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After Romney Comment, Spain Asserts it has 'Little to Envy' in Regard to the American People (El Semanal, Spain)

"This country is too big not to be better understood by some. But dont you worry, we will try to explain it to them. ... I think we have very little to envy when it comes to other peoples, and that includes the Americans. ... And by the way, we are also very proud of our welfare state."

-- Deputy Prime Minister Monsyer Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría

Translated By Neus Coll Ruiz

October 6, 2012

Spain - El Semanal - Original Article (Spanish)

Deputy Prime Minister Monsyer Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría has issued a stern rebuke to Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency, Mitt Romney, who, during his first debate with incumbant Barack Obama, singled out Spain as a country that spends too much of its GDP on government, and that America should not follow. RUSSIA TODAY VIDEO: Rage against austerity in Spain, which has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, Oct. 3, 00:06:15

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Monsyer Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said that her government will attempt to "explain" Spain's potential to Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency Mitt Romney. She stressed that the country is "too big not to be better understood by some." And she also asserted outright that when it comes to the American people, Spain has "little too envy."

This was the response of Sáenz de Santa María following a statement by the Republican candidate during his debate against incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama, that he didnt want to follow the path taken by Spain, which dedicates 42 percent of its economy to government expenditures.

[Editorial Note: Mitt Romney's debate comment about Spain was: "You never balance the budget by raising taxes. ... Spain - Spain spends 42 percent of their total economy on government. We're now spending 42 percent of our economy on government. ... I don't want to go down the path to Spain. I want to go down the path of growth that puts Americans to work, with more money coming in because they're working."]

"I have seen this type of ignorance many times before when it comes to the potential of Spain's economy. The trademark 'Spain' does not belong to the Spanish government; it is the mark of a country that has made an exemplary transition, a country that has seen its per capita grow income grow over the last 50 years, and which has created a large number of new jobs."

At a press conference after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, Sáenz Santamaría insisted that Spanish companies are "among the best in the world," and that there are "world leaders in many sectors who are Spanish."

"And of course, this is a country is too big not to be better understood by some. But dont you worry, we will try to educate them," she emphasized.

Posted by Worldmeets.US