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Bolivia, an Island of Economic Stability, But Storm Clouds Gather

Associated Press

   LA PAZ, BOLIVIA - Abraham Rodriguez's small shoe store grew into a
   factory that employed more than a dozen workers during an economic boom
   in Bolivia when prices for the gas and minerals it produces soared.

   Today, he can only employ one worker. He says the tax-free import of
   goods and the black market have affected his sales and have caused him
   to go into debt.

   "My life was better 10 years ago. There were sales and the shoe store
   grew," Rodriguez said in his workshop in La Paz. "Today, the market has
   reduced. My employees left because I couldn't afford to pay their
   salary."