57% of Dominicans live in poverty

[greydread]

Now let the poor be poor in peace.
AZB

Well there you have it, folks. The "Final Solution", Dominican stylie.

How many of these "poor" ever had an opportunity to become anything else? How long will feudal values perist in the post colonial Dominican Republic. Why is it that a certain sector of the population can only appreciate their lives when surrounded by those less fortunate than them?

How many times have we seen those with so many advantages in life underachieve only to berate those who have had none of the advantages in life which they've enjoyed:

Stated: "I got where I am through hard work"

Reality: (sure glad I'm not stuck doing manual labor like them)

Stated: "The poor are poor because they're lazy"

Reality: (glad I wasn't born into a cycle of poverty)

Stated: "The poor don't try to better themselves"

Reality: (if they find out how easy my job is, I'm through)

In an economy where it is more important to be well connected then to be competent or well educated there is alwys a component that sees the importance of denying basic educational opportunity to the general population. This group of people is generally insecure about their positions in the socio-economic pecking order and if the true value of their "contributions" to that society were ever audited and scrutinized their only defense would be lack of qualified competition. These people need the poor and the undereducated to remain so to reinforce their notions of superiority. Like the guy who stands 5',7" and only hangs around people 5', 6" and under and always talks up his imaginary "tall" friends. Pitiful.

 

[cibaenopuro]

some of the people on here don't know anything about the dr outside of their tourist resort town yet try to make themselves experts on our economic situation. how many dominicans drive in brand new yipetas and live in nice homes without even getting a college degree or being a drug trafficker? as i said before, decades ago the dr has about 80% poverty and now it has gone down 23% and will continue to go down in the next few generations. you have kids in barrios and small towns going to university and if they can't afford it there are apparently some of the universities of the state (like uasd) that offer cheaper courses

 

[MikeFisher]

Actually i presented my views on the most simplest terms and left out the details. I agree with you. Like I said, I also help the poor in real need and I am always in favor of people who are trying to improve their lives. I was referring to the poor people who are only looking for handouts who are too lazy to change their own lives. People who are always victims and refuse to take responsibility of their actions or of their failures in life. I can also show you plenty of examples where people have changed their lives for better. These people had an aim in their life and they went out and got what they were after. After living here for so long, I see most poor are simply poor because they either make the wrong decisions in life, too lazy to make any real changed in life, even after they have been given an opportunity, or simply they are losers in life who are not capable of doing anything constructive. take a look at a local girl in a barrio: 17 yrs old, already has a child with a tigre, no father and no husband, zero education and no hope for the future. This is rampant here in all barrios.
There is nothing the government or the rich can do to change their lives if these people are not willing to get off their arses and make a positive change for themselves. So please stop with the world economy BS and the government statistics or UN and CIA warnings. The people are poor because they are poor in their minds. Period.
Most of you people (not you bob) just sound like chatter boxes now. Go have a beer and plan your next vacation here,. This is how you will help the DR economy.
AZB

here we talk a common language.
yes, those Folks exist and yes, they exist in numbers,
here on the Island and in each other society including the 1st world countries.
but there is also the other Part of the many Poor,
the ones who try to go forward where ever they can grab a opportunity to do so, may that be due simple hard and serious labour work or due taking extra classes to achieve what they did not reach when originally visited school on a campo etc.
and those Folks are the ones who need IMHO much more opportunities to attend real valuable educational institutions,
there would be a good crowd stepping out of their poverty surroundings that way, and each of such Folks stepping out of a poor Barrio achieving success, would drag others in his/her wake working/studying hard to achieve the same Goals.
a simple example for such dragging wake is a single famous Baseball Player coming out a a specific poor Barrio, be sure that the whole Barrio from ages 3-20 will be everyday on the field to train Pelota to achieve the same than the big Barrio Hero who just signed a 100 millions $$$ contract.
give the willing crowd within the poorest a opportunity to achieve success due hard work/hard study and they will Drag a Wake of others with them who will work the same hard to achieve similar or even higher Goals.

