Prolly a lower % than Americans who use extreme debt to keep up the appearance of success.
- Thread starter JasonD
- Start date
240,000 Dominicans leave poverty levels every year?
By this I'll take that those walking miles to get back and forth or those whom rely on a paid concho or those who just drive a bycicle or a concho themselves do it just because they like it?
Really Mr. Bob?
No answer to my question?
If I showed you 5 would you promise to never post on DR1 again?
Without a doubt there are millions of poor people in the DR; many that can't afford three meals a day and the price of an old moto. That doesn't mean that there isn't a growing class of people that can afford a house, or a car or both. If you are even the least bit observative you can notice this. Where are you living that you can't notice that there are quite a few midle class Dominicans. Remember the governments poverty level in less than 4 dollars per day per family member. Many of the kids going to our school, whose parents are not rich by any means, still give their kids 50 to 100 pesos per day snack money. Poverty stricken people can't afford to do that.
Far More people in our middle class apartment in Santo Domingofull of professionals, business owners and retirees have no mortgage than in our affordable neighbourhood outside Tampa. Nicer and newer cars too. Debt is not a Dominican phenomenon I'm shocked at how many people around me in Florida look the part but have no equity even as they go well into their 40's.
I'm not saying poverty still isn't a problem but most people at all levels are doing better than 20 years ago. I sometimes wonder who people hang out with. Other than our maids I didn't really deal with the poverty thing.
I'm not saying poverty still isn't a problem but most people at all levels are doing better than 20 years ago. I sometimes wonder who people hang out with. Other than our maids I didn't really deal with the poverty thing.
This kind of makes people who study abroad, have the visas, the relations, etc., sound so unfair and kind of mean. My sister, for instance, studied abroad on a scholarship. Out of the applicants in her group she got the highest TOEFL score. She alway had excellent grades and worked very hard while many her friends were having an army of babies. Is that unfair? We're talking about people who had the same opportunities as her.
I will answer.
YES!
240,000 is around 2% of the Dominican population. I'm surprised it's not double that number...
JasonD
You seem to either have a very low opinion of the DR or as evidenced by your join date are very new or have been lurking for a while.
I have been here since 1989 as have a few others or they have been here longer. I don't know what part of the the DR you live in but I'm hoping its not in Ciudad Nueva Santo Domingo. Over the years this country has grown a lot. I remember when the autopista to Santiago was a 2 lane. No elevados in the Capital. road to SDQ was a 2 lane. Was an all day trip from SD to Samana. There really was no Punta Cana resort area.
No the DR is not preparing for war, but they are beefing up border patrol.
I remember gas rationing and sugar rationing, gasoline was 32 pesos a gallon, exchange rate was 6rd to $1. Platino was a peso. Would believe that hillbilly would know of when the exchange rate was 1 to 1. Electricity averaged around 6 hours a day in the citys. Hotels like the jaragua, Plaza Naco, Santo Domingo Hotel, ran their generators almost 24 hours a day.
We used to only have Plaza Central for a shopping center. now there is blue mall, acropolis, sambil, downtown center, agora Ikea and others.
no metro, no OMSA. just big red painted school busses that had died in the US, an the everpresent guaga and conchos.
Practically speaking no middle class.and an illiterate rate of around 70%.
So yes over the years there has been a huge improvement all over the country.
Can it improve, should it improve, is it improving answer to all is yes.
'
You seem to either have a very low opinion of the DR or as evidenced by your join date are very new or have been lurking for a while.
I have been here since 1989 as have a few others or they have been here longer. I don't know what part of the the DR you live in but I'm hoping its not in Ciudad Nueva Santo Domingo. Over the years this country has grown a lot. I remember when the autopista to Santiago was a 2 lane. No elevados in the Capital. road to SDQ was a 2 lane. Was an all day trip from SD to Samana. There really was no Punta Cana resort area.
No the DR is not preparing for war, but they are beefing up border patrol.
I remember gas rationing and sugar rationing, gasoline was 32 pesos a gallon, exchange rate was 6rd to $1. Platino was a peso. Would believe that hillbilly would know of when the exchange rate was 1 to 1. Electricity averaged around 6 hours a day in the citys. Hotels like the jaragua, Plaza Naco, Santo Domingo Hotel, ran their generators almost 24 hours a day.
We used to only have Plaza Central for a shopping center. now there is blue mall, acropolis, sambil, downtown center, agora Ikea and others.
no metro, no OMSA. just big red painted school busses that had died in the US, an the everpresent guaga and conchos.
Practically speaking no middle class.and an illiterate rate of around 70%.
So yes over the years there has been a huge improvement all over the country.
Can it improve, should it improve, is it improving answer to all is yes.
'
bienamor, you said it all...i remember those very same times, when you were lucky if you lived in a sector of the city which had 6 hours of electricity per day.
Good post, I remember the same. When 27 de Febrero was about as far north as the city went, and nothing much to the west of Churchill. Metaldom was the boonies.
Peso was 1-1 with dollar when I came here in 1975. By 76 it was 1-1.18 in the street only.
The best way to measure the development/growing/economic improving is exactly this. Monetary value of currency tell the story well. One can continue to stick their head in the sand and pick once in awhile while elevados are build (over-valued and all BTW) but the end-state is still the same.
The growing portion stays within the same group of people, period.
Very reasonable reply, thanks but think of this; the DR has always been very good at creating infrastructure and building stuff, the problem is that every time they do it pockets are filled and the product is usually over-valued, cheap made and not up-kept.
Building and construction is just a portion of development. For the normal Dominican, it hasn't had as much effect as a Peso in their pockets.
Sadly she was the exception to the rule and I honestly wish this same journey is followed/spared more often by/to more Dominicans.
I take you are Dominican and as so, you know for a fact that this does not reach out to the normal populace, it usually stays within certain groups regardless of merits.
I truly wish it would.
BTW, congratulations to her, well done!