Just as relevant as fighting the coup and restoring what the text calls “normality” are the economic successes that some experts said were impossible.
Despite an essentially hostile Congress, Lula managed to jointly pass the new tax framework and tax reform and begin to dismantle the madhouse in which exemptions, special tax regulations and plain, blatant tax evasion come together.
The defense of institutions and the management of (re)structuring problems in the economy took place in the face of an opposition that never adhered to practices anchored in politics. On the contrary: in parliament and on social media we had to face a horde of saboteurs: instead of alternative proposals, the simple refusal to debate; instead of qualified criticism, insult, hatred, prejudice, an apology for barbarism; Instead of defending the national interest, there is a kind of militia spirit that is always looking for opponents.
That's why it's important that a publication with a global reach recognizes the anything but mundane successes. Perhaps the domestic press does not lack generosity because it doesn't care but rather a clearer scale of values to recognize that there are some civilizational decisions that do not require controversy. Welcoming them does not mean submitting to any government, party or school of thought. Never expect this writer to declare himself exempt from the confrontation between democracy and its denial.
The Economist did, in my own way, what I did here. He examined the state and the ideological and moral mud we found ourselves in in 2022 and compared it to what we have now. A comparative assessment is important because it indicates evolution or involution. But it is also important to pay attention to the quality of the change. For example, despite the challenges ahead, tax reform progressed 50 years in one year.
On this Christmas Eve and in 2024, with the usual and energetic wishes for better days, I state: Never count the basic rights guaranteed by the democratic regime among the counted beans. If we are careless, something will go wrong. Hate is often truer than love. And it continues to lurk.