Miguel Vargas speaking yesterday. Photo elnuevodiario.com.do
SANTO DOMINGO.- The opposition PRD party’s presidential candidate yesterday said president Leonel Fernandez “distorts” the economy, with his persistence to get reelected.
According to Miguel Vargas, Fernandez is so "desperate" to win the May 16 elections that he’s abused the public spending, with a "carnival of electioneering subsidies," without considering the harmful consequences to the economy. "The President-candidate has insisted on lavishly distributing the National Budget, ignoring the warnings of prudence and moderation which the business sectors, independent economists, civil society organizations and opposition leaders have been voicing."
In a statement, Vargas cited the millions allegedly spent on the chief executive’s governmental and political ads, the "shamelessly purchased, so-called opposition leaders” and the "little payrolls" to pay members of the ruling PLD party.
He said the injection of 100 million dollars from the Central Bank reserves to the exchange market is an acknowledgement of the pressure exerted by the reelection waste on the exchange rate and the rise in prices of the goods and services the population demands.
Vargas, after meeting with the heads of the Rice Millers Association, said the gathering was to "exchange impressions."
Written by: juanb, 30 Apr 2008 10:03 AM
From: Dominican Republic
This guy promises to reduce taxes, increase spending, solve all electricity problems, reduce food prices, increase spending on education (which is badly needed) and increase subsidies for GLP. How is he possibly going to do this? Where is the money going to come from? On top of which, how are the PRD members going to fill their pockets?
From: United States, Brooklyn
Hey Vargas he restored the economy of the country once your pal... El Calvo, F(ed) it up
Written by: Belial, 30 Apr 2008 10:40 AM
From: United States, Texas
Vargas should be running with rising food prices against Leonel.
But Vargas' line, quoted above, about a "carnival of electioneering subsidies" suggests, as hardcore laissez faire fanatic, Vargas is running with Leonel against rising food prices.
Vargas opposes rising food prices with do-nothing faissez faire ... that is, sound reactionary bourgeois ideology.
Leonel, on the other hand, opposes the same rising prices with at-least-do-SOMETHING "electioneering subsidies."
I don't understand Vargas' electioneering strategy. He doesn't seem interested in winning votes.
He seems obsessed with keeping up appearances as a rigid advocate and inflexible practitioner of rightwing faissez faire bourgeois ideology. He seems to be running more for president of the central bank than president of the republic.
Written by: Belial, 30 Apr 2008 11:10 AM
From: United States, Texas
Look, Vargas talks about all of these things:
(1) "Governmental and political ads"
(2) "Shamelessly purchased, so-called opposition leaders”
(3) "little payrolls"
(4) "The injection of 100 million dollars from the Central Bank reserves to the exchange market"
(5) "the rise in prices of the goods and services the population demands."
Why is Vargas talking about all of this other junk when the only thing that matters in his race at the moment is (5) or "the rise in prices of the goods and services the population demands," most pressingly, food and electricity?
What is Vargas trying to do? Lose. He doesn't have to aspire for that result.
He shouldn't want to cloud up the key issue with other issues because the key issue ... rising prices ... is on Vargas' side, although Vargas isn't on the side of the key issue. Vargas doesn't seem to know how to play the starvation card.
Written by: Poeta25, 30 Apr 2008 12:56 PM
From: Dominican Republic
@Belial: "Leonel, on the other hand, opposes the same rising prices with at-least-do-SOMETHING "electioneering subsidies."
By putting those subsidies during the election Fernandez is actually going to harm even worse the prices, because following the elections food prices will go up, bet on that, and they will go up even higher than they were before the subsidies. Yeah, Leonel is doing something, he's going to make the situation worse. Whoever is in power following May 16 will need to face the price crisis to follow.
@CarlosFranco: How is the economy improved since Hipolito. let me see ohh you mean the Metro? lol. You mean the HIGHER crime rate, the HIGHER food prices, the HIGHER corruption levels, LESS investment in education, LESS investment in public health, the closing of much of the ZONA FRANCA and the secret million dollar loans and oh yeah Leonel improves the economy by paying some politicos 2 million pesos a month, is that what you call improvement Carlos?
From: Dominican Republic
, the closing of much of the ZONA FRANca
_______________________________________
Why has most of the Zona Francas closed? Is it because the high tax that has been implemented in these last 4 years?
Written by: DennisC, 30 Apr 2008 3:44 PM
From: United States
For God's sake, what have the PRD done in the 3 last times in power, but use that power for their own enrichment ?, does that make them different than other goverments from other parties?, a rotund NO, but in the same token, other non PRD goverments show more than they have ever done, this guy claims about delinquency, and if we recall well, all that criminality all over the country, started in the Mejia 4 years, after the desperation of so many people. I only hope that the people of my country, remember, and remember well, all the disasters of the last PRD goverment, where this candidate they present and speaking so much bull now, was also of the men that benefited from those 4 terrible years for our country. Anybody, but PRD once again, never again the PRD, that party and the people that still roam around, should be in damnation.
Written by: Belial, 30 Apr 2008 4:57 PM
From: United States, Texas
"By putting those subsidies during the election Fernandez is actually going to harm even worse the prices, because following the elections food prices will go up, bet on that, and they will go up even higher than they were before the subsidies. Yeah, Leonel is doing something, he's going to make the situation worse. Whoever is in power following May 16 will need to face the price crisis to follow"
oooo
Imports of food are absolutely ruled out after the election as a solution to rising food prices because the imports themselves are becoming more costly. But food imports are the imperialist solution to the food crisis.