but til today,
a mentioned 17 years ole Gal in a Barrio with a child or 2 and no worth to mention education, she sure has no parents who ever explained her the traps of the 'pregnancy' waiting out there on the streets for her, that Gal never had a big chance for anything better than the misery she lives in, and of course she will stay in that misery and even dig herself deeper in it with the years, on Her the damage is long done, been long done before she went pregnant, b/c she never had Parents who told her the right way AND she never been in a school system where such dangers of live are told in class.
but there's a chance to make a difference for the next generation,
by teaching them exactly those dangers in classes,
by really explaning the youth what goodies can be achieved through hard study and hard work, such can only be done due the right educational system.
what the DR is leaking completely is the involvement of the Parents in the education, a very important factor.
yep, many things that need to work together even that each single one is a hardball to get it done.
it the change from ''stu as usual'' to completly new thinkings and ways of education, for young and old.
right,
it will by far not work for every poor,
the same like the best schools and univercities do so often not work any positive on so many rich sons and daughters around the Globe,
but it is the way to go and provide the opportunities.
who finally does not grab them,
yep, those will stay in their Misery til the last breath and can not be helped.
Mike

 

[greydread]

What's your point?

some of the people on here don't know anything about the dr outside of their tourist resort town yet try to make themselves experts on our economic situation. how many dominicans drive in brand new yipetas and live in nice homes without even getting a college degree or being a drug trafficker? as i said before, decades ago the dr has about 80% poverty and now it has gone down 23% and will continue to go down in the next few generations. you have kids in barrios and small towns going to university and if they can't afford it there are apparently some of the universities of the state (like uasd) that offer cheaper courses

There are very few "expert" opinions on this thread. They are just opinions. The proposed "solutions" are mere conjecture and the current economic situation in the DR may seem "better" than in the past but it could and should be improving more rapidly than the current pace. I think many of us agree on that. Many of us also agree that it is education at the BASIC level which requires the most improvement. What good is access to a University if one reads at a 3rd grade level and can't figure simple fractions and percentages?

The government's reported literacy rate doesn't count the people who can't get through a newspaper article without stumbling or correctly spell half of any written sentence. This is the problem with the educational system. Every child in the Nation should be properly prepared in the educational fundamentals (3 R's). Then let's worry about post secondary education.

 

[cobraboy]

There are very few "expert" opinions on this thread. They are just opinions.

Someone who has lived here 24/7/365 and earns much of their living in the Dominican Republic is a helluva more authoritative than any tourist or someone who parachutes in for a few weeks a year and stays in a hotel or tourist area drinking and partying like a tourist.

Why do I say that?

I've done both.

And I can tell you my "opinions" have changed greatly since being a full-time resident for well over two years now. In fact it's changed so much that I've begun to pretty much discount most opinions a tourist offers.

I can tell you that I knew very little, really, from all my travels here since '87. Or even the 8-10 weeks a year I traveled th the DR the 4 years prior to the permanent relocation.

And I'm willing to bet I'm not alone in my thoughts...

 

[PeaceNik]

The AZB Riddle

Oh please, we are way off subject here. people are actually talking about robert mugabi and edi amin dada. give me a break. An average university educated dominican has little idea of what you sages are talking about, imagine the poor? The bottom line is simple: the people who struggle to get ahead in life anywhere in this world, will eventually get a break. The lazy (not my fault-victims) will fall behind. The poor in this country are not doing enough to advance in life. If any one of you have worked with them, or employed them, will notice most of them are an expert in screw-ups. They will screw up on the simplest jobs. No common sense and all they do is seem to make the wrong decisions. This is why they are poor, not because the rich are keeping them below them, the fact is, the poor don't need any enemies here. They are their own worst enemies.
So please stop with the BS of belgian economy or the edi amin regime. You people are talking to yourselves and it has little to do with the topic or DR economy.
AZB

AZB man I have got to tell you. I have been 'lurking' on this forum for years ever since I stumble upon it while looking for something pertaining to DR. Until I decided recently to jump in.

I have laughed a lot reading some of your posts because of their often brutal truthfulness. And I have learned quite a few things about the DR from your reported experiences as well. But the thing that causes people to recoil at some of what you say is the lack of humanity that they sometimes blatantly project.

And here comes the riddle. You admit, in some of your posts, your humble beginnings; that your parents were poor; that you were looked down upon by members of your own family because they had more means. Yet you display such a disdain towards the poor that it is troubling to some. You may not mean it, but your tone conveys it.

