No my American friends, surprisingly he is not from the United States. José Mujica, who donates 90% of his salary to charity, is the president of Uruguay.  He is known in his nation as the poorest president, ‘el presidente mas pobre.’

Hard to believe? It’s true.  He is the most generous president in the world, receiving $12,500 a month as salary, but only keeping $1,250.  According to Mujica, whose biggest expense and only personal asset is a $1,945 Volkswagen Beetle, he has enough.  He reminds those who inquire about his generosity that

“I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less.”

Mujica is a former Rebel who believes that power does not come from the top, but from the hearts of the people. He is a vegetarian with no bank account and no debt, and his favorite thing in the whole world is “the companionship of his dog.”

Under the direction of Mujica, Uruguay has become known as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. His party has also taken strong steps to legalize personal use of cannabis in order to put an end to gang violence and to provide a safe and natural medicine to the people. Sounds like a sensible man with rational ideas indeed.