Celebrating 60 years of USAID in Dominican Republic

La Profe_1

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Oct 15, 2003
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The topic is USAID in the DR, not Elon Musk vs. USAID!

Back on topic, please.
 
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CristoRey

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They are in a panic as the foxes have had complete control over the hen house for decades.

If the organizations which have been recieving US taxpayer funds are legit, including USAID, then they've nothing to worry about.
 

chico bill

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China isn't exactly rich either. Look what Marcos did yesterday in Panama. Be assured he can do the same in the DR if necessary.
Marco Rubio? Or are you referring to someone else?
USAID is a slush fund. Most of the money is stolen
Besides with all the announcements from DR how great the economy is growing so fast and best in Latin America and how many tourists keep coming why does DR need that paltry USAID money?
 
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CristoRey

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Marco Rubio? Or are you referring to someone else?
USAID is a slush fund. Most of the money is stolen
Besides with all the announcements from DR how great the economy is growing so fast and best in Latin America and how many tourists keep coming why does DR need that paltry USAID money?
Excellent question.
100% aGREED.
 

reilleyp

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Ecoman1949

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Excellent question.
100% aGREED.
Also begs the question on why USAID money was spent by the DR government to enhance government transparency and reform the National Police force. Any worthwhile government pursues theses initiatives with their own tax generated revenue. We know that transparency in the DR, especially in the police force and justice system is still a very elusive thing. I’m guessing the USAID money for these initiatives ended up in other pockets or was frittered away, primarily because no audit trail was ever part of the USAID package.
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
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Also begs the question on why USAID money was spent by the DR government to enhance government transparency and reform the National Police force. Any worthwhile government pursues theses initiatives with their own tax generated revenue. We know that transparency in the DR, especially in the police force and justice system is still a very elusive thing. I’m guessing the USAID money for these initiatives ended up in other pockets or was frittered away, primarily because no audit trail was ever part of the USAID package.
I was told once by a govt employee here that all money that enters the country goes into the general fund.

So a grant sent for improving the police force? General fund. A big grant to improve housing for the poor? General fund. Tolls from the island's highways? General fund.
Make sense?
 
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Ecoman1949

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Before these four years are over, you will see a lot of boats and condos up for sale in the DR, US and many other places.
Yep! Canadians are leaving Florida in droves and not because of Trump. Mainly because of skyrocketing condo fees and the lowest US-Canadian exchange rate since 2003.

It will probably happen in the DR. New villas and condos in the DR popping up everywhere and prices aren’t cheap. Playa Dorada is busting at the seams with new high rise condos and resorts converted to condos. Something has got to give. Maybe Abinader knows something we don’t? If the US largess dries up, a lot of countries in the Caribbean will be affected. Shades of 2008 crash.
 

Ecoman1949

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I was told once by a govt employee here that all money that enters the country goes into the general fund.

So a grant sent for improving the police force? General fund. A big grant to improve housing for the poor? General fund. Tolls from the island's highways? General fund.
Make sense?
Yes! The nebulous general revenue fund. The corrupt politician’s dream. The rabbit hole no accountants dare go down.
 

CristoRey

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If the US largess dries up, a lot of countries in the Caribbean will be affected. Shades of 2008 crash.
Crash?
I think you mean cash.

Get ready to see the US economy roar like you've never seen it roar before. The Dominican economy will benefit from it as well. How the Dominican government chooses to share these benefits remains to be seen.

Barely two weeks in office and The Don is already putting these weak minded sloths in check. Nothing but good things on the horizon for America and American allies like the Dominican Republic...
with or without the corrupt USAID slush funds.
 

bob saunders

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Agreed , but helping developing countries to the next level provides a bigger market for American goods and goodwill, which can be important. All aid should have conditions attached to it. Funding abortion in Africa and forcing Gender crap on other countries is not aid.
 

reilleyp

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Yep! Canadians are leaving Florida in droves and not because of Trump. Mainly because of skyrocketing condo fees and the lowest US-Canadian exchange rate since 2003.

It will probably happen in the DR. New villas and condos in the DR popping up everywhere and prices aren’t cheap. Playa Dorada is busting at the seams with new high rise condos and resorts converted to condos. Something has got to give. Maybe Abinader knows something we don’t? If the US largess dries up, a lot of countries in the Caribbean will be affected. Shades of 2008 crash.

Yep! Canadians are leaving Florida in droves and not because of Trump. Mainly because of skyrocketing condo fees and the lowest US-Canadian exchange rate since 2003.

It will probably happen in the DR. New villas and condos in the DR popping up everywhere and prices aren’t cheap. Playa Dorada is busting at the seams with new high rise condos and resorts converted to condos. Something has got to give. Maybe Abinader knows something we don’t? If the US largess dries up, a lot of countries in the Caribbean will be affected. Shades of 2008 crash.
I was implying that there are 100,000’s of phantom jobs in the DR and other countries and people feasting on fat government budgets with no real audits. As the Trumps, Milei’s and other realists begin to clamp down and start kicking people off the government teat, you will see some people start to suffer. There are resorts near me that have been ghost towns for 15 years. I am not even talking about all the new construction which may be unsold. I think a lot of people parked money in these developments because they have so much money, they don’t know what to do with it.. as it dries up these people may be forced to sell some things so they have liquid cash. There are condos in Myrtle Beach and Samana where the monthly
HOA is 750 to $1000 per month.
I think the US condo market is in trouble because the numbers just don’t add up and there is an excess supply of condos on the Airbnb market. Once they start to get assessment of $100,000 or $500,000 for improvements,(which is happening) these condos will hit the market.
I think the DR will benefit because you could buy a condo that is fairly new construction for half the price and half the HOA. Having said all that, no matter how good the US economy is under Trump, I think the condo market will be fairly stagnant and you will not be doubling your money over the next five years.
 