It takes certain learned skills to successfully make it in any environment. That is why normally wild animals (your tigers, lions etc...) when raised in zoo or domesticated from birth, cannot be released in the wild because they do not have the survival skills necessary to find their meals etc...Skills they should learn from their parents, in the wild. Human development, although more complex, has a lot in common with them in that sense. You are a successful professional simply because someone or several people created for you an environment where you learned the value of education, and instilled in you the values and perspective that allowed your siblings and yourself (as you reported) to be successes. Not because you guys are geniuses. Either your dad, mom or both, or another adult made the difference. Now, you are looking down on people (at least that's what the tone of your post conveys) who are caught up in an environment of poverty (bad habits, bad thinking patterns etc...) where there is zero incentives or structural support for them to get out? You don't have to marry into their families, but they are still humans; deserving of sympathy, empathy and respect. Even though one must thread carefully as you many times suggest.

Even if all they ever own is the skin covering their bones. Their humanity is obvious and that deserves respect. I guess your tone does not reflect that respect and that kind of rub some folks the wrong way.

At least this is my perception. Like you say man, have a coke and smile.

 

[MikeFisher]

Someone who has lived here 24/7/365 and earns much of their living in the Dominican Republic is a helluva more authoritative than any tourist or someone who parachutes in for a few weeks a year and stays in a hotel or tourist area drinking and partying like a tourist.

Why do I say that?

I've done both.

And I can tell you my "opinions" have changed greatly since being a full-time resident for well over two years now. In fact it's changed so much that I've begun to pretty much discount most opinions a tourist offers.

I can tell you that I knew very little, really, from all my travels here since '87. Or even the 8-10 weeks a year I traveled th the DR the 4 years prior to the permanent relocation.

And I'm willing to bet I'm not alone in my thoughts...

absolutely not alone, Robert.
Mike

 

[Robert]

It never ceases to amaze me, that those of us that live and work in the DR 24x7 often share the same opinions on a number of topics.

Now why is that?

Could it be that we actually have a clue?

For those of you that don't actually live here.
Try this page for starters: http://dr1.com/articles/index.shtml

 

[dv8]

In an economy where it is more important to be well connected then to be competent or well educated there is alwys a component that sees the importance of denying basic educational opportunity to the general population.

here is a sign you know nothing about DR. who is "denying" education to the poor? no one! they are denying THEMSELVES education because they see no point and no value of it.
may i remind you that government schools are FREE and there are everywhere. all the poor have to do is attend classes. if they fail to do even that then do not expect me to cry over their meager salaries.

 

[MikeFisher]

It never ceases to amaze me, that those of us that live and work in the DR 24x7 often share the same opinions on a number of topics.

Now why is that?

Could it be that we actually have a clue?

For those of you that don't actually live here.
Try this page for starters: Dominican Republic Articles

Robert,
may that be b/c our all unemploymentless and cluelessness at home sucked,
so We decided to get unemployed and clueless settled on the Isle where we can have some Fun in the Sun for Free,
and we always can name it Retirement, lol.
Mike
15 Years Retiree and counting

DV8,
no need to repeat,
many agreed a while back that there are always hopeless cases who will never get a clue out of anything, may it be b/c they been not lucky enough to have parents who raised them with the right knowledge about the real value of a good education etc etc etc.
like some Goldies spend years and years on the most expensive private schools and will with all that top educational opportunities always and forever stay the same Dumbs they are, waiting to inherige one Day a piece of family's heaven and til then they can have Fun, paid by the family who can efford to put a Dumb in a expensive suit, buy him/her a fancy Car, let the kiddies have Fun in expensive Clubs and travel to where ever it is actually Fancy and IN to travel to.
nobody denies such.
but if you reread some posts you may find out that some posters also think that there are ALSO/ADDITIONALLY other reasons involved why Kids of poor surroundings do not succeed enough.
and for some parts of them the right educational chances would be the needed opportunity which is due the actually present public school system sure not taken care of.
like somebody mentioned in a prior posting today,
what is worth some years of attending a school where the 'reaching of the goal' means they can sum 2+2 with a calculator or 2 in less than 2 minutes mostly without a friend's help?
Mike

 

[dv8]

yes mike, you can finish the best university in the world and still be dumb like a bag of bricks, that is very true.
and you can attend government school and end up in the best university in the world with a grant to study, if you are exceptionally smart.
again, we are talking about people factor. think about your school: all students were taught exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, right? but some were getting great grades and some poor grades. that is an individual thing.
all i am saying is that schools in DR are free, if someone is too dumb to graduate this is not government's fault, is it? some folks are smart, some stupid, equally among the poor and the rich.
so i do not agree with a notion that government or the rich stand in a way of educational progress of the poor. quite the contrary, they are creating the system of grants to help the poor. for example brugal has fundacion brugal that builds and equips schools and provides money for good students to continue their education.
many rich people i know take few poor kids under their wing and pay for their education out of their own pockets.

