What's this about the Political Parties???

[Texas Bill]

When-ever has a "Democracy" condonned the parceling out of "Seats" in the Legislative bodies???

I always thought that these were ELECTED by the constituency!!

And this country has the audacity to say it is a DEMOCRACY!!!

I call it something else entirely, but can't print it here because it's too nasty by far!

NalOws---

What's your feeble excuse THIS TIME!!!!

Texas Bill

[suarezn]

The best party to belong to right now is The PRSC...

Since neither the PLD nor the PRD can win without their support they can ask for whatever they want and get it. There are going to be a lot of newly rich and others who will become even richer thann they already are...Isn't politics in The DR great?

[Hillbilly]

And this is precisely what the magistrate at the Central Election Board is talking about in today's papers. He says that they are even dealing with seats on the Supreme Court and the General Accounting oOffice as well as the Election Board....Lots of patronage to dole out...

Of course this is not real democracy, this is party-ocracy. It is a real close, kissin' cousin to gerrymandring. If one party is especially strong in one area of the country, it can offer to support an allied party in another area and help them (the aly) win that seat, and the ally pledges to support the other party in their region. During the last congressional and municipal elections, the deal made in Santiago was Sued for mayor--he was a shoo-in anyway--and Dominguez Brito for Senator. Most of us figure that part of the deal that got Hipólito to concede so quickly was that the PLD not put up a big fuss about the finagling of the Santiago senatorial seat. Nobody here believes that Méndez ever won the popular vote....

As suarezn has so adroitly stated, the PRSC is in a pretty good position and is working both sides against the middle. With popular resentment against the current administration due to take a major jump after the first of the year kicks in all these price hikes (I mean everything is going to go up) the PLD will need PRSC support to gain a measure of control within the Congress. On the other hand, the PRD is a party of idiots that follow the leader quite blindly, but Hipólito put the schnied on them and they will have to struggle and put their propaganda machine into overdrive to try and keep most of their seats--something that should never happen but will. The PRD wants to bring in those PRSC members that won't die before voting "White" in order to counterbalance the PLD attacks and logical upsurge in May.

A lot will depend on how hard the poor and middle class get hit with the ta reform. Gasoline, diesel, and everything else will go up...just how much is yet to be seen but I am sure that there are some economists out there that can give us a good idea.

HB on a rant..

[Rick Snyder]

Texas Bill I to was amazed at that article but I interpreted it to mean appointed seat were up for barter and not Legislative bodies because as you said they are elected. This is the reason the head of Department X back in 2001, as an example, is now the head of Department Y. It is a case of the crooks getting pay back favors for their crooked friends.

And to think 90% of the present incumbents are running for re-election. Out of those 90% I can assure you that at least 80% are as crooked as a dogs hind leg.

If the Dominicans don't elect new people into office in the 2006 elections then they, and us non voters that live here, are in for 4 more years of the same old.

Rick

[Rick Snyder]

Hillbilly you said it so much better but I was typing when you posted. Sorry

Rick

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Texas Bill

When-ever has a "Democracy" condonned the parceling out of "Seats" in the Legislative bodies???

I always thought that these were ELECTED by the constituency!!

And this country has the audacity to say it is a DEMOCRACY!!!

I call it something else entirely, but can't print it here because it's too nasty by far!

NalOws---

What's your feeble excuse THIS TIME!!!!

Texas Bill

TB,

notice the word I put in bold, italized, and underline in your quote.

The word is THOUGHT.

And as I have often said, what people THINK is almost always different from what things ARE!

This applies in the political arena as well.

Good night!

-NAL

[Rick Snyder]

It's NAL's bedtime and he sure skated around that one. He he he he

Rick

[Mirador]

The DR political system actually works like a commodity market, where citizens votes are openly bought and sold, and political parties act as trading companies investing on the promise of future earnings represented by the graft potential of their participation in the future administration. Corruption is an integral part of the system, without it the system would collapse.

[NALs]

Originally Posted by suarezn

There are going to be a lot of newly rich and others who will become even richer thann they already are...Isn't politics in The DR great?

Well,

Can you really blame politicians for being politicians?

And to think that whenever a person is found of corruption, where do they head? Does the words MIAMI means anything. Where is Miami? Last time I checked US of A.

