Remembering José Mujica

With Brazil President Dilma Rousseff soon to face impeachment proceedings, it is a good time to look back at another regional president who left office this year. Former Uruguay President José Mujica became a cult hero for donating his salary to charity and commuting to work each day in a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle from the farm he chose to call home instead of a palace. Though some may say the “pauper president” who never wore ties and called a three-legged dog his best friend was too far to the left — the nation legalized marijuana during his tenure — all must admit he practiced what he preached. “As soon as politicians start climbing up the ladder, they suddenly become kings,” once said Mujica. “I don’t know how it works, but what I do know is that republics came to the world to make sure that no one is more than anyone else.”