Hurricane & Tropical Storms and the Economy

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Lambada

No, you don't need to feel this way. We know it's only the politicos, all parties, which behave in the way described. Some more smooth tongued than others. But people are catching on fast. Unlike SamanaJon I'm finding more and more people here in Puerto Plata are saying a definite 'Leonel - OUT'.

Dominican president leads with 47%, Gallup poll says

Originally Posted by Lambada

The only problem is...............are the alternatives any better?

Nope. This is as good (or less bad, depends on points of view) as it gets. Beyond Leonel, there is nothing good.

-NALs

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by NALs

Dominican president leads with 47%, Gallup poll says
-NALs

If it was that clear cut why would you suppose he is still stacking the cards by appointing ex-Reformistas to plummy jobs? Particularly after the hue & cry which went up the last time he did it?
Presidente Fernández integra más opositores al gobierno

[Squat]

Originally Posted by Lambada

...more people here in Puerto Plata are saying a definite 'Leonel - OUT'.

The only problem is...............are the alternatives any better?

I am not a big fan of Leonel, however I vividly remember the days of Hipolito, and I really hope Miguel Vargas won't be elected... I still believe the PRD to be much worst than the PLD...
As of Amable and the PRSC, it's a joke, the guy doesn't have a chance on his own... He'll end up allying with Miguel Vargas, I guess...

I would like to push it slightly further: I don't think that corruption in the DR is a matter of which party is in power. It is a matter of having Dominicans themselves in power. They will be corrupt no matter what political color they display, it is in the culture...

[RonS]

This has really turned out to be a great discussion! Just two cents from a frequent visitor: It seems clear to me that NALS is right: "This is as good as it gets. Beyond Leonel there is nothing." and it also seems clear that Squat is right: "It is a matter of having Dominicans themselves in power. They will be corrupt no matter what political color they display, it is in the culture..."

It is just sad that the hope that things would be different under this President has not become real, and it is even more sad, that the Dominican people have not exercised political will and empowered themselves to insist that thier political leaders change this 'culture' of corruption.

[Lambada]

I tend to agree that those 'in power' regardless of party affiliation, display a level of corruption which is totally self-defeating and seems to have gone unchanged from the days of the colonisers who were deliberately underpaid by Spain with the expectation that they would survive or even thrive by what they could make for themselves from this country whilst they were governing it. (Note: this is NOT saying all Dominicans are corrupt. Just those 'in power'). I think some of the smaller political parties are showing promise but they have insufficient following to get elected and insufficient resources to back a campaign.

Originally Posted by RonS

It is just sad that the hope that things would be different under this President has not become real, and it is even more sad, that the Dominican people have not exercised political will and empowered themselves to insist that thier political leaders change this 'culture' of corruption.

Maybe this is in the nature of 'top down' political organisation? Now maybe if we had 'bottom up' political organisation things would change........? And maybe, given the original topic & not wanting to stray too far from it, I should stop at this point!

The gallup poll quoted by Nals was I believe carried out before the Santiago tragedy & somehow I think one carried out now (despite 'short memory syndrome') would be different. What I'm picking up, certainly in Puerto Plata, is a level of anger about the Tavera opening which seems to be directed against the President himself and not his appointees.

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Lambada

If it was that clear cut why would you suppose he is still stacking the cards by appointing ex-Reformistas to plummy jobs? Particularly after the hue & cry which went up the last time he did it?
Presidente Fernández integra más opositores al gobierno

Because they are ex-reformistas, as in not really influential in the popularity of the PRSC, the party that is in the worst position according to every poll that has been made in the past year, relative to the position of the PLD and PRD.

He could've continue the age old tradition of appointing every single job position only to party loyalist, but then he would be criticized for that too.

Damn if you do, damn if you don't.

-NALs

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Lambada

The gallup poll quoted by Nals was I believe carried out before the Santiago tragedy & somehow I think one carried out now (despite 'short memory syndrome') would be different. What I'm picking up, certainly in Puerto Plata, is a level of anger about the Tavera opening which seems to be directed against the President himself and not his appointees.

The next polls will be in January, so until then we will have to wait and see. In any case, this can be remedied by reminding the population that the country has more damns. As far as everyone is concerned, only the Tavera damn has received attention from the media, and especially from the opposition parties; the latter attempting to politicize the situation to their favor. Of course, they were careful to not even mention what happened with the other damns; and yet they say that what happened with the Tavera damn is proof of the inability of the PLD to govern.