 

[DRob]

It never ceases to amaze me, that those of us that live and work in the DR 24x7 often share the same opinions on a number of topics.

Now why is that?

Could it be that we actually have a clue?

For those of you that don't actually live here.
Try this page for starters: Dominican Republic Articles

Perhaps you could explain your superior knowledge on why education and opportunity is wasted on the poor to a class of five year olds.

Again, whether you live in America or Afghanistan, the best anti-poverty program in the world is a solid education.

Instead of having a "clue," perhaps you've neglected to consider the relative advantages you've had compared to these folks. Unless you want to argue that growing up poor in the U.S. or U.K. is similar to being poor in the DR.

I am not arguing that poverty is somehow ennobling, but I AM saying that giving people, especially children - a way to escape poverty is a noble goal.

AZB loves to talk about his powerful and wealthy friends. Why does he not bother to spend an hour a week tutoring schoolchildren? It seems as that would be a better use of his (and others) abundant free time than again condemning kids for being born poor.

And as far as the "poverty mentality" is concerned, if you want to change a mindset, you frequently have to begin with your own.

 

[AZB]

AZB man I have got to tell you. I have been 'lurking' on this forum for years ever since I stumble upon it while looking for something pertaining to DR. Until I decided recently to jump in.

I have laughed a lot reading some of your posts because of their often brutal truthfulness. And I have learned quite a few things about the DR from your reported experiences as well. But the thing that causes people to recoil at some of what you say is the lack of humanity that they sometimes blatantly project.

And here comes the riddle. You admit, in some of your posts, your humble beginnings; that your parents were poor; that you were looked down upon by members of your own family because they had more means. Yet you display such a disdain towards the poor that it is troubling to some. You may not mean it, but your tone conveys it.

It takes certain learned skills to successfully make it in any environment. That is why normally wild animals (your tigers, lions etc...) when raised in zoo or domesticated from birth, cannot be released in the wild because they do not have the survival skills necessary to find their meals etc...Skills they should learn from their parents, in the wild. Human development, although more complex, has a lot in common with them in that sense. You are a successful professional simply because someone or several people created for you an environment where you learned the value of education, and instilled in you the values and perspective that allowed your siblings and yourself (as you reported) to be successes. Not because you guys are geniuses. Either your dad, mom or both, or another adult made the difference. Now, you are looking down on people (at least that's what the tone of your post conveys) who are caught up in an environment of poverty (bad habits, bad thinking patterns etc...) where there is zero incentives or structural support for them to get out? You don't have to marry into their families, but they are still humans; deserving of sympathy, empathy and respect. Even though one must thread carefully as you many times suggest.

Even if all they ever own is the skin covering their bones. Their humanity is obvious and that deserves respect. I guess your tone does not reflect that respect and that kind of rub some folks the wrong way.

At least this is my perception. Like you say man, have a coke and smile.

dude, why is it people just don't seem to understand what I am trying to say?
I am not the one who makes fun of poor? I am not the one who sits with other foreigners and talk about dominican habits? I do not sleep with my maid and obligate her to perform sexual favors to me. I do not help a poor family in exchange to sleep with their young daughter. I am not the one who supports 3 young poor kids and then sleep with their mom. You will be surprised to see how much there is to know and see behind the people who claim to be friends with the poor in this country.
I simply have no contact with poor voluntarily. They do not know I exist and I do not worry about their problems. If one falls in my way, I will help, like I have done all my life but I am not going to make friends with some motoconcho guy and then support his family all my life. I do not have contact with poor any more so I do not even see them. So how is it i am looking down at them? I don't have any homosexual friends either, and I am sure the gays can care less about me, so how am I looking down at them?
Its just I am not here to save the whales or to save the poor. I will do what comes my way, but I refuse to be a pendejo, looking to support families in some barrio. I have enough people in my family who are in financial ruins in atlanta. I do not have to sent money to some people I do not know. I will help my family first and this is exactly what i am doing now. I have also sent money to haiti, to pakistani earth quake victims and to my poor family members in pakistan. So sir, i am not the one sitting in cabarete in some gringo bar and laughing at dominicans.
AZB

 

[AZB]

