Does Cerberus guard the gates to the Dominican Republic?

Curt

New member
Jan 14, 2003
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Is the Dominican Republic as bad as some of you boast? You make it sound absolutely terrible. In "golo's" forum "intresting things from todays news" you people make it sound like you could smell the brimstone and sulphur of hell right from where you stand.

Poor billing and water usage
Poor Medical care
Poor Education System
Insufficient funding and managing of government projects
Crime waves
Corrupted Government
10 killed in 1 city in two days

Sincerly my heart bleeds and my hopes are crushed after reading that article.

Here in Alberta if we have 10 killings in two days in the entire province we would ..... .... ... I don't even know what we would do. I honestly can't fathom it.

Please tell me that there is a silver lining to all of this. Something, somehow, someway.

Sincerly Yours, Curtis
 

AnnaC

Gold
Jan 2, 2002
16,050
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Sometimes freezing our butts off doesn't sound so bad after all.
I'll let the DR1 experts answer the rest.
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
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www.
Poor billing and water usage... If you are not on a meter you practically get all the water you can use for a small amount. If your location is on a meter, you need to be very careful about leaks and to save water like you would power. The billing system for the water works fine. The power companies are also prompt to bill if you live in a middle or upscale neighborhood.

Poor medical care... would say this statement does not hold. You can get very good personalized medical care here and the private hospitals are every day getting more and more modern. The country already is an exporter of medical services (dentistry and plastic surgery) and this trend should continue. Most of your needs can be handled here, sans catastrophic sicknesses care, but there are also several cases that prove that this too may change for the better in the next two or three years as the new centers operate fully.

Poor education system... The education system can be very good if you can pay for it. Dominicans have traditionally done well when traveling to US and Canadian top echelon colleges/universities for masters degrees or even for undergraduate college. Elsewise the public school system could use more funding and improvement.

Government... insufficient funding, corruption... that's another story. Whilethosewith political influence benefit from the extensive patronage, on the other hand the "tax" everyone must pay for government corruption/overspending/borrowing is the increase in the cost of living. If you have income in dollars, you are a winner.

Crime waves. About 10 killed in a single day... must be another country. Actually, crime continues to be low in the DR.
 

Golo100

Bronze
Jan 5, 2002
2,138
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Read between the lines-it's not meant to be negative

The "interesting things" items are more of an informative tool than a statement of disgust with the Dominican Republic itself. You have to take the good with the bad. Most DR1 posts are positive. But someone has to spell the bad news too sometimes.

Have you wondered why moved from a good living in the USA to Dominican Republic? Because with all its problems, I think this is a better place to live. I would only return to live in the USA dead or in chains. I hate the IRS, I hate to have police cars in every corner watching to see if I take a "Stop" sign, I hate cold weather, I hate grey skies in the morning, I hate junk mail, I hate the slush after snowfalls, I hate USA humidity in summertime and the intense heat. Crime in US cities is worse than DR crime, nonetheless, it is getting bad here.

What Dolores says is mostly right, but the people who are suffering most of these problems are the great majority of the poor population. Dolores and I have absolutely no problem with our water, electricity, medical service, etc. We have it all. But we are not poor. I pay for my private doctors. I have a specialist for every need. I don't need to go to Miami for health care. I went to the best and most expensive schools in DR and went to fine colleges in the USA and competed well with American students.

I never have blackouts because I have my own power source when electricity fails. I have triple the amount of water I need. But 90% of Dominicans do not own power plants and invertors. 90% of Dominicans do not have water reservoir cisterns, in addition to power wells, hot water heaters, water filters, cold-hot water dispensers, etc. I am sure Dolores does not have any problems either.

TW
 

KenoshaChris

New member
Jan 4, 2002
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Golo's America

Golo, you forgot to mention street gangs, handguns, crack cocaine, feminazis, state income tax, property taxes, sales taxes, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, Bill and Hillary Clinton, shoveling snow, slipping on ice (Dominicans can't believe you can actually slip and fall on ice), aches and pains from old injuries that come on cold days, salt on your car, ex-wife, alimony to the bitch, ex wife's lawyer, the friggin Cubs, the inability of Moises Alou to hit ovder .200 before July, the friggin Cubs not being able to win a World Series in my lifetime, wetbacks, transvestites, kids that have more rights than their parents, counseling for alcohol, marriages, sex, families, anger, anxiety, depression and grief, welfare cheaters, food stamp cheaters, parking meters, parking tickets, telephone solicitors, restraining order for just telling a woman how good she looks, and last but not least before my blood pressure gets any higher, TOO MANY DAMN LAWYERS!!!! See you guys in Sosua on Friday.
 

mkohn

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,151
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Chris,
Your're talking about my family again! Go easy on them. We don't have any lawyers in the family - except on speed dial.
But, since you've got that out of your system, have a great trip - but not on the sidewalk. Remember what I said about the sun screen ...
mk
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
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I think Santiago has a lot more people than any city in Alberta, but I could be way worng...However, I don't think that the US is sending back hundreds of trained Canadian criminals that have served time in the US Justice System of Higher Education for Refining of Criminal Behaviour as they do our fine Dominicans out of Texas, Miami and NYC and environs. The DR is just not equipped to deal with this class of criminal...

As for the rest, I agree with Dolores...and Golo.

Where education is off base is that they know what should be done but don't have the political will to do it...

HB
 

Curt

New member
Jan 14, 2003
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Actually Calgary itself has 900,000 people living in it and that's not including all the towns that are immediately surrounding it. There are large cities that border the permeter of Calgary all the way around it that actually makes the population probably double for the urban center. As well Edmonton (capital of Alberta) is in a similar situation with surrounding cities although the population is probably a bit smaller.

*Laughing* However Santo Domingo does have the same population as all of Alberta.

That is one of Canada's best qualities I suppose. The crime rate is probably incomparable to any where in the world. Right now Edmonton's police force is more worried with people running red lights then it is a murder.

Comes down to one thing. Every Country, Province, City, and Town has their own problems and a person has to meet those problems face to face to respect and understand them. And from that point and only that point can anyone make the decision of whats right or wrong for them.
 

Cleef

Bronze
Feb 24, 2002
1,797
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People

IMHO.

In everyday life - wherever that may be - people are what you have to deal with the most. They are your neighbors, commuters, colleagues, service people, family or whatever. The other outside stuff is there wherever you go - well not the snow (here), but there are other challenges.

In that sense I think you'd be hardpressed to find a kinder or gentler people than the average Dominican. I lived in Boston for 10 years and the vast majority of the people there are miserable human beings - and they deserve each other - and the Red Sox.

Here, people genuinely smile and are happy. They are curious about how you are, or if they can help you somehow. In an instant you can be looking at family pictures and talking to someone like you've known them your whole life.

In contrast, in Boston you'd be harpressed to get a smile from someone you see on your commute to work 5 days a week for years on end.

Sure many are hustlers looking to make a buck, but even guys that are drinking Presidente and playing dominoes on a Tuesday morning have to eat. Right?

That to me makes this country great - the people ....oh, and the beaches are sweet too.... and god forbid - you can drink a beer on the beach without the threat of getting arrested.
 
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