The country has eight damns and only one is mentioned by the opposition parties. Its as if the other seven damns don't even exist, but had any other damn encountered any problems, they too would be in the lips of the opposition who have no sound arguments against the Leonel administration.

This is politics as usual, desperate opposition parties that lack any real valid criticism of the current administration and thus, prefer to focus on short term shock and awe while attempting to block the sun with a finger or, should I say, keep the other damns that had no problems, out of people's attention.

Afterall, its pretty hard to say that what happened with the Tavera damn is a sign of the inability for the PLD to govern, when the other seven damns had ZERO problems!

-NALs

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by NALs

when the other seven damns had ZERO problems!
-NALs

Nals, have a look at the Olga thread for posts by dag about some of the other dams. I think we're all a bit concerned about every single other dam both maintenance & operational management in the light of what is coming out about Tavera.

And as to paucity of ideas in the Presidential campaign - I cannot hope to improve upon the Editor of Diario Libre:
Opinión - A.M. - Campaña

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Lambada

Nals, have a look at the Olga thread for posts by dag about some of the other dams. I think we're all a bit concerned about every single other dam both maintenance & operational management in the light of what is coming out about Tavera.

And as to paucity of ideas in the Presidential campaign - I cannot hope to improve upon the Editor of Diario Libre:
Opinión - A.M. - Campaña

Yes, but its obvious that the occurrence at the Tavera damn was not due to maintenance, but rather someone was not doing their job; while the other "someone's" at the other damns were. I'm confidently sure that the Tavera reservoir was not the only one that was filled.

Had there been maintenance and operational management problems across the board, then more than one damn would had been mismanaged during the Olga storm and yet, that didn't occur. One damn had a problem, the other seven were operated correctly.

The problem during one incident in one damn means little on the greater schemes of things, and that is something the opposition parties are trying to cover with their criticisms, attempting to make the Tavera incident appear as the normal way damns are managed under the current administration.

Regarding the Diario Libre article, its right! The opposition parties have absolutely nothing on Leonel. Leonel, on the other hand, can pin point to many of his accomplishments starting with stabilizing the economy after its worst economic crisis ever, the reduction in inflation which is back to single digits after reaching a whopping 50% in 2003, the stabilization of the exchange rate, the return of consumer and investors confidence on the economy, the decrease in interest rates which has facilitated the issuance of new loans, the decrease in unemployment, the decrease in poverty which a recent UNESCO report mentioned, etc.

Furthermore, there are the inauguration of hundreds, if not thousands of projects nationwide that range the gamut from urban beautification projects nationwide, finishing of infrastructural projects such as the bridge that connects the Cibao airport to Autopista Duarte, the overpass in Paso de Moca on the Duarte, yes, the Metro; the Malecón of Puerto Plata and Circuvalacion Sur in the same town, the progression of the Samana highway, tens of playgrounds for kids in marginalized neighborhoods in Santo Domingo, the inauguration of the Mauricio Báez bridge in San Pedro de Macoris, the progress in the extension of the Autopista del Este and the Autopista El Coral and the bulevar in Bavaro/Punta Cana, the inaguration of the El Catey airport, so on and so forth; it is a long list.

Or the improvement in foreign investment which is most visible in the opening of new resorts and real estate projects, particularly in Santo Domingo, Juan Dolio, and Bavaro/Punta Cana. Improvement in the electricity sector with hundreds of circuits nationwide now being on the 24 hours plan. The initiation of the breakfast for students in most schools, the inauguration of the various regional campuses of the UASD and the upgrading and inauguration of important faculty buildings, library, etc at the main campus in SDQ.

Again, the list is quite long.

-NALs

[Chris]

Originally Posted by NALs

The problem during one incident in one damn means little on the greater schemes of things....

Anyone else tired with Nals fighting the political fight on every thread that he can find? Note the sentence .. one incident, one dam. Well Nals, I have news for you ..

One Incident, One Dam, Tremendous Destruction.

I do not care which political flunkey pushed what button. These people killed people! But I guess it means little in the greater scheme of things eh? After reading your posts, I'm beginning to believe the conspiracy theorists .. It might just have been deliberate.

(And each time Nals refers to the dam .. he writes damn. No, I certainly am not grammar police, but I sometimes recognize a freudian slip when I see one!)