AZB loves to talk about his powerful and wealthy friends. Why does he not bother to spend an hour a week tutoring schoolchildren? It seems as that would be a better use of his (and others) abundant free time than again condemning kids for being born poor.

hahahaha, here is am example:
A woman comes to my office today with her 5 yr old kid. Hip problems. I gave him treatment and then explained to her he needs more treatments. I gave her 50% discount in my fees. She was still a bit nervous. It seemed she didn't have enough money and could not pay me. So what did I do? I shook her hand, thanked her for coming. asked her to bring the kid back and all was done for free.
Sir, I have been doing this since I have landed in DR.
So please, find another defect in me, this one didn't stick to well.
AZB

 

[MikeFisher]

yes mike, you can finish the best university in the world and still be dumb like a bag of bricks, that is very true.
and you can attend government school and end up in the best university in the world with a grant to study, if you are exceptionally smart.
again, we are talking about people factor. think about your school: all students were taught exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, right? but some were getting great grades and some poor grades. that is an individual thing.
all i am saying is that schools in DR are free, if someone is too dumb to graduate this is not government's fault, is it? some folks are smart, some stupid, equally among the poor and the rich.
so i do not agree with a notion that government or the rich stand in a way of educational progress of the poor. quite the contrary, they are creating the system of grants to help the poor. for example brugal has fundacion brugal that builds and equips schools and provides money for good students to continue their education.
many rich people i know take few poor kids under their wing and pay for their education out of their own pockets.

that is exactly what I always plee for.
that the good situated ones give a hand to the willing but moneyless ones to give them the opportunity to achieve higher Goals.
yes, I know people and companies do such.
I am myself Director of a Canadian Children's Foundation, yes, Me, the German who lives in the DR.
and even that I am very far from beeing Rich by any counts, I had the last school year 7 and will have the coming school Year 4 Kids in private schools, none of them living with us here, non of them is my own child nor my wife's child nor in any way Family of me or my wife, we find them simply during the year on the street, observe their way of live, start to know their family and circumstances, and when we after a time think a Kid could advance a lot over what the actual school provides, but misses the funds, then we start talking to the children and their parents about that Idea. we do that since several years and I have no plans to stop.
2 of the Kids from last year we do not continue b/c we are not happy with the 'success', our own judgement been wrong on them, and one does not need anymore our assistance b/c the father progressed himself enough on his work and He came to us to let us know that he can efford the 3500 pesos per month for his daughter to do the next year on that private school, so here we will just buy her books and I am very happy to experience for the first time that a father of a child says after 2 years "hey, I can do it on my own for my child".
what ever is privately or through private businesses/companies done is great for a country and a very important feature, but for the large amount of children we are talking in case of the DR there is still a large need of Gubmint assistance on such programs/assisting smarties to get a chance to do better than the low key public school for a few years.
Mike

 

[PeaceNik]

dude, why is it people just don't seem to understand what I am trying to say?
I am not the one who makes fun of poor? I am not the one who sits with other foreigners and talk about dominican habits? I do not sleep with my maid and obligate her to perform sexual favors to me. I do not help a poor family in exchange to sleep with their young daughter. I am not the one who supports 3 young poor kids and then sleep with their mom. You will be surprised to see how much there is to know and see behind the people who claim to be friends with the poor in this country.
I simply have no contact with poor voluntarily. They do not know I exist and I do not worry about their problems. If one falls in my way, I will help, like I have done all my life but I am not going to make friends with some motoconcho guy and then support his family all my life. I do not have contact with poor any more so I do not even see them. So how is it i am looking down at them? I don't have any homosexual friends either, and I am sure the gays can care less about me, so how am I looking down at them?
Its just I am not here to save the whales or to save the poor. I will do what comes my way, but I refuse to be a pendejo, looking to support families in some barrio. I have enough people in my family who are in financial ruins in atlanta. I do not have to sent money to some people I do not know. I will help my family first and this is exactly what i am doing now. I have also sent money to haiti, to pakistani earth quake victims and to my poor family members in pakistan. So sir, i am not the one sitting in cabarete in some gringo bar and laughing at dominicans.
AZB

Ok. Point well taken. The thing is most of the people reading this forum do not know each other personally, so when they read what one writes depending on the tone and content, they may form a mental image of the whole person that is quite far from the real person. But, I got your point.

 

[Robert]

Perhaps you could explain your superior knowledge on why education and opportunity is wasted on the poor to a class of five year olds.

