By Alejandro A. Tagliavini *
Diego Armando Maradona has died, creditor of the respect that all human beings deserve, creatures of God and, therefore, of infinite, immeasurable value.
That said, to public opinion, or rather, to the mass, a pagan god has died: a great soccer player, addicted to hard drugs, friend of the Castros, Chávez and Maduro and hater of the United States, especially since he was denied entry because of his drug relations. Be that as it may, he became the most famous human being in the world, even more than the president in Washington at that time and the second on the list, Pope John Paul II.
Even in global finance it is mentioned. 15 years ago the head of the Bank of England, referring to how central banks can manage expectations to achieve their goals, recalled Maradona’s goal against the English team during the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, which was the result of a tremendous dribble managing to mislead the players and even the goalkeeper who was waiting for the goal from the other side. It was the best goal of the 20th century according to FIFA. «Monetary policy works in a similar way, market interest rates react to what the central bank is expected to do,» explained the head of the bank.
Expectations management has since been known as the “Maradona Effect” and has been used by many central banks including the US Federal Reserve. But many warn, that the goal that finally took England out of the World Cup was done with his hand, deceiving the referee. The «Hand of God» caused pain and frustration to many English fans.
Now, such is the idolatry of this pagan god (the D10S, GOD in Spanish, referring to the number 10 on his soccer jersey called him the second in line within the Argentine government) that, in my country, Argentina, even a professional journalist of many years , Guillermo Andino, cried inconsolably in front of the television cameras, during his live program, upon learning of his death and asked that a chair be brought to him to support himself.
His idolatry reaches such a point that, at least for a few hours, he has managed to end the «pandemic» since the covers of the newspapers practically ignore it (they have even removed the real-time death counters from their front pages, such as if it is a soccer game) to occupy it with the death of the star.
The Argentine government, which has practically closed cemeteries and does not allow the burial of loved ones by their relatives, has decided that his mass funeral be held in the Casa Rosada, the official offices of the president. And while ignoring the thousands of suicides and deaths from malnutrition due to quarantines, as if they did not exist, for this pagan god he decrees three days of national mourning and the president suspends his agenda.
May Don Diego Armando rest in peace, as every human being deserves, and may family and friends find comfort. Meanwhile, we are left wondering whether the masses are really trustworthy or very irrationally carried away by propaganda and fame. We are left wondering if, in the end, the pandemic was that serious, or just another invented pagan god.
We are left with the doubt whether the life, liberty and property of the people can be left to the opinion of the majority. For example, if taxes or regulations that can frustrate our financial lives or more serious matters that affect our freedom, they can be left in the hands of governments with the excuse that they have been voted by the majority.
* Senior Advisor at The Cedar Portfolio and Member of the Advisory Council of the Center on Global Prosperity, de Oakland, California
Alejandro A. Tagliavini 
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