Readers React: Don’t bash Brazil

To the editor: Andrew Zimbalist’s sweeping statements about Brazil and the World Cup are unfair (“Patt Morrison Asks: Andrew Zimbalist, money games,” Opinion, June 11).

The public demonstrations in Brazil are legitimate and a true indication of the vibrant democracy in our country. They have a broad and diffuse agenda, being only partly related to the World Cup itself. Millions of Brazilians have been experiencing better standards of living and are demanding improvements in areas such as transport, public security, health and education.

The implication that funds were diverted from those essential sectors to the World Cup preparations is baseless. Since 2010, the federal government’s budget for public health and education has reached $400 billion, whereas the investments made in building and reforming the stadiums for the World Cup (which included public loans and private funds) amounted to 1% of that.

Bruno Bath
Beverly Hills
The writer is the consul general of Brazil in Los Angeles.