How is Brazils economy doing?
We have a lot to do, but Brazil is experiencing a magical economic moment. This global crisis hampered us, and I had to ask the people to buy more because the newspaper headlines almost created panic. But the economy grew 0.9% in the second quarter, and it can grow around 5% in 2010. We are developing a strong policy of income transfer to the poorest of the population. We made a commitment to build 1 million new houses for low-income [families]. We have almost $359 billion in infrastructure projects. From 1950 to 1980, Brazil grew at over 7% a year; one year 14%more than China today. Nevertheless, what happened? There was no income distribution. The rich became even richer. The poor became very poor. Now we have reversed this game. We want to leverage the poor. The better off the poor are, the more we improve the lives of the business community.