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banzai

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I believe the days of the USA buying allegiance (USAID) are a thing of the past. The bureaucracy of administering the program costs more than the amount they are trying to give away.
Google what it costs to keep just one diplomat and family overseas. And, it's dangerous. Much more efficient to use an Envoy.
 
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chico bill

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Agreed , but helping developing countries to the next level provides a bigger market for American goods and goodwill, which can be important. All aid should have conditions attached to it. Funding abortion in Africa and forcing Gender crap on other countries is not aid.
Nor condoms to Hamas in Gaza. From the videos it sure doesn't look like they know how to use them
 

windeguy

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Before these four years are over, you will see a lot of boats and condos up for sale in the DR, US and many other places.
What does that have to do with USAID going away? Are people paying their condo association fees with USAID money in the DR and now they cannot afford to?
 

windeguy

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Yep! Canadians are leaving Florida in droves and not because of Trump. Mainly because of skyrocketing condo fees and the lowest US-Canadian exchange rate since 2003.
The condo fees are going infinite in Florideath because of Fl state regulations on construction requirements where rebuilding is needed to agree with new building codes, and sky high property insurance because of hurricanes. That screws everyone owning condos, not just the FOREX challenged Canadians which have the cheap Loonie as well.

Nothing like that happening in the DR. Not at all similar to what we have here.

It will probably happen in the DR. New villas and condos in the DR popping up everywhere and prices aren’t cheap. Playa Dorada is busting at the seams with new high rise condos and resorts converted to condos. Something has got to give. Maybe Abinader knows something we don’t? If the US largess dries up, a lot of countries in the Caribbean will be affected. Shades of 2008 crash.
I doubt very much the same thing applies to the DR. People from the USA are finding prices in the 200K to 3 Million range just fine and dandy here in Cabarete.
As more reach retirement age in the USA, more are buying in the DR, at least on the north coast and I hear Punta Cana is way more overdeveloped and getting worse every day in every way with too much development and more traffic. Way more people from the USA as a percentage than when I arrived decades ago. Tourism is way down and expats way up... The limiting factors are water and power, and the two suppliers of those essential ingredients have imbeciles running them.
 

windeguy

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It has been described that any USAID money just goes into the General Fund of the DR. The DR got a whopping 32 million USD in USAID in 2023 when the GDP was 123 Billion USD. https://tradingeconomics.com/dominican-republic/gdp

How would that 30 million USD from USAID remotely create people with piles of money from USAID money who are buying up condos?
Leo is selling condos on Cabarete beach at 3 million USD for the penthouses. I guess if all that USAID money went into his condos

YOU COULD BUY 10 of them!! Wow ...


I see very little impact on the DR with USAID going away.

I have a friend with two properties in NY State. Between his lake house and his city house he pays over $30,000 USD in property taxes.
That is enough to drive many out of the USA when they retire. To a place like the DR, In a condo just outside my front door ... :devilish:
 

IslandCabby

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USAID money has multiple uses. Public face of it is hearts and minds (what everyone calls "foreign aid"), the other uses are specifically for financing politicians, power players and other entities to lubricate the way for whatever you've been tasked with accomplishing. None if it is actually for the benefit of whatever country is receiving it, it's for whoever's behind spending it. Someone referred to it as a slush fund, and they're right. I believe that what is actually being done is an attempt to neuter the State Department along with any others that have the ability to countermand/go around the Executive or gather intel that can then be used to hold the members of an administration accountable in the future. It's like clearing out the Dominican Military and Police Intelligence and getting rid of their off-the-books or legitimate funds, not so you can stamp out corruption but so that your corruption can then proceed unchecked. Yes, USAID has been used to accomplish some, at best, shady undertakings, but by and for the same people now attacking it. It's sort of a "I wanted you around to use against others. I now realize that you can be used in much the same way against me," kind of situation.
 

CristoRey

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USAID money has multiple uses. Public face of it is hearts and minds (what everyone calls "foreign aid"), the other uses are specifically for financing politicians, power players and other entities to lubricate the way for whatever you've been tasked with accomplishing. None if it is actually for the benefit of whatever country is receiving it, it's for whoever's behind spending it. Someone referred to it as a slush fund, and they're right. I believe that what is actually being done is an attempt to neuter the State Department along with any others that have the ability to countermand/go around the Executive or gather intel that can then be used to hold the members of an administration accountable in the future. It's like clearing out the Dominican Military and Police Intelligence and getting rid of their off-the-books or legitimate funds, not so you can stamp out corruption but so that your corruption can then proceed unchecked. Yes, USAID has been used to accomplish some, at best, shady undertakings, but by and for the same people now attacking it. It's sort of a "I wanted you around to use against others. I now realize that you can be used in much the same way against me," kind of situation.
USAID has fueld far more problems around the world then it ever fixed.

Thank God their is someone in control who wants to put a stop to their unchecked spending. Remember this is only a pause. No doubt the legit programs operating in good faith will be able to continue doing so in the future.