So, Leonel has then three choices either:
(1) Produce more food in the DR or
(2) Prolong the subsidies a long time after the election or
(3) Drop the subsidies and take the heat from the hungry.
If price increases respond chiefly to supply and demand for food, the price increases may be rather disorderly and extreme. Intervention stops the momentum.
Written by: juanb, 30 Apr 2008 5:22 PM
From: Dominican Republic
The problem with the free zones was that the factory owners refused to become efficient and therefore became uncompetitive. They thought that since they had always made a lot of money with their very inefficient production process that they would always make money that way. And they did until they had to compete with the rest of the world, at which point they got their butts kicked. It had nothing to do with taxes!!!
From: United States
Who does this guy think he's fooling? He represents a party that last time and every time that I've checked can only be remembered for numerous failures. They're a bunch of thieves and incompetents who along with all their cronies want to steal from public funds while not contributing in the least to the improvement of the country and its people. What good did they ever do? The odasity of this bunch of thugs after almost bringing the Dominican economy to near failure to even contemplate running for power once again. And shame on those that would consider electing them all over again. Are Dominicans masochists? Hello!!! Wake up and smell the flowers people because if these fools get back in power, the last 4 years they were in power will feel like a piece of cake next to what's coming given that in general world economy isn't looking so bright these days. Wake up people...!!!!
Written by: BASTA, 1 May 2008 2:38 PM
From: Dominican Republic, =Ghetto/Legalize Drugs
Nothing Lionel= Lies,Lies and more lies.
Look at our national debt in the last 4 years.
Scary
How much is Lionel worth?
Also very Scary
From: United States, Brooklyn
Hey Poeta25
You just told me that you're not on top of the situation.... Many of the crime that have risen lately spurred from the Mejia administration and leonel is receiving the waves of it... It will take years and several administrations to recover again...
You almost sound as if you wanted to keep Hipolito... Sorry if i preferred Leonel, who is more qualified to be president, than all the rest.
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Hey Vargas he restored the economy of the country once your pal... El Calvo, F(ed) it up
But Vargas' line, quoted above, about a "carnival of electioneering subsidies" suggests, as hardcore laissez faire fanatic, Vargas is running with Leonel against rising food prices.
Vargas opposes rising food prices with do-nothing faissez faire ... that is, sound reactionary bourgeois ideology.
Leonel, on the other hand, opposes the same rising prices with at-least-do-SOMETHING "electioneering subsidies."
I don't understand Vargas' electioneering strategy. He doesn't seem interested in winning votes.
He seems obsessed with keeping up appearances as a rigid advocate and inflexible practitioner of rightwing faissez faire bourgeois ideology. He seems to be running more for president of the central bank than president of the republic.
(1) "Governmental and political ads"
(2) "Shamelessly purchased, so-called opposition leaders”
(3) "little payrolls"
(4) "The injection of 100 million dollars from the Central Bank reserves to the exchange market"
(5) "the rise in prices of the goods and services the population demands."
Why is Vargas talking about all of this other junk when the only thing that matters in his race at the moment is (5) or "the rise in prices of the goods and services the population demands," most pressingly, food and electricity?
What is Vargas trying to do? Lose. He doesn't have to aspire for that result.
He shouldn't want to cloud up the key issue with other issues because the key issue ... rising prices ... is on Vargas' side, although Vargas isn't on the side of the key issue. Vargas doesn't seem to know how to play the starvation card.
By putting those subsidies during the election Fernandez is actually going to harm even worse the prices, because following the elections food prices will go up, bet on that, and they will go up even higher than they were before the subsidies. Yeah, Leonel is doing something, he's going to make the situation worse. Whoever is in power following May 16 will need to face the price crisis to follow.
@CarlosFranco: How is the economy improved since Hipolito. let me see ohh you mean the Metro? lol. You mean the HIGHER crime rate, the HIGHER food prices, the HIGHER corruption levels, LESS investment in education, LESS investment in public health, the closing of much of the ZONA FRANCA and the secret million dollar loans and oh yeah Leonel improves the economy by paying some politicos 2 million pesos a month, is that what you call improvement Carlos?
_______________________________________
Why has most of the Zona Francas closed? Is it because the high tax that has been implemented in these last 4 years?
oooo
Imports of food are absolutely ruled out after the election as a solution to rising food prices because the imports themselves are becoming more costly. But food imports are the imperialist solution to the food crisis.
So, Leonel has then three choices either:
(1) Produce more food in the DR or
(2) Prolong the subsidies a long time after the election or
(3) Drop the subsidies and take the heat from the hungry.
If price increases respond chiefly to supply and demand for food, the price increases may be rather disorderly and extreme. Intervention stops the momentum.
Look at our national debt in the last 4 years.
Scary
How much is Lionel worth?
Also very Scary
You just told me that you're not on top of the situation.... Many of the crime that have risen lately spurred from the Mejia administration and leonel is receiving the waves of it... It will take years and several administrations to recover again...
You almost sound as if you wanted to keep Hipolito... Sorry if i preferred Leonel, who is more qualified to be president, than all the rest.