Things could be worse, you could be living in Argentina

[Ripsnort]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=573&e=20&u=/nm/20020812/od_nm/goatsucker_dc_1

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - Argentina's bankrupt government is
                     notorious for writing checks to workers who have never showed up, but
                     eyebrows were raised when an imaginary "goatsucker" showed up on payroll
                     recently.

                      Registered as "goatsucker, male, born in 1900," the mythological figure
                     blamed for animal maulings throughout Latin America is eligible to receive
                     unemployment benefits of about $42 per month, local media reports said on
                     Friday.

                     "It could be in doubt whether he deserves the money or not, but he is registered
                     as a real person with an identity number and everything," a systems analyst
                     investigating the case for the government of Catamarca province told television.
                     His name was not given.

                     Officials blamed the error on a technical glitch, saying the name may have been
                     entered by a government employee, and the goatsucker would be eliminated
                     from the benefits list as quickly as possible.

                     Excessive government spending and corruption are cited as the two root
                     causes of Argentina's worst-ever economic crisis, which has left more than 21
                     percent of the workforce without jobs and half the nation living in poverty.

                     The government said the goatsucker never showed up to collect his checks.

[mietla]

At least he registered only once. Here, in a good ol' USA you can coolect as many checks as you want

[Sikboy]

Chupacabra (sp) are nothing but leeches on society! I say we perk em

-Sikboy

[Eagler]

they are called Democrats here

[rogwar]

I've been to Argentina alot over the last years and could really see things going downhill fast. I was there in late October of last year and things were like a pressure cooker, ready to explode. You could almost taste it in the air.

While I never have met any "chupacabras" in Argentina I have run across several fine "chupadoras"

I believe Argentina was always one of the most corrupt places I ever visited in South America. The beef is very good (las parillas). Good red wine. Pretty country. Fun women (although Brazil has any place beat in the world for babe action).