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Buenos Aires, at any time, is a massive, overwhelming city. From the brilliant colors of La Boca, where so many Italian immigrants gained their foothold in the New World and added the Italian accent that you hear today, ringing clearly and beautifully in the Spanish language. To the beautiful, ornate federal buildings of this, the capitol of Argentina. And then out to the Recoleta, a spreading cemetery of somber, silent streets where the elite of Argentine society lie in state in their cathedral like mausoleums. Throughout this city, you find yourself violently immersed in movement, sound, rich traditions and incredible vibrancy. I watched dancers in the streets of La Boca as they exhibited their skills at the sultry Tango. The Tango is the national dance of this proud country and was originally danced by men in the brothels as they vied for the attention of the 'working women'. I stood in awe of the Casa Rosada and the Obelisk, two very different extremes of architecture in this city of traditions that reaches for an uncertain future. I wandered down the paths between the mausoleums of the Recoleta until I found the edifice in which the remains of Evita, the actress who rose from a common family of far northern Argentina to become first lady of Argentina and a symbol of what anyone in this country can aspire to and can achieve.

As you may be seeing in the news, Argentina is seeing its very social and economic foundation rocked. In mid December the government defaulted on millions of dollars of loans which the World Monetary Fund had made to Argentina. The Argentine peso, which had been trading one to one with the US dollar was being repeatedly devalued. People watched as their life savings evaporated in the closed banks. Paychecks disappeared as the government decreed that part of your salary could be paid in vouchers which grocery stores and a few other stores would accept. And if you had very many bills that were deducted from your paycheck prior to your receiving it, you might get no money in your paycheck, only the vouchers! In a brief span of several weeks, the country went through three presidents! Riots and the sacking of grocery stores became normal fair. And still the people flooded into Buenos Aires. Massive crowds of homeless and destitute Argentines streaming into this city of hope, to escape the squalor and poverty of the countryside.

Like so many South American countries, Argentina has a tiny, elite ruling class which controls vast holdings of land, business and money. And like most South American countries, Argentina has a huge population of impoverished people, living day to day, with next to no possessions and very little hope. Is there a solution to this crisis that is dragging much of South America down with it? Who knows! Historically, democracy has not been the favored form of government here. Dictatorships and military coups are more the order of the day. Many Argentines think that the fall of the current democracy and a return to that tradition of dictatorships is inevitable. They are just waiting for that small, elite group of rich land owners to come to agreement as to who the next dictator will be, so that the military coup may be staged and the stability of the iron rule of a dictator will bring the much needed stability.

Can you imagine that? Living in a country where you expect the government to be overthrown so a dictator can be put in place? A dictator that will bring better conditions than the democratically elected government!

I don't know, but maybe every country isn't destined to be a democracy. In the US we coupled democracy early in our history with a strong, free system of public education. This created a educated and knowledgeable public that could run for political office and that could choose intelligently in elections.

And today, many struggling young democracies, emerging from years of dictatorship, do not have a tradition of high quality, free, public education like we do in the US. And as a result, perhaps the public isn't prepared to handle the responsibilities that come with democracy.

Perhaps all the more reason that we must jealously guard and nurture our public education system in the U.S.

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