I think some people are missing the larger picture.
I know that I'm probably going to come under harsh attack for writing this(well, from the Americans at least), but someone has to. America is a country in sharp decline. The national debt was 5.2 trillion when Bush came into office. It is somewhere around 9 trillion now. It is projected to be 10 trillion by next year. Even the real estate developer who designed and put the the famous "debt clock" up in New York City in 1989 is now having a new one built to make room for an additional digit when the deficit hits 10 Trillion. When the debt clock went up in 1989, the National debt was "only" 2.7 trillion. G.W. Bush will have easily doubled the National debt by the time he leaves office. The National debt is a critical problem.
The US dollar has lost around 1/3 of it value in the last 3-4 years.
America was still an industrial nation(39% of American workers were employed in manufacturing) in 1988, when I started college. By Feburary 2004 the figure was only 9%. What is the % today? What will the % be if Ford or GM go bankrupt? Outsourcing and Free trade have done a number on the United States. I know, NALS will probably disagree.
I could go on. Whether some want to listen or not. My point is this. What do you think America will look like in 3 years? I don't have a lot of optimism that America will rebound and enter another Golden Age like the 1950's. I'm having visions of America more closely resembling Russia in the mid 1990's.
How much could America really do for the DR? Really? America has to import 70% of its oil. Venezuela accounts for 20% of that. I've read about big dreams of turning Montana's coal fields into synthetic oil and supposed big finds in Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico, but I'll believe that when I see it. I can't imagine that Americans will care enough to help the DR. Venezula has the surplus oil, not America. The DR needs oil. America nees oil even more.
The American tourist dollar has lost one third of its punch in the last few years. If(when) the dollar drops further, how much will American tourists be able to prop up the economy? Tourism is a low paying job for Dominicans and according to what I've read, 80% of the hotel workers are Haitian.
I think the DR needs to be more worried about integrating with Latin America and the Caribbean than the United States. Trujillo paid off the National debt without using tourist dollars. The DR under Trujillo could feed itself and most of the clothes and shoes Dominicans wore were manufacted inside the country. CAFTA will destroy the Dominican dairy industry, Lord knows what else will be destroyed. Under Trujillo, the USA was its single largest customer for produce, with CAFTA the situation looks to be reversed. The USA will flood the DR with cheap agricultural products and ruin the smaller farmers and ranchers.
Free trade with America(forced onto Haiti after Baby Doc fled in 1986) destroyed the Haitian poultry industry and has ruined the average rice farmer. Haiti could feed itself in 1986, now it cannot. If the fuel costs suddenly spiked and Haiti could no longer afford to ship in food, there would be a massive famine. The dominicans will bare the brunt of that fall out.
Why bend over backwards for America when that country could be on its knees in a few years? Why make enemies in the United Nations by siding with America? The DR needs to keep a low profile and tread lightly as to not alienate its neighbors. People keep posting about trusting that Chavez will still be in power in a few years. That what Americas have been saying about Castro for 46 years. Why don't these same Americans who doubt Chavez or Castro's staying power start to question their own nations ability to sustain the astronomical National debt load. Why do they not discuss the future(even current) ramifications of massive outsourcing of American factory jobs.
The DR needs to think about its future. If it is all dependent on tourism, then the DR better start looking for Chinese or Gulf Arab state tourists to fill the gap.
Sometimes having a low profile in the world is a good thing.
I know that I'm probably going to come under harsh attack for writing this(well, from the Americans at least), but someone has to. America is a country in sharp decline. The national debt was 5.2 trillion when Bush came into office. It is somewhere around 9 trillion now. It is projected to be 10 trillion by next year. Even the real estate developer who designed and put the the famous "debt clock" up in New York City in 1989 is now having a new one built to make room for an additional digit when the deficit hits 10 Trillion. When the debt clock went up in 1989, the National debt was "only" 2.7 trillion. G.W. Bush will have easily doubled the National debt by the time he leaves office. The National debt is a critical problem.
The US dollar has lost around 1/3 of it value in the last 3-4 years.
America was still an industrial nation(39% of American workers were employed in manufacturing) in 1988, when I started college. By Feburary 2004 the figure was only 9%. What is the % today? What will the % be if Ford or GM go bankrupt? Outsourcing and Free trade have done a number on the United States. I know, NALS will probably disagree.
I could go on. Whether some want to listen or not. My point is this. What do you think America will look like in 3 years? I don't have a lot of optimism that America will rebound and enter another Golden Age like the 1950's. I'm having visions of America more closely resembling Russia in the mid 1990's.
How much could America really do for the DR? Really? America has to import 70% of its oil. Venezuela accounts for 20% of that. I've read about big dreams of turning Montana's coal fields into synthetic oil and supposed big finds in Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico, but I'll believe that when I see it. I can't imagine that Americans will care enough to help the DR. Venezula has the surplus oil, not America. The DR needs oil. America nees oil even more.
The American tourist dollar has lost one third of its punch in the last few years. If(when) the dollar drops further, how much will American tourists be able to prop up the economy? Tourism is a low paying job for Dominicans and according to what I've read, 80% of the hotel workers are Haitian.
I think the DR needs to be more worried about integrating with Latin America and the Caribbean than the United States. Trujillo paid off the National debt without using tourist dollars. The DR under Trujillo could feed itself and most of the clothes and shoes Dominicans wore were manufacted inside the country. CAFTA will destroy the Dominican dairy industry, Lord knows what else will be destroyed. Under Trujillo, the USA was its single largest customer for produce, with CAFTA the situation looks to be reversed. The USA will flood the DR with cheap agricultural products and ruin the smaller farmers and ranchers.
Free trade with America(forced onto Haiti after Baby Doc fled in 1986) destroyed the Haitian poultry industry and has ruined the average rice farmer. Haiti could feed itself in 1986, now it cannot. If the fuel costs suddenly spiked and Haiti could no longer afford to ship in food, there would be a massive famine. The dominicans will bare the brunt of that fall out.
Why bend over backwards for America when that country could be on its knees in a few years? Why make enemies in the United Nations by siding with America? The DR needs to keep a low profile and tread lightly as to not alienate its neighbors. People keep posting about trusting that Chavez will still be in power in a few years. That what Americas have been saying about Castro for 46 years. Why don't these same Americans who doubt Chavez or Castro's staying power start to question their own nations ability to sustain the astronomical National debt load. Why do they not discuss the future(even current) ramifications of massive outsourcing of American factory jobs.
The DR needs to think about its future. If it is all dependent on tourism, then the DR better start looking for Chinese or Gulf Arab state tourists to fill the gap.
Sometimes having a low profile in the world is a good thing.
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