Brazilian is, right or wrong, in favor of a reduction in the age of Penal Majority to 16 years of age.

Massive coordinated demonstrations took place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Vitória, Salvador, Maceió and Brasília where demonstrators even reached the National Congress. It is going to be extremely difficult for Brazilian politicians to continue to ignore the public outcry.  Whether or not the day's events will bring about any change remains to be seen, but it is a clear signal to government that the population has had enough, they're fed up with being taxed to death and getting nothing in return except a government that ignores them completely. Let's hope the overwhelming size and scope of the demonstrations today will serve as a wake up call for the grossly overpaid politicians who do almost nothing to earn their keep.

Cheers,
William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT 20 CENTS

For those of you who can't understand what the massive public demonstrations that are sweeping the country are all about I will try to explain in terms that should make is a bit easier. What started out as a demonstration over the 20 centavo increase in bus/subway/train fair in São Paulo has transformed into a public outcry against all of the outrageous abuses that Brazilians suffer at the hands of a government that calling itself a democracy is supposed to be working for the people. They are demanding an end to over-taxation without seeing any return in the form of services, poor quality of education, a failed healthcare system, lack of hospitals and doctors, the absence of public security, government that refuses to do anything to reform the Penal Code and Juvenile Code to combat soaring crime rates, corruption at all levels of government and the horrifying trend for public servants getting super-salaries that stagger the imagination.

Just so there is no mistaking what I'm saying, the following shocking figures are all converted to US Dollars for easier understanding how bad the situation with super-salaries really is.

In a country where the Minimum Wage, which is what the vast majority of the Brazilian population is forced to live on is R$645 (about US $320 per month), where teachers, police and firefighters earn just slightly over $1,000 per month public servants are drowning in money. In São Paulo, for example, one State Supreme Court judge earned $361,500 a month; that's right – in just one month. That's way more than a NY State Supreme Court judge earns in an entire year ($198,600). The São Paulo Highway Department paid one engineer $226,000 which is way more than the salary received by the President of the Republic, Dilma Rousseff. Former São Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab joked, just before the end of his term that he was going to apply for a job as a parking valet at the City Hall parking lot since they earn $11,500 per month.
São Paulo is not alone in these abuses. In Brasília one court clerk earns $226,000 per month, which is more than the salary of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In Minas Gerais one auditor earned $81,000 per month and a librarian was pulling down $24,000 each month. Federal Deputies are paid an allowance of $26,000 each year just to buy clothing, like business suits, not to mention their hefty salaries and the allowances they also receive for housing and transportation. In fact, in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies there are presently over 1,500 employees who all have salaries that are in excess of the limit imposed by the Constitution. Former president, now Senator, Fernando Collor de Mello was recently denounced for spending $30,000 of public funds each month for a gardener and two archivists.

It's absolutely amazing that in a country that claims it hasn't got the money to keep public transportation fares down to a reasonable price or to provide people with a decent education or healthcare; there seems to be more than enough money for these ridiculous salaries, for soccer stadiums and sporting events that are not going to do much to improve the lot of the vast majority of Brazilian citizens and are extremely unpopular with them.

Brazilians are simply fed up and they aren't going to take it anymore. Who can blame them? So no, it's not just about 20 cents anymore.

Cheers,
William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

It's no wonder that the Brazilian people are protesting about the political corruption and overspending in this country and they have every reason to do so.

Even in the midst of all the public outrage this band of thieves running the country shows no remorse whatsoever and just continues on as usual. The three most outrageous cases that have recently taken place was the use of a Brazilian Air Force C-99 jet on June 15th by President of the Congress Senator Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL) to fly from Maceió, Alagoas to Porto Seguro, Bahia in order to attend the wedding of the eldest daughter of the leader of the government in the Senate, Eduardo Braga (PMDB-AM), which was held in Trancoso, Bahia. When the news became public Calheiros stated that he would not repay the government for the cost of the flight, claiming entitlement. He has since backed off on this statement and now says he'll pay back into the public coffers the R$32.000,00 cost of the flight, which by the way would have cost a mere R$2255.80 had he taken a domestic flight as he should have.

Another and even more outrageous case of this abuse was the use of the same kind of aircraft by President of the House of Deputies, Eduardo Alves (PMDB-RN) to take his fiancee, her family members and other relatives from Natal, RN to Rio de Janeiro, RJ to watch the final match of the Confederations Cup. He was ordered to repay about R$9.700,00 to the public purse however the cost for each person would be R$1.500,00 on a domestic airline flight for a total of R$15.000,00 as opposed to the real cost of the flight which was also R$32.000,00. As if using the aircraft wasn't enough of an insult to the public he had the unmitigated gall to lie about it and say that he too was entitled to use the aircraft since he had an official meeting with Rio mayor Eduardo Paes, however neither his official calendar nor that of Paes show any such meeting ever was scheduled or took place.

