skills in the art of kicking and punching are important!
S,

ABC has done the almost impossible: Created a topic that has Dready and AC in total agreement

Who says ABC doesn't have his uses

lol

This is a topic that I remember discussing with one of my Professors some while ago. He was Korean and had recently visited the Dominican Republic. He was part of a delegation visiting DR and we chatted about his experience. I remember him stating how he couldn't stop thinking how many advantages the DR had in development with the huge market of the USA so close. He remarked about the potential for trade and the many other worthwhile endeavors possible, but remained baffled by the extreme lack of clear thinking and poor management of the place. He marveled at the good soil, central location, water resources, and vast potential of the DR. His final verdict was that the place simply had very poor leadership. I told him that Korea had had the experience of the Japanese and that many Koreans had learned the bitter lessons of subjugation and the better one that used the teachings and methods of the Master to gain development. We in the DR had not achieved that commitment and purpose. Too many Dominicans were into blaming past injustices and doing little about accepting the past as the past and moving on. Indeed, not learning to use the tools and techniques of the "Master" to do as the Koreans had done and achieve development.

Now, of course there was the Korean War and the pouring in of massive sums of dollars to meet the needs of that campaign-this helped to stimulate the Japanese economy during the 1950s. And the Japanese and South Koreans resumed their economic linkage that proved so important in making South Korea the industrial power it is today. Also, the Vietnam war and the participation of the Koreans fighting on our side. The USA paid the Korean government billions of dollars for this And the government used these funds to help promote industrial development-and line thier pockets Another very important development was the Export Led Industrialization model used by the Koreans. The USA allowed this development to happen, but the South Koreans made it happen, too. The sacrifice and enormous uplift that happened after the Korean War was largely a reflection of their national commitment to change. from the military leadership on down. Yes, there was plenty of corruption and military crackdowns on labor and "freedoms" involved but in the end, modernity arrived. And how

The only other nations in Latin America that comes to mind with impressive economic achievement are Chile and Brazil. Chile and Brazil are two of the few nations that have established true counter-cyclical economic regimes. And that's an impressive achievement.

But getting back to DR and if they can ever imagine rising to such lofty achievement, an important mind-set shift has to happen within the leadership groupings. And that involves all the players. I'm not saying that DR will ever rival what's happened in South Korea but that IF, and that's a very big assumption, the DR leadership group ever gets its act together, we may yet see enormous material improvements in the DR.

We agreed on that.

Atabey states

BTW. I'm not spoiling for a fight Dready, just pointing out inconsistencies in your message

what inconsistencies? show me one. i will say this again. infrastructure projects will not modernize the DR. you seem to believe that by building roads and bridges, the country will suddenly advance into the space age. that is like saying that the way to compete with Usain Bolt at the olympics is to buy a very expensive pair of track shoes. in 1953, Korea was a bomb crater. it had less resources than the DR, and was in a far worse economic position. fast forward a little over 50 years, and Hyundai can buy the caribbean. that is because they have CULTURAL dynamics which make them succeed. they do not have caribbean habits. note, i said caribbean, so i ought not hear any crap from you about singling out the DR. their people have a sense of order, and discipline. they respect each other, and learn from each other. they plan, and they study, and live an austere existence. we, on the other hand, are doomed to failure, because of the way we live. i need not tell you that if you give a Dominican 3000 pesos at midday, he is broke by 4pm. he blows it on cerveza, partying, the cabana, and clothes. Koreans i know in NYC buy their clothes in the thrift shop of Salvation Army, because they do not have to impress anyone. give a jamaican a pair of sneakers as a gift, and he will not wear it, unless it says Reebok, or Nike. no off brands for him. so, the guys who get ahead make stuff for the guys who stay behind. you will not see some Korean guy in some 200 dollar sneakers. those he sells to the third world cretins.

Well well, got a lot of energy going there O'Dready.

I said inconsistencies and it referred to your statement "that Dominicans don't think out side the box"

And I would say that this guys thinking does not represent the same old way of looking at matters. BTW, I much like how you are using more inclusive Pan-Caribbean arguments. Some people may see your past comments and judge you for Dominican. But interjecting your vast understanding of your Jamaican homeland lends your take on matters a tinge of balance. You being a Good sport. Nice to see.

As for your "Cultural" argument I don't totally disagree, but nevertheless see flaws in that way of thinking. First, your comparison of Bolt's achievement is not relevant given that his achievement is broadly speaking an individual or very small group dynamic. The South Koreans have achieved impressive results because of a) a shared long history of cultural awareness and organization; b) the Japanese Domination of the late 19th century and early 20th century; c) the involvement of the USA in the 1950s-present, and the board-based acceptance, under strong militarized regimes, of industrial development and the Export Led Model of development. Later in the 1990s, modifications were adopted that helped create conditions for expanding beyond the middle Income trap that many countries fail to achieve.

First, your comparison of Bolt's achievement is not relevant given that his achievement is broadly speaking an individual or very small group dynamic.

it is an analogy, Atabey. what i mean is that some people have certain gifts, and you will never be able to function on an even playing field with them. the highest elevators shoes will not make you Michael Jordan. if you weigh 160lbs, eating your way up to 210 will not guarantee that you will be able to defeat Mike Tyson. there is a little entity known as ability. it comes from different sources, and it is developed by different habits. i have never been to Korea, but i would be surprised if Korean women take their 3 year old kids to the equivalent of colmadones at 10pm on a Wednesday night, to go sing karaoke. are there any equivalents for colmadones in Korea?.we just do not get it here. my american friend was here for a few weeks, and he watched local tv, on occasion. what amazed him was the there is a program which is made for kids, by kids, and for kids. know what time it starts? 9pm! still wondering why the society is in disarray?

What many of us fail to understand, is the Dominican leisurely way of doing "work", and the ingrained propensity for indulging in hedonistic pleasures, that we can not afford, just to emulate others, and as a matter of genetic habit. This particular trait has been occurring ever since the Taino indians would rather have their foot cut off, by the indolent Spaniards, than to fetch their designated daily ration of gold.
I have experience running labor intensive export businesses from DR, and have close friends that I have advised, that own sweat shops in San Pedro de Macoris, manufacturing garments for export. I will reveal to you some facts, not hearsay, about the realities in the DR labor market.
1. The per minute cost of manufacturing a particular item, let's say a T shirt, is 20% higher in DR than in Korea, due to less worker dexterity.
2. Workers are mostly women as men are lazier and less reliable.
3. Worker benefits and severance pay are higher than Korea, which adds to the cost, due to outdated and out of sync labor rules and regulations.
4. Shipping costs to the states from DR in many instances are higher than from Korea to USA, believe it or not, because of the less frequency, and competition.
5. Work absenteeism, pilferage and employee dishonesty are a big problem, unlike Korea.
6. Employees will not work on certain religious and celebratory days, even if their life depended on it, and can not be induced even by offers of two times the usual pay rates.
So why the DR can never be an net export nation like Korea? Because of our human capital lacks the incentive, and prefers to have the cervezas, play dominoes, and live of the remittances of relatives that have migrated to other countries.
We are more attracted to jobs selling trinkets to tourists, or entertaining, or anything relating to the leisure tourist industries. That is the way that we are, and we can not change that, for generations to come.

Try to get any serious work done during Easter week or between Christmas and 3 Kings Day. Unless it is certain retail outlets or restaurants you are just wasting your time.