Hopefully Haitians don't try to shot down the helicopter, They love Leonelcito a lot and already showed their love when He flew there few years ago having a nice and warm Haitian welcome party with bullets and stones, I guess that our dear president doesn't get the point and will never get it.

He truly enjoy playing the russian roulete, "Good luck" Mr. President

Rubi that's the type of neighbors we have quite pathetic.

LF sees and hears the US market, the Dominican economic pillow, is shrinking, declining, slumping -- e.g. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

So, the most likely supplemental market is the Caribbean market for food stuffs.

DR can do this if it stops groveling before the US imperialists.

There are bigots in the DR who hate this or that type of Caribbean while the same bigots grovel before the imperial and majestic US presence. LF sees that these Dominican bigots will turn against him if their standard of living suffers from the USA economic decline, blaming of course innocent Caribbeans not the huge USA economic decline.

So, now, in this horrible time of the greatest crisis for many Caribbeans, LF makes his move ... small, but significant.

If Dominicans don't stab him in the back, he will likely do very well for the DR and for the region.

arcatype:

Dear brother what it goes around comes around, We have so many constitution traitors in our country and sooner or later They will have to pay the price of spiting in the memory of our 3 founding founders, "Duarte, Sanchez and Mella".

Being politically correct with the Haitian issue is only good for Haiti but not for us, sooner or later our country will have to enforce and follow up strict inmigration rules.

The CONEP, Pelegrin Castillo and other sources are already demanding strong actions from the corrupted goverment that We have, whether They like it or not strong attittude has to be follow.

"Quisqueyanos valientes alcemos"

Belial:

Invest in Haiti and stop talking BS please.................................

DR should not get their hands in Haiti! WIth one third of the island, 9 million people (80 % are poor) that live in precaurios areas and are multiplying at the rate of 2.8 % annually! Haiti is eternally condemned to poverty for a long time! If we mix with them, we will end up with a poor blend!

Forget Haiti, look at DR and its problems, limitations, and goals!

What a disaster! The DR needs good sewages, more dykes, more dams and other effective water infrastructure to prevent this from happening. We know each year we are at risk of these floodings. Let's do like the Dutch. Hire good water management engineers and make good infrastructure to prevent these type of floods from happening that easily.

greenwave states:

"If we mix with them, we will end up with a poor blend!"


Where did I hear this before? Oh, I remember Trujillo and Hitler.

Maybe you can offer a FINAL SOLUTION!

buenoha,

I thought all we needed was "muchos METROS!"

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and it's nice to be involved in a English news source for DR since I'm Dominican-American, born and raised in the US but very attached to my Dominican roots. Anyhow, I've been reading some of the comments and quite frankly I am appalled at the stuff that I've read. I can't believe that in almost 2009 we are still plagued with ignorance. How is it possible to think of Haiti as the "others" or to think that "If we mix with them, we will end up with a poor blend!" Anyhow, people will always have their opinions I just wonder about the quality of life people with the "Trujillo and Hitler" mentality have (thanks josean for mentioning that). I wonder if they have found their place and purpose in this Universe.

As far as the relief for the Hurricane's in Haiti, I think that regardless of appreciation or acknowledgment it is our human responsibility to help. And lastly, Leonel has done a good job in DR over the years that he's been in power.

I wonder why the good president cannot acknowledge his own poor people and offer aid to them. I have seen the horroble destruction in poor barios and campos of my beloved Dominican Republic and wonder why there is no one to help our own people.

We need infrastructure, but too much money goes directly to the rich politicians who have forgotten their mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers in the campos they grew up in.

Nothing has changed in hundreds of years out in the campos of forgotten people. Who will help these?

Cibaeña,

I was with you a 100% until you stated, "And lastly, Leonel has done a good job in DR over the years that he's been in power. "

But I respect your opinion nevertheless and welcome to DT!

Excellent Sally!

But remember we have a METRO!

Thanks josean,
My opinion of Leonel is of course an outsiders opinion. I'm curious and open to read your perspective. I talk about the asthetic improvement in the capital city and also having my retired parents there. They are very please with the government. Also, from an outsiders perspective the country seems economically stable with a growing working class. What's really going on??

Cibaeña,

If you have dollars you can insulate yourself from the day to day survival struggle of the majority of Dominicans. The perception that development is going on throughout the country because of the unplanned lopsided development of the capital is a real fact. Most people see the METRO and other reelection gimmicks as signs of modernity and great achievement by the purple one.

But as Sally has said go to the countryside and notice the marginal development if any.

Look at the school system in DR. We should all hold our heads low in shame on how our little brothers and sisters are be denied an education and are be robbed of a decent future.

Look at our health care system.

Look at our electrical system.

Look at our banking system with its usury interest rates that stifle the upward mobility of our microscopic middle class.

Continued:

Mr.. Fernandez is a slick politician that has modernized political campaigning in DR with US style tactics and created a hybrid of the traditional Dominican politics.

He is Balaguer on steroids nothing more!

Cibaeña,

Here is another example of the inefficiency of Mr. Fernandez and his cohorts.

http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=73424

They blew millions on a METRO that is not a priority but now they are out of money for agricultural production.

However when he ran in 2004 he said "comer es primero!"

But like Ronald Reagan he is the Teflon president nothing sticks to him nor is it because of his mismanagement. It is either the fault of the guy before him, his ministers (which he reappoints in other cabinet positions) or international factors beyond his control etc. etc.

You get the picture.

