Hipolito 2012?

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by pedrochemical

However, having spent a lot of time in Berlin a few years ago, virtually all agree that life was easier under the communist regime. schools were better, there were jobs. Crime was not a problem etc...etc...
Other previously eastern bloc citizens that I know have a general consensus that life is tougher under a "free market economy" that is already owned by the eventual winners - big business and big families.
In theory, anybody born in the US (as a US citizen) can become president (?), in my country, I could never be king - only by marraige. In reality of course, the average Jose from Washington Heights has about the same chance of becoming president as I do of becomming king.
My point - it all sucks.
Dictatorship or Democracy? - same stuff really.

I'm certainly no expert, but I've known several folks who lives under Soviet rule, their families for many years. Heck, Dorota/dv8 could tell stories, I'm sure.

And then, suddenly, there was no one providing for them, telling them what to do. They said the transition from serfdom to being an individual in charge of their future was difficult. Some did it better than others. Some in capitalism do better than others.

Having someone else provide for you is certainly "easier". But having control of your own future gives on an opportunity to maximize their efforts and humanity.

In my life, things I got easily weren't worth much. Those things I earned are invaluable.

A sidenote/anecdote: In the early 90's, I knew a guy who got the (then) first Miller beer distributorship to Russia. He went and spent a ton of money getting it off the ground. Eventually he gave up. But not because the market didn't like Miller beer, because they did. It was because he had a major problem getting good labor, folks who wanted to work. Nobody did...at the post-collapse time. One thing he mentioned that struck me as quite odd: he said when he trained supervisors and managers, they just couldn't grasp the concept of efficiency, maximization of resources...and especially the concept of "profit".

[liam1]

i have not lived in DR under Hippo's rule, but fail to see how the country is any better off now than it was back then? if we look at the statistics, everything points to the contrary actually:

government spending is up (education system, health care, not better off)
country external debt is up
crime is up
drugs on the streets and drugs on transit thru DR is up
government corruption - has anything changed really?
government cronyism - has anything changed really?

[ExtremeR]

Originally Posted by liam1

i have not lived in DR under Hippo's rule, but fail to see how the country is any better off now than it was back then? if we look at the statistics, everything points to the contrary actually:

government spending is up (education system, health care, not better off)
country external debt is up
crime is up
drugs on the streets and drugs on transit thru DR is up
government corruption - has anything changed really?
government cronyism - has anything changed really?

1. Inflation is down from 50% to 9%
2. GDP Growth now is a steady 9% a year while in 2003 the GDP shrinked to -2%
3. Crime is not up from Hipolitos days..In those days crime rate was alarming, 4. now is bad but back was way worse.
5. More drugs are getting caught now than when Hipo so this create the illusion that there is more drug around in the DR. This DNCD administration is doing a hell of a job.
Government Corruption, while there is still a high level of corruption at least entities works now, Aduanas was a mess back then, the same with Impuestos Internos.

While this administration is nothing great is 100000 times better than the PRD one.

[liam1]

inflation - so you are saying that purchasing power of an average Dominican has increased under Leonel's government?

you are talking about GDP and i am talking about GOVT spending and external debt, whitch at some point will have to be paid off. BTW, i wonder if some of the borrowed money is put on balance sheets as "domestic production"?

there is more drugs now that in Hipo's days.

GOVT corruption - you know how bad it is.

[Theforceinme]

Originally Posted by liam1

inflation - so you are saying that purchasing power of an average Dominican has increased under Leonel's government?

Less inflation doesn't mean I can buy more, but at least my savings are not devalued as much.

Originally Posted by liam1

you are talking about GDP and i am talking about GOVT spending and external debt, whitch at some point will have to be paid off. BTW, i wonder if some of the borrowed money is put on balance sheets as "domestic production"?

After being devalued so much, the interests on the loans we had on Hipo's time became enormous. Our debt was increased. Not to mention the loans he took out...

Originally Posted by liam1

there is more drugs now that in Hipo's days.

Please post evidence for this.

Originally Posted by liam1

GOVT corruption - you know how bad it is.

No one is denying this part.

[ExtremeR]

Originally Posted by liam1

there is more drugs now that in Hipo's days.

No, what is there is more drugs being seized and caught. That creates the illusion that the country is full to its neck of drugs, when Hipolito drug was running here with no restrictions in its way to the USA and there were almost 0 big busts of drugs because of the complicity of the authorities with narc bosses. Hipolito had breakfast in Quirino's house a couple of times and they built a runway in Pedernales with no apparent legitimate use.

It is not close...believe me.

[Mr_DR]

Originally Posted by liam1

inflation - so you are saying that purchasing power of an average Dominican has increased under Leonel's government?

you are talking about GDP and i am talking about GOVT spending and external debt, whitch at some point will have to be paid off. BTW, i wonder if some of the borrowed money is put on balance sheets as "domestic production"?

there is more drugs now that in Hipo's days.

GOVT corruption - you know how bad it is.

Liam, are you kidding me?

When the big Hippo was handed the throne 1USD = 16 pesos.
Then from 16 pesos it went all the way up to 50 pesos=1USD

So, if you had 300,000 pesos saved in your bank account it would = 18,750 USD

What do you think happend to that money when the peso went from 16 to 50?

Your 300,000 pesos would no longer worth 18,750 USD
Your 300,000 pesos would be worth 6,000 USD instead.

Not to mention that you are also no longer paying .50 peso for an egg. with Hippo an egg went up to 4.00 pesos.

So, Can you imagine all the people that lost their life savings or could no longer feed their families on a 3500 pesos monthly paycheck because they have to pay 80.00 pesos for a lb of salami instead of 15.00

Now you tell me, with who were you richer?

With this world crisis could you imagine how many more poor dominicans would the Hippo made if he was president now?

I can tell you that the pesos would be devaluated more than the Iraqui DINAR ?

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