Re: Tranquilo con Danilo for Presidente!
I just came back from voting and everything went about in an orderly fashion. I voted for Hip?lito Mej?a (guess I should make that clear up front) and just wanted to contribute my two cents to this thread. I have to agree that the Fern?ndez administration has has astounding success in many areas but in the areas I believe matter the most for any developing nation (institutionality and respect for the Constitution) it has a less than sterling record. True, no president has ever shown enough respect for these, but Mr. Fern?ndez came to power at a crossroads for our democratic development and has much to keep all power in the executive branch. For example, Mr. Fern?ndez (together with Rafael Peguero M?ndez -Speaker of the House- and Amable Aristy Castro -President of the Senate-) tried to modify the Constitution by law to cripple the power of what has to be the first independent Supreme Court in our nation?s history. Of course, both Peguero and Aristy Castro got their payoffs. The first got the finantial backing from the government to buy votes to be reelected as Speaker of the House, the second was served the Chaimanship of the Dominican Municipal League (even though he couldn?t run -he was still a senator and the Constitution forbids it- and the President had to use the National Police as his party?s brownshirts to achieve this, going to the lenghts of almost shooting thirteen senators who tried to break an ilegal police blockade of the Municipal League?s headquarters).
Corruption has been widespread and shameless, earning government officers the nickname "comesolos", which means that they "eat alone" form the government?s resources. I myself do not use this nickname to refer to anyone -I find it distasteful-. Finally, the economic boom we are enjoying depends on mainly three factors: dominicans sending money from abroad, tourism and free zones, all of which depend on the economic conditions of other countries (the US, our main commercial partner and home to close to 1.5 million dominicans has enjoyed an unprecedented 10 year long economic growth period ?coinidence?) so I don?t think he can take full credit for it. Although I do have to admit that his economic policies have been a much needed breath of fresh air after 10 years of Balaguer?s feudal policies.
Finally, and answering to "elections" -I guess he-she wouldn?t give us the real name-. You say that "It is not the campesino that bothers me about Mejia, but that he says what you want to hear while the opposition is getting killed. ". You may want to remember that it was Euckides Guti?rrez F?lix -a PLD leader- who said that "politics is an immoral activity so anything goes when you want to gain power, even crime". This was just three days before the tragic event in Moca. Get the point?