I agree with Cibaena's assesment... I have lived in the united states for the past 5 years, visiting the DR every 6 to 12 months. My family is PRD. But i have to admit, every time i visit things look nicer and nicer, the capital looks cleaner, the roads are in much better shape, nice lights that count down to red, more development in the capital in general. I couldn't tell you about the schools, but i do know that the road to Palmar de Ocoa is soooo much better than it used to be, same with roads to Samana and Sosua. THere are actualy signs and i was able to get places without having to stop every half mile to ask directions. While i believe that Fernandez is corrupt, and could do a lot better with education and other reforms... he is much better than Hipolito. When i lived and visited durring his time i was shocked at the regression our country was exeriencing, only 6 hours of electricity, 50+ pesos to the dollar, roits... it felt as if the country was falling apart with hipolito

RDinME,

If you think progress is putting up a few street signs, paving some roads, and filling some potholes, which objectively are considered normal government responsibilities in most parts of the world, then I guess you are right.

Josean,
Yeah i do think that those things are progress when they were not being done before. Look i don't think Leonel is all that great, he could be doing a lot more. Like i said my family is PRD, my abuelita would smack me if she heard me talk anything good about Leonel or bad about Hipolito, but i have to tell it like i see it. Like i said, from MY perspective things SEEM better than they were when i last lived in Santo DOmingo (2003). Obviously drugs, crime, education, environmental, corruption all need ot be addressed. All i know is everytime i visit, the country LOOKS less and less 3rd world. But as we know, looks can be decieving.

RDinME,


Now you hit the "clavo" on the head: "But as we know, looks can be decieving."

¡Todo lo que brilla no es oro!

Leonel tours Haiti: Expect a merger between Dr and Haiti. Consolidation and globalism are making the world smaller. The modern philosophical approach for globalism is--let's forget all our differences, let's focus on our similarties; As someone pointed out above the ones benefiting from such a merger will be Haiti. Remember what happened in Germany when East Germany merged with Germany? The German unified nation has only survived that shock by merging further into the E.U. So, expect changes in the D.R. Perhaps, the North American Union in the North won't be the only union to take by surprise millions of people; The "Union Kiskeya", will knock your socks off. It may desperately help the 10-11 million Haitians, but may sink the struggling Quisqueyanos. Watch this "Padre Billini" Tour closely; It may telegraph the coming changes.
Leonel, tu sabiendo mucho, cuidao', no queriendo globalismo.

Cibaeña,RDinME,

Here a few more examples of how well the country is doing under Lie-onel's leadership:

Source DR1

11 deputy ministers per minister

The Fernandez administration has appointed 350 new government officials to the cabinet. The payroll in general has gone from 370,828 government officials in 2004 (at the end of the Mejia administration) to 406,903 (now under the Fernandez administration). According to a report in Clave newspaper, President Fernandez has appointed more than 214 deputy ministers and confirmed more than 150 deputy general directors since 16 August, or an average of 11 deputy ministers for each ministry. Wages range from RD$50,000 to RD$150,000 (plus expenses) or over RD$130 million to RD$260 million on the payroll.

Continued:

Ministries with a higher than average number of deputy ministers include the Ministry of Sports with 20 ministers, Interior and Police with 15, Youth and Women ministries with 14 deputy ministers each, and Education with 12. The practice has been to simply add deputy ministers when there has been a change of command at the ministry. The additional deputy ministers are in violation of the ministries' structure. Civil society, academic and business groups like the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation, Citizen Participation, the Juan Montalvo Study Center and the Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) have described the appointments as excessive.
Clave newspaper observes that the appointments contradict what President Leonel Fernandez said during his address to the nation on 17 July when he announced an austerity plan for the second half of the year.

Continued:

At the time he announced a freeze on the government payroll.
Clave reports that government spending (including payroll, operational expenses and payment of debts) increased from RD$97.67 billion to RD$130.69 billion, or 33.8% from 22 August 2007 compared to the same period in 2008. Tax collections were only up 11%, according to a report from the Ministry of Economy published by the Ministry of Hacienda

Cibaeña,RDinME,

Some more Lie-onel efficiencies:

Source DR1

Defunct government departments

Several government departments have just become places to park people with political influence, writes Fausto Rosario in Clave Digital in a report on the many defunct offices that still have large payrolls, at the expense of taxpayers. The departments mentioned include the Commission for the Reform of Public Enterprise (CREP) that was created during the privatization push during President Fernandez's first term (1996-2000). The companies were privatized, but instead of disappearing, the institution now has 96 employees, up from 86 when it was actually operating. The former Dominican Electricity Corporation was divested of its role and should have been dismantled. When it was the sole department in charge of all government-owned power services, it had 6,000 employees. Its staff has not been reduced.

Continued:

The State Sugar Council also was divested of its functions and is currently a mere real estate department, but it employs a staff of 1,089 with RD$13.4 million in payroll. CORDE, the former entity that grouped government enterprises, which no longer exist, has 60 employees and a RD$1.2 million payroll. The Dominican Sugar Institute, also without a role, has 30 people on its staff and a RD$350,000 payroll. Others of questionable worth are the Department for Price Control, the National Textile Industry (Industria Nacional de la Aguja), the Dominican Agrarian Institute, the Environmental Policies Cabinet, the Council of Economic Advisors to the President, and the Center for Government Information, all of which have reduced roles compared to their payrolls.
Rosario comments that the 47 institutions with questionable roles currently have 23,000 people on their staff and RD$300 million in payroll.