Treading against the current; Kinda Liking this Max Puig guy

[aegap]

SANTO DOMINGO.- The Dominican Environment minister said yesterday legislators from different parties are involved in a plot to distribute 35.8 million square meters of lands in the National Park of the East protected area.
"At the heart of that court in Higüey (land Tribunal’s decision), is a plot by sectors who don’t accept that protected areas are patrimony of the nation and who want those patrimonies for particular interests," said Max Puig in a press conference.
He said a group of legislators elaborates a bill to reform Law 202-04 on Protected Areas to get those zones to individuals, "and on that we say that the areas were created by (ex-president) doctor Joaquin Balaguer and they are not going to perish under the presidential mandate of president (Leonel) Fernandez."
Although the official refused to reveal the names of the legislators who are involved in the alleged plot, he said he’ll reveal them if they persist in an attempt to modify the law.
Puig said the case is under appeal and is confident the decision will be revoked because the "law is on our side."

[George Holmes]

Max Puig is probably slightly more clued up than other environment ministers, but this debate is really missing the point.

The DR has 24% of it's land as protected areas (IUCN categories I and II - the 27% data comes from using categories I to VI), which is the fourth highest IN THE WORLD (after Costa Rica, Greenland and somewhere else which temporarily escapes me - stats are on my other computer). In the last 15 years it has had the highest rate of growth of national parks of any country in the world. To do this, thousands of campesinos have lost their land because of the random whim of a bureaucrat rather than a proper scientific and social study, not getting the compensation that they are legally entitled to. To resolve this problem, various people (independent consultants and people in Secretaria de Medio Ambiente) have been trying to change the legislation of protected areas to take out needlessly protected bits, but that tourism interests have been taking advantage of this, most famously in Bahia de las Aguilas.

The problem is that in the DR, national parks are stuck up everywhere because it is seen as the simplest and easiest way to protect the environment, even though it is the least effective. It is beyond the imagination and intelligence of most people in the Dominican environmental movement, as well as beyond the interests of landowners, to create a more effective solution. The repealing of Balaguer's forestry laws in 1997 did not create swathes of deforestation, but actually increased forest cover (yes, Dominican forests are growing) because it gave peasants and landowners an incentive to look after trees.

[Hillbilly]

What Puig uncovered would be enough for anyone in government in a "normal" country to be fired and jailed. Of course we all knew that the guy in tourism is a bum, he always has been....and I knew him as a rowdy student....

Hb

[aegap]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

What Puig uncovered would be enough for anyone in government in a "normal" country to be fired and jailed. Of course we all knew that the guy in tourism is a bum, he always has been....and I knew him as a rowdy student....

Hb

Actually, sadly no. Take here in the United States where congressmen have made earmarks and writing special provisions that benefit the lobbiest that banckroll their campaigsn an artform. Also, you have business people that were once fighting to tear such policies and programs been put in charge of the againcies and government offices that are set to protect them! All these practices have grown exponentially during the current administration. The most extreme are investigated and a few put in jail, but the burden have been set so high (by those same lawmaker and that same administration!) that the FBI an such have a pretty hard time getting those responsible for even the most extreme cases to serve long jail sentences.

[Chip00]

Originally Posted by aegap

Actually, sadly no. Take here in the United States where congressmen have made earmarks and writing special provisions that benefit the lobbiest that banckroll their campaigsn an artform. Also, you have business people that were once fighting to tear such policies and programs been put in charge of the againcies and government offices that are set to protect them! All these practices have grown exponentially during the current administration. The most extreme are investigated and a few put in jail, but the burden have been set so high (by those same lawmaker and that same administration!) that the FBI an such have a pretty hard time getting those responsible for even the most extreme cases to serve long jail sentences.

Wishful thinking. There has always been corruption and neglegence irrespective of the political parties. There just isn't as much in the US as there are in other places. By the way, anything by Michael Moore cannot be considered a legible source, sorry.

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by aegap

Also, you have business people that were once fighting to tear such policies and programs been put in charge of the againcies and government offices that are set to protect them! All these practices have grown exponentially during the current administration. The most extreme are investigated and a few put in jail, but the burden have been set so high (by those same lawmaker and that same administration!) that the FBI an such have a pretty hard time getting those responsible for even the most extreme cases to serve long jail sentences.

I think it's time for some proof of what you say.

I'd be interested in your factual sources. "Everybody knows" doesn't count.

[Chris]

Can we get back to the DR and the Max Puig guy?

[aegap]

lobin info:
email:robby@hotmail.com
password: maxpuig

Back-room dealing a Capitol trend - The Boston Globe
Congressional conference committees, charged with reconciling differences between House- and Senate-passed versions of the same legislation, have become dramatically more powerful in shaping bills. The panels, made up of a small group of lawmakers appointed by leaders in both parties, added a record 3,407 "pork barrel" projects to appropriations bills for this year's federal budget, items that were never debated or voted on beforehand by the House and Senate and whose congressional patrons are kept secret. This compares to just 47 projects added in conference committee in 1994, the last year of Democratic control.

I'll PM you guys more evidence and specific cases, if you're so incline..

[aegap]

Look at what just sprouted on the internets:

secrets

a similar thing happen with other non-monetary stuff, though those are generally called "special provisions". Also, do you know that, at least till last year, about the only group that can legally insider trade is called the U.S. Congress?

[Chip00]

Originally Posted by aegap

Look at what just sprouted on the internets:

secrets

a similar thing happen with other non-monetary stuff, though those are generally called "special provisions". Also, do you know that, at least till last year, about the only group that can legally insider trade is called the U.S. Congress?

aegap

the link you showed to the report say that the Democratically controlled house just changed the laws to make "pork barrleing" much easier.

Like you failed to notice before in my previous post there is corruption in the US like anywhere and it cuts across political parties. "Pork barrleing" has been around a long time but the fact is the corruption in the US CAN'T wag a finger at the corruption in the DR.

Many no good politicians here in the DR, who are not accountable to anybody including the public nor the press are making US250,000 a year - US100,000 more than a US congressman for what?

How in that world is that justified when the GNP of this country and average wages of the DR aren't even on the same scale as the US? Will or can you even bother to answer this.

BTW this is DR1 not US1 - thanks.