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Fernandez spoke before more than 100 students, faculty and guests at the Kennedy School of Government. In Argentina, she has had five news conferences in five years and has only occasionally taken questions.
Fernandez said the criticism that she doesn’t speak to the press is unfounded.
“I don’t know where this comes from that I don’t talk, that I can’t speak, that I’m mute,” she said in Spanish which was translated into English.
One student, who is from Argentina, asked Fernandez about Argentines’ limited access to foreign capital when they want to travel abroad and increased taxes on credit and debit card purchases made outside the country or online.
“You are here and you are Argentine, so obviously you don’t have dollar problems,” Fernandez told the student. “You are lucky enough to study in Harvard. You think you can really talk about these currency problems?”
To another student, who asked if it was time for Fernandez to be more self-critical because of her country’s escalating crime and what some say is its inflation problem, she said she expected different questions from her Ivy League audience.
Capital flight and wary investors have plagued Fernandez’s second term, despite her attempts to use currency controls, taxes on the wealthy and programs for the poor to combat what some analysts have labeled the economy’s impending downward economic spiral.
Moody’s Investor Service Thursday downgraded 30 Argentine banks to “negative” ratings, down from “stable.”
The International Monetary Fund has given Argentina until Dec. 17 to publish accurate inflation statistics, questioning the reported monthly inflation of below 1 percent.
Fernandez succeeded her husband, Nestor Kirchner, as president of Argentina in 2007. He died three years later.
from The Washington Post
Please read the following actual comments written by The Washington Post readers and then rank them taking into account clarity and accuracy.
If you spot any mistakes, please correct them.
Max A Secas
9/29/2012 6:21 PM GMT-0300
The worst part about this government is they are succeeding in convincing people that we must ask permission to the government to exert freedoms that are already granted in our Constitution. Today the government says you are free to buy dollars (or chemotherapy drugs, for that matter) because, if you stand on your knees and ask reaaaaally nice, they might consider authorizing you to do so.
"It is true that liberty is precious so precious that it must be rationed" - Vladimir Lenin.
Andrea JORDAN
9/29/2012 12:28 PM GMT-0300
Im from Argentina and Im ashamed as how my President behaved and teat to the students in your country.
I apologize to the United States of America for the shame that causes me Cristina Fernandez s attitude.
Now in Argentina there is no freedom all kinds of freedom.
Not expression freedom.
You cant buy dollars, you cant send dollar to any part of the world to a family member although is needed, only allow 270 dollars per month and must be an immediate family member.
There is high inflation, they persecute the people who thinks different.
There was a cacerolazo (meaning a crowd of people against our government in the streets) and only in one channel was showing what happens. When something happens that they doesnt like in television they freeze the screen so that we cant see it. In many provinces there are opposing programs that are not visible.
Cristina Fernandez never gives press conference. She use national dialy to discuss things she wants to show (lies) in prime time about an hour.
She doest like the debate, just talk to hear herself. Not interested in the needs of our country.
Guillermo Moreno Secretary of Industry has several complaints of abuse people and power abuse but always fall their causes in the same judge who is friend of the government. Abuse defense people to consumers because they gave real inflation numbers and run them off the debate with his security people.
Thousands or Argentines want freedom, honesty, education, safety and union. But the only thing that makes this government is mistreating, those who are against, not listen to proposals.
They pay people, with our money,with low income so that they go to the demostrations that the government proposes.
There are many allegations of corruption but nobody is accused because this justice is friend of the government.
The President Cristina Fernandez lies about everything that happens in our country.
I am ashamed by her attitude and apologize again to the United States of America.
I didnt voted neigther Cristina Fernandez nor his husband and dont want this government.
But we cant do anything cause there is not opossite.
Please help us to be a wonderful country like yours.
Andrea
tamino12
9/29/2012 12:39 AM GMT-0300
It's a disgrace to hear our president babble in the usual way she and her cronies do in our country. Bullying, direct confrontation, brutal force and denying blatant facts are their only way of communicating. Neither she nor her late husband ever gave a real press conference and she constantly lambasts the media for publishing the facts the government tries to conceal. I am currently spending twice as much on my supermarket weekly shopping as last year. Is that inflation for you or what? To make matters worse, the incredibly miopic government import controls are depriving our people of essential goods, such as parts for car and electronic goods and health-care and hospital supplies, ranging form plastic gloves to pacemakers. I can't have my CD player fixed because of a small device that is banned form customs. We've never gone through anything like this before!
