The new salary will be 15,000 Bolivianos (the current exchange rate is 8.08 Bs per US$, so it works out to about US$1850 per month). Under Bolivian law, no government functionary can receive more than the president, so there will be a number of pay cuts as of March 1.

The money saved will be put into a special fund to increase the number of health and education workers. The hope is that it will create 1,500 new posts, which is actually plausible owing to the terribly low salaries in the health and education sectors.

Evo is encouraging parliament to follow his lead, and the party's parliamentary leader is also proposing that legislators work full days Monday to Friday, clocking in and out (and having their pay docked if they miss a day).

OK, perhaps it's show. But it's a good show.

[ 27 January 2006: Message edited by: Rici Lake ]