I love you so much La Plata, Argentina.

This week the weather played a very dirty trick on the capital of the province. Floods, desperate families, the effort of many lives lost to the waters.

For more than I write, nothing will fill the emptiness left behind. Close friends had lost everything (except what they were wearing), my family without  electricity for more than two days, a baby who had to move temporarily to another city because her parents could not use basic appliances to keep food fresh. And more ...

This week's storm, a few months ago looting supermarkets, a few years ago ... and chaos. But always platenses (that's the way inhabitants of La Plata are called) , Argentines have moved on. That's what's left, look and keep walking forward.


The key thing is to learn that either a natural disaster or a social event, La Plata's, Argentine people need to know that they can, and they can much more. And even more if they work together (at least, that's what I learned abroad!).
 
Do not beg the municipal, provincial or national government. Ask. The executive, legislature and judiciary are people's representatives. You are the people they represent. With or without hierarchies and degrees, authorities are  there to satisfy you and your needs. When an authority works on a public project he is merely reinvesting what you pay in taxes. They only redistribute, they don't do you a favour. They are, so to say, your employees. High, maybe, but in the end all employees.
 If help does not come, don't demand of another who may be in the same or worse situation than you. The municipal, provincial and national authorities are the ones that must fulfil their duties.

I leave two songs. One, "I love you so much" by Sergio Denis. By the way I choose the video with Mirtha and Susana on purpose (Mirtha and Susana are iconic TV and film figures. Mirtha is Argentina's showbiz "royalty" and Susana is the Oprah of Latin America). They may be criticised for other reasons, but what is important here is that both  have been working in the private sector since I remember, and they choose to help (yes, I stress, they choose to help; I say they "choose" because their salaries come from private companies and thereby they are not obliged to share what is theirs). Instead, when an authority, a representative "gives", he doesn't do the same. He is ONLY reinvesting what is yours.
The second song, Pimpinela and "You can", because I'm sure that La Plata, Argentina can and they can a whole lot more.Ask your representatives. Demand what is theirs responsibility (not the next door neighbour). And if you are not satisfied with what they do (no matter what they say, words cannot be eaten) then replace them as you would do with any employee who was inept.

A move on! Never back not even to gain momentum!