On the same weekend Minister of Social Security (Previdência Social) Garibaldi Alves (PMDB-RN) also used another C-99 from the Brazilian Air Force to fly from Ceará where he had an official function, but instead of returning to Brasília or to his hometown used the aircraft to take him to Rio de Janeiro also to watch the final match of the Confederations Cup. The only redeeming factor in his case was that he at least had the decency to use a commercial flight to return to work in Brasília following the weekend. Not much, but it was certainly a sign of some conscience on his part.

Decreto/Lei 4244/2002 is very clear about the conditions under which these politicians are permitted to use FAB aircraft, which are as follows:

for reasons of security or medical emergency;
on official public business;
for travel to/from the place of their principal residence.

There is also no provision whatsoever for them to provide transportation to other individuals.

I'm not saying that all members of the PMDB party are this bad, nor that they're any worse than the members of government from the other parties. I think that their abuse of these flights was highly immoral and a slap in the face to all Brazilians in light of the public outcry about corruption and abuse of authority that goes on in this country. Clearly the law regarding use of FAB aircraft should be re-written and made much clearer and tighten the reasons for use. I'm sure they wouldn't just be able to call up the Brazilian Navy and order up a navy frigate in order to take a cruise, I don't see this mis-use of the military aircraft as being any different.

Too bad that the Brazilians (who are obligated by law to vote) don't have a write-in vote like exists in the USA. If they did, they should vote for Ali Baba, he only had 40 thieves!

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Regarding Brazilians being FORCED to vote, I found that out the hard way when back in October my partner was in a near-fatal car accident and ended up having to have brain surgery to remove a blood clot in her brain. Only 3 weeks later, on the same day she was released from the hospital, still experiencing headaches, she explained to me that THAT SAME DAY she HAD to drive 3 hours to the interior where she was still registered in order to vote. I kept frantically asking her if that was really necessary, if there wasn't some way she could get a reprieve, based on her circumstances and condition, but she kept telling me she had no choice. She ended up going with 2 friends who at least did all the driving and yet she still ended up with a worse headache by the time she returned home. But as she and her frineds told me, yes, it's absurd that it should be required under ANY AND ALL circumstances, but that the "government doesn't care about your reasons," and if you DONT go and vote your walloped with a HEAVY fine.

And insofar as the continued protests, all I have to say is I would hope the Brazilian government officials are watching the protests in Egypt and how THEY ousted an albeit-ELECTED President, not waiting one minute longer than 1 year to start making good on all his "promises". CHEERS to THEM!! Personally, I'm starting to think that should be a rule of thumb for EVERY country, even Democratic ones, like the U.S., because there are abuses and deaf ears here too, make no mistake. The U.S. is going downhill fast, with no money supposedly for schools (schools, both Public and Catholic are closing left and right, and the outcries of the students, teachers and parents are proving worthless) or affordable and quality healthcare (NOBODY seems to understand Obamacare or can say definitively whether it will be a GOOD thing or a BAD thing, and meanwhile, the alternatives continue to SOAR in PRICE and DIMINISH in QUALITY), and yet there always seems to be BILLIONS of DOLLARS to send OVERSEAS. That's why I say, the rule of thumb should be "You're ELECTED BASED on your PROMISES, SO if you don't MAKE GOOD on your promises, YOU'RE OUT, NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS.

Actually there isn't a fine for not voting, but there are a whole host of other nasty consequences.

If you don't vote in any election, either federal or municipal then you must justify why you didn't do so. As far as I know they only accept being out of the state or country, being hospitalized, or DEAD as an excuse.

If you don't do either, vote or justify, then your Voter's Registration (Titulo Eleitoral) can be cancelled. Also, if you don't do either you can't obtain a passport, open a bank account, apply for any public service jobs. There also may be other jabs that I'm not aware of.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Well it looks like the most recent political figure to come under scrutiny for misuse of official aircraft is Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral. With the current media focus on the abuse of flights taken at the expense of the taxpayer all of Brazil's high flying politicians could end up having their wings clipped.

The state government of Rio de Janeiro purchased the helicopter in 2012 for some 15 million US Dollars. Cabral uses it for daily flights from his luxury apartment in the Leblon neighborhood of Rio to Palácio Guanabara in the Laranjeiras neighborhood which is not only the seat of government, but also is supposed to be the Governor's official residence. Currently the Governor's neighbors have been circulating a petition asking for a law that would force Cabral to move from the apartment and into the Governor's residence, due to major disruptions to the life in the neighborhood and high costs of additional security which would not be necessary if he used the official residence as he is supposed to. The use of the aircraft just to and from work costs the taxpayers of Rio de Janeiro R$3,8 million a year. He also uses the helicopter for personal trips like taking his entire family to their beach house in Mangaratiba - RJ. According to the pilots they have taken hairdressers, doctors, dentists, surfboards, and friends of Cabral's children to Mangaratiba on numerous occasions. No figures have been given for the cost of Cabral's personal use of the aircraft.

Shamelessly, Cabral makes no bones whatsoever about his personal use of the aircraft. In fact, he tries to justify his actions simply by saying that it is exactly what EVERYBODY in government does. Sad to say, it appears that he is absolutely right. At any rate the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro has launched an investigation into irregularities in the use of the aircraft.

I guess the giant REALLY has woken up.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team