Have I ever said anything about education being wasted on poor kids?
I'm 100% in favor of better education and opportunities for children, why wouldn't I be?

I agree, education is one of things that are needed in order to break the cycle of poverty with kids. Without education, the odds are stacked against them.

Educating kids is like preventative maintenance to protect the future. Unfortunately, if you spend anytime living here and interacting with poorer adult Dominicans, you know that for the majority, preventative maintenance is not part of the vocabulary.

But... Most people on this board do not actually interact with Dominicans or have a clue about their daily lives, needs, issues etc. When they do, it's usually a brief interaction between poor Dominicans that are servicing them in some way. Cleaner, maid, cook, watchyman, whore etc.

When AZB and some others are talking about the poor, they are NOT talking about little 5yr old Juan, but about his Dad or mother, or maybe his adult sister etc.

Do you think paying Juan's parents higher wages or offering to re-educate them will increase Juan's maths scores? Highly unlikely, because it's too late for his parents. He will see a new stereo or shopping bags from Nacional instead of Ola long before benifiting in form of a new text book, educational DVD's etc.

What about Juan's older sister that cannot be bothered to get a job because it's easier to make RD$3,000 for a couple of hours work whoring herself. His sister's income is not going to improve his math's scores, she's too busy buying a new Blackberry or working out what dress to buy.

Have you ever seen the barrio loan system or know how the corner prestomista works? Talk about keep them poor! Yet most poor cannot see how it keeps them poor. They see it as an everyday necessity and handy if they need to buy something new and shiny.

I could go on and on about the stuff I see everyday that enables the cycle of poverty to continue, stuff I personally cannot change and a lot of stuff the poor don't want changed. So I leave the "adult" poor alone, let them deal with their BS and get on with their lives.

 

[Celt202]

Have you ever seen the barrio loan system or know how the corner prestomista works?

Have you ever been stuck in line at an ATM behind a prestamista? On the day that bimonthly salaries are paid into bank accounts the loan sharks show up at ATM machines with a stack of cards and take their payment out of the accounts of the people who owe them money.

 

[donP]

Cultural Values

government schools are FREE and there are everywhere. all the poor have to do is attend classes. if they fail to do even that then do not expect me to cry over their meager salaries.

Whatever happens at most Government schools is a joke.
Quite often and for minor reasons teachers do not show up and if they do cannot be bothered to do their job.
So I do not blame the parents much not sending their kids to school and buy shoes, uniforms and material.
I know, it is wrong, but street wisdom sometimes gets them further as far as the values of this culture are concerned.

donP

 

[Frank the Tank]

Have I ever said anything about education being wasted on poor kids?
I'm 100% in favor of better education and opportunities for children, why wouldn't I be?

I agree, education is one of things that are needed in order to break the cycle of poverty with kids. Without education, the odds are stacked against them.

Educating kids is like preventative maintenance to protect the future. Unfortunately, if you spend anytime living here and interacting with poorer adult Dominicans, you know that for the majority, preventative maintenance is not part of the vocabulary.

But... Most people on this board do not actually interact with Dominicans or have a clue about their daily lives, needs, issues etc. When they do, it's usually a brief interaction between poor Dominicans that are servicing them in some way. Cleaner, maid, cook, watchyman, whore etc.

When AZB and some others are talking about the poor, they are NOT talking about little 5yr old Juan, but about his Dad or mother, or maybe his adult sister etc.

Do you think paying Juan's parents higher wages or offering to re-educate them will increase Juan's maths scores? Highly unlikely, because it's too late for his parents. He will see a new stereo or shopping bags from Nacional instead of Ola long before benifiting in form of a new text book, educational DVD's etc.

What about Juan's older sister that cannot be bothered to get a job because it's easier to make RD$3,000 for a couple of hours work whoring herself. His sister's income is not going to improve his math's scores, she's too busy buying a new Blackberry or working out what dress to buy.

Have you ever seen the barrio loan system or know how the corner prestomista works? Talk about keep them poor! Yet most poor cannot see how it keeps them poor. They see it as an everyday necessity and handy if they need to buy something new and shiny.

I could go on and on about the stuff I see everyday that enables the cycle of poverty to continue, stuff I personally cannot change and a lot of stuff the poor don't want changed. So I leave the "adult" poor alone, let them deal with their BS and get on with their lives.

Excellent, excellent post Robert. Maybe this will clear things up for the folks.