Over the years, I've compared Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to President Clinton.  In other words, they got away with lots of unethical ways because of a strong economy. Down in Brazil, no one wanted to talk about President Lula's corruption because the economy was doing so well.  I remember a Brazilian acquaintance once saying something like this: "Who cares about Lula's pockets?  My pockets are full."  He was talking about President Lula's good timing – i.e., strong economy during his two terms! It looks as though President Lula's good luck has finally run out.  The Brazilian economy is not doing much better, or 1% GDP in 2018.  It's hard to stay popular when you are corrupt to the core and people can't find all of those jobs that you promised them. So Lula is going to jail, as a Brazilian court has just...(Read Full Post)