LA Quick Hits: Hugo & the Banks, Cubans Doubtful About Change, Peru Talking FTA as Exports Explode & I Wish My Girlfriend Was Colombian

• Since he has not done enough to frighten off investment and squelch any hope for private sector growth, Hugo is going after the banks now. He also gives a hat tip to Correa for coming up with the idea of not allowing banks to have ownership stake in media.
• Cubans sceptical of Raul's promise for economic change, they have seen this all before.
• Peru has started FTA talks with Central America.
• Year-to-year, Peruvian exports shot up a shade over 40%, imports were up 38%.
• Colombians only buy 2.2 shoes a year?

In the Tanks: Heritage on Correa

A Heritage Foundation paper by James Roberts points out the similarities between Hugo and Correa - not much new there. All the usual notes are hit, the drive to socialism, the eagerness to rewrite the constitution, tweak the US and kiss Iranian tush. How we stop the lefty Latin slide makes up the last part of the paper:

The U.S. should do the following:

• Reiterate to President Correa that the United States expects Ecuador to continue to respect democratic neighbors, continue cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and international crime, and invest in its own long-term stability and prosperity through policies that favor political and economic free choice;
• Develop new programs to boost personal contact with Americans and counter the armies of Cuban doctors and Venezuelan security advisers streaming into Ecquador;
• Increase support for civil society groups and beef up public diplomacy efforts to strengthen local voices proposing independent solutions to Ecuador's poverty and governance troubles;
• Demonstrate goodwill regarding possible resumption of free trade talks if the situation improves; and
• Redirect security assistance as necessary and adjust strategies if America loses tenant rights at Ecuador's Manta air base for drug interdiction efforts.

All well and good but kind of vague isn't it? I could come up with this stuff and I am not even an expert, although I play one in the blogosphere. Here's one that I would like to see us try - stop bugging our neighbor's to the south about drug trafficking. If there is money in the drug trade it is only because we want it. It's not Shorty's fault that I am 15 lbs. overweight. It is my fault for insisting on getting the full dinner of baby back ribs with a side order of corn on the cob.

I'll discuss more on it later but the Foreign Policy's cover story says it best - Legalize It.

LA Quick Hits: Fidel's Ass, Former Para Talking (Dead Man Walking?), Isa Going to Jail?, Correa Takes Reins, Nica Poverty Fight, Just Say No! & More

• Castro almost got an artificial anus but opted against it. This and other scintillating details about Fidel's colon and rectum were revealed by el Pais in Spain.
• Salvatore Mancuso, a former "para" leader in Colombia, confessed/boasted about his crimes in an effort to take advantage of a deal provided to all "paras" to disclose crimes and serve reduced sentences.
• A second arrest warrant has been issued for Isabel Peron, a request for extradition should come next.
  
• El Salvador marked the 15th anniversary of the signing of the peace accords that allowed the FMLN to put down its weapons.
• Correa marks his first day on the job by signing an oil deal with Hugo.
• Nicaragua's new finance minister is making poverty his number one concern. He says the right things but is incredibly vague as to the policies that he will implement - that is rarely a good thing.
  
• Calderon starts a jobs program providing incetives to companies to hire first time workers.
• Evo's land reform is posing challenges to its benficiaries.
  
• Mexico is ticked that an illegal border jumper was killed by the Border Patrol.
  
• Texas border mayors say "no" to a fence. I can respect that but what should be done then, any suggestions? One mayor sends that a barrier would send the "wrong message." The message that a wall/fence says to me is don't cross the boder illegally - is that the "wrong message."