President Bachelet's State of the Union Address

On Wednesday, May 21st, 2008, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet gave her 3rd out of 4th State of the Union Address before the Congress in Valparaiso and the millions of Chileans watching her on television. Her emphasis was placed on social security, education, energy issues and a new model of development for the country as it draws closer to the the year 2010 and its Bicentennial Celebration.


Quotable:

"Chile will reject the capture and death of whales for scientific purposes during the next Meeting on the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Furthermore, a law proposal will be sent before the Parliament that declares Chile "free territory" from hunting and a "natural monument".

"... This is an ethical wage for how to look at politics and the State-- to choose the type of society in which we want to live, where between everyone we decide, democratically, what public goods we are going to guarantee to each person... and we assume they are civilizing minimums of our society."

"The numbers tell us that this isn't a "trickle down" of wealth, but rather the actions of the State. Today we have economic growth, this is true, but even more important we have also decreased poverty at a much faster rate than before."

"According to the Global Peace Index, carried out by the Economic Intelligence Unit of London, Chile is the safest country in Latin America and the second safest in the Americas after Canada."

"We want to have a transparent, strong and efficient State so that it plays an active role in overcoming inequalities, providing better services to its citizens, strengthening the administration of the regions and districts and finally, to assure the participation of the citizenship in public affairs."

For more information on her speech or other programs-public policies in the Bachelet Administration, please visit: http://www.gobiernodechile.cl/