Hmm...

Why would the US of A allow corrupt officials to settle in their lands, not to mention that MIAMI is where the Trujillo clan went, to be received with what we can only call open arms.

What is my point?

That people are complaining here as if stuff like this don't happen in their "native" homes. Well, if that is the case, why does this comes to light?

If any of you don't want to read all these reports, just click on the first one, click on the video on the right and sit and watch. If this is happening in Washington, the place that does what it wishes with the DR since 1916, then what can be expected of the Dominican government which looks towards the Americans for ideas of how to run the country!

How deep is the corruption in Washington?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10268447/

Capital corruption?
Voters weary after wave of criminal charges coming out of Washington
http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/10256753/

Big spenders in Congress
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9389889/

Embattled Conn.
governor resigns
John Rowland may have faced impeachment over corruption allegations
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5241442/

American Dynasty
No shame: America imagines itself as an old meritocracy, but 2004 is shaping up as a banner year for another tradition—American nepotism
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3606177/site/newsweek/

Halliburton operates in Iran despite sanctions
How do U.S. contractors legally do business there?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7119752/

Torture and wrongful imprisonment are US
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/

Ethical investigations soiling GOP’s image
Inquiries into Frist, DeLay come at a bad time for Republicans
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9455761/

DeLay money-laundering charges upheld
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10339329/

Voter disaffection an opening for third party?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10286455/

Congressman resigns after bribery plea
California Republican admits selling influence for $2.4 million
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/...ham/index.html

Former DeLay aide pleads guilty in bribe charge
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10143314/

Clinton rips ‘egregious abuse’ of Constitution
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10000996/

Top Gun's Tailspin
Randy Cunningham was a high-flying aviator whose taste for the lavish perks of politics brought him low.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10313613/site/newsweek/

Pentagon: Propaganda program effort to 'get the truth out'
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/....ap/index.html

Ugly times
Congress is more about personal attacks than debating ideas
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/...lls/index.html

Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty to tax violations
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/....ap/index.html

The plot thickens
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/....tm/index.html

-NAL

[Texas Bill]

I will be the first to agree that the "good ole USA" ain't got the "clean" hands we would like it to ave.

BUT--- after all is said and done, the "politicians" know that if they "don't do right" or if they're too greedy. they'll get their a**es voted out of office come next election.
And another thingy, the government jobs may be filled by a bunch of "get-alongs" (you should see the answer I got on an inquery I made to the IRS!!!), BUT, at least they took a test to get the job and scored higher than those who didn't get the job!! Unlike YOUR system of giving thej ob to your brother-in-law, your sister or uncle, or "friend".
All in all you have to admit we're not QUITE as corrupt as you are here in governmnt activities. We do have a watchdog---It's called the Government Accounting Office and these guys keep the politicians from running away with the treasury. You ain't got no such thingy HERE and you desperately NEED ONE!!!
And, ALL government contracts are putout on Public Bid and the LOW Bidder gets the contract! NO_ONE can start a project that hasn't been approved by and funded for by the Congress. That's the way the Budget works in the USA, unlike here.
And, you oughta know better than to argue against me, I'll eat your lunch when I'm right! And my summation is RIGHT!!

So There.

Wow, we still friends???

The pot shouldn't call the kettle black, pardner, it'll come home and sit in your lap!

Texas Bill

BTW, you ever hear of the "Peter Principle"--Everyone is promoted to the level of their incompetency. Many times those are the ones who administer the contracts you cited in your references. Not everyone is as smart as they think they are. Get the point??? We got problems too. We just take care of the oneswho show themselves to be poor representatives of the constituency. They better behave, or we'll kick them out and get someone else.

TB

OH, and another thingy---

If the USA does with the DR what it wants to, Why the H*** do you let us??? Don't have the intestinal fortitude to say simply NO!!
Let's face it NalOws, The DR Government doesn't KNOW HOW to govern to the BENEFIT of it's PEOPLE, and that's a FACT. Read your own POLITICAL HISTORY!! And quit blaming the shortcomings on others. That's BAD rationalization, at best...

TB
edited AGAIN to add the last after re-reading NalOws' post. tb