TICO BULL TIC- José Alberto “Pepe” Mujica Cordano (born 20 May 1935) has been President of Uruguay since 2010. A former urban guerrilla fighter with the Tupamaros and a member of the Broad Front coalition of left-wing parties, Mujica was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008 and a Senator afterwards.
Unlike most other heads of state around the world, Mujica has been described as “the world’s ‘humblest’ president”, due to his austere lifestyle and his donation of around 90 percent of his US$12,000 monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.
In his own words: “I am not poor, poor are those who believe that I am pobre.Tengo few things, yes, the minimum, but just to be rich.
I want to have time to spend on the things that motivate me. And if I had a lot of things would have to attend to address them and could not do what I really like.
That is true freedom, austerity, consume little. My house is small, time to devote to what I truly enjoy. If not, I have to have an employee and you have an intervener in the house.
And if I have many things I then have to devote time to care for them so they would not be taken from me (stolen).
No, three little rooms is enough. We sweep up with a broom between old lady (sic) and I, and it’s done.
Thus we do have time for what really excites us.
We are not poor ”
– – – – –
The Country
Uruguay is country in the southeastern region of South America. Bordered by Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southeast, Uruguay, ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, lack of corruption, quality of living is, home to 3.3 million people.
The Economist named Uruguay “country of the year” in 2013 acknowledging the innovative policy of legalizing production, sale and consumption of cannabis. Same-sex marriage and abortion are also legal, leading Uruguay to be regarded as one of the most liberal nations in the world, and one of the most socially developed, outstanding regionally and performing well globally on personal rights, tolerance and inclusion issues.
This is just one of my many stories.
Click here to follow my personal blog on Costa Rica I call TICO BULL.
Pura Vida, Mae!
