Medina's Literacy Campaign Has Started

[dv8]

bob, cccccc is not comparing this price to those in the USA, but simply stating how much it has gone up. and however you look at it 625 bucks per semester is a lot in a country where most make maybe 200 - 250 dollars a month...
and if you feel the need to compare: all education in poland is free and that includes universities. so even this "peanuts" of 625 dollars to ME - is a lot.

some basic literacy data, according to CIA
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html

 

[bob saunders]

bob, cccccc is not comparing this price to those in the USA, but simply stating how much it has gone up. and however you look at it 625 bucks per semester is a lot in a country where most make maybe 200 - 250 dollars a month...
and if you feel the need to compare: all education in poland is free and that includes universities. so even this "peanuts" of 625 dollars to ME - is a lot.

Nothing is free- somebody is paying taxes for someone else to have a " FREE " EDUCATION.

 

[Hillbilly]

I think my estimate was closer to 65%...but no matter, this is not a very literate country. Great place, but not literate.

HB

 

[Criss Colon]

BOB, Have you been studying "Medicine" with chip,Nals, and Pichardo???
You are sounding more & more like a "Dominican Spin Doctor"!
I'm not worried about my family, we DO have it "GOOD"!
The Dominican Poor, "Not-So-Much"!!!!!
My son in Boston, went to the Univ. Of Massachusetts and it didn't cost a dime.
And I'll wager he got a much higher quality of an education than my stepson is getting here.
Just ask "HB"!
I believe you are Canadian????
Why not tell us that things in Canada are worse than the DR???
I doubt that too.
Don't want to argue with you, you are an educated, rational person.
You just need to stop taking my critique of the DR so personal.
In case you haven't noticed, millions of Dominicanos suffer for lack of almost everything.
If you want, I'll post a Loooooooong List
Or, read the newspapers!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

 

[dv8]

Nothing is free- somebody is paying taxes for someone else to have a " FREE " EDUCATION.

bob, i am happy to pay taxes for that!

 

[the gorgon]

BOB, Have you been studying "Medicine" with chip,Nals, and Pichardo???
You are sounding more & more like a "Dominican Spin Doctor"!
I'm not worried about my family, we DO have it "GOOD"!
The Dominican Poor, "Not-So-Much"!!!!!
My son in Boston, went to the Univ. Of Massachusetts and it didn't cost a dime.
And I'll wager he got a much higher quality of an education than my stepson is getting here.
Just ask "HB"!
I believe you are Canadian????
Why not tell us that things in Canada are worse than the DR???
I doubt that too.
Don't want to argue with you, you are an educated, rational person.
You just need to stop taking my critique of the DR so personal.
In case you haven't noticed, millions of Dominicanos suffer for lack of almost everything.
If you want, I'll post a Loooooooong List
Or, read the newspapers!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

saunders and Chip are the self appointed fidei defensors of the Dominican Republic. criticize anything about this country, and you have to deal with them. maybe we have to personal message them with anything we intend to post, and get their permission first. NALS and PIICHARDO i can understand. these two mystify me.

 

[Criss Colon]

BOB, Have you been studying "Medicine" with chip,Nals, and Pichardo???
You are sounding more & more like a "Dominican Spin Doctor"!
I'm not worried about my family, we DO have it "GOOD"!
The Dominican Poor, "Not-So-Much"!!!!!
My son in Boston, went to the Univ. Of Massachusetts and it didn't cost a dime.
And I'll wager he got a much higher quality of an education than my stepson is getting here.
Just ask "HB"!
I believe you are Canadian????
Why not tell us that things in Canada are worse than the DR???
I doubt that too.
Don't want to argue with you, you are an educated, rational person.
You just need to stop taking my critique of the DR so personal.
In case you haven't noticed, millions of Dominicanos suffer for lack of almost everything.
If you want, I'll post a Loooooooong List
Or, read the newspapers!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Bob, using your argument that Nothing is free someone is paying taxes, why isn't education free in the DR?
They could use the huge taxes we pay to educate their children and young adults!
And not to buy "Yeepetas", Casas en La Playa, take trips to Miami, Rolex watches, etc., etc.
The money is here, it's just not being spent where it should be.
Shame On The Culture here!

 

[bob saunders]

BOB, Have you been studying "Medicine" with chip,Nals, and Pichardo???
You are sounding more & more like a "Dominican Spin Doctor"!
I'm not worried about my family, we DO have it "GOOD"!
The Dominican Poor, "Not-So-Much"!!!!!
My son in Boston, went to the Univ. Of Massachusetts and it didn't cost a dime.
And I'll wager he got a much higher quality of an education than my stepson is getting here.
Just ask "HB"!
I believe you are Canadian????
Why not tell us that things in Canada are worse than the DR???
I doubt that too.
Don't want to argue with you, you are an educated, rational person.
You just need to stop taking my critique of the DR so personal.
In case you haven't noticed, millions of Dominicanos suffer for lack of almost everything.
If you want, I'll post a Loooooooong List
Or, read the newspapers!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Would it not be more correct to say it didn't cost you a dime because DVA paid for it (taxpayers). I deal with poor Dominicans everyday, I know the reality of the DR. I know the good, bad, and the ugly. Sometimes you paint too broad a brush for me. For example those that are teaching the Literacy program are volunteers. They receive no pay.

 

[dv8]

my parents have very little education. primary school, to be precise. and even that well over half a century ago. but they always praised education as one of the most important things a person can do. and they are certainly proud that i have my degree and speak few languages.
and i only got that because it was FREE. and yes, damn you, i will shout it out: FREE. so what of taxes? one has to pay them anyways. at least with all the taxes my parents paid (and so did i, when i lived in PL) we had something in return. my family is poor. they would never be able to send me to school and pay for it. but with FREE education, they could sponsor my ass (with food and clothing) while i studied.

i pay god damn taxes (when i actually work) in DR. i paid my taxes in poland and in the UK before. and i had my return: in poland education and in the UK health service. tell me, bob, what the hell do i get here, for my taxes?

 

[bob saunders]

my parents have very little education. primary school, to be precise. and even that well over half a century ago. but they always praised education as one of the most important things a person can do. and they are certainly proud that i have my degree and speak few languages.
and i only got that because it was FREE. and yes, damn you, i will shout it out: FREE. so what of taxes? one has to pay them anyways. at least with all the taxes my parents paid (and so did i, when i lived in PL) we had something in return. my family is poor. they would never be able to send me to school and pay for it. but with FREE education, they could sponsor my ass (with food and clothing) while i studied.

i pay god damn taxes (when i actually work) in DR. i paid my taxes in poland and in the UK before. and i had my return: in poland education and in the UK health service. tell me, bob, what the hell do i get here, for my taxes?

Much as people bitch ABOUT THE TAXES HERE, UNTIL THIS LAST RAISE in taxes they were actually quite limited by first world standards.

 

[dv8]

bob, frankly speaking, f**k that, i am not bitching about PAYING taxes. i like paying taxes. just tell me, what the f**k do i get in return?
and that was a sad question, not an angry one. despite all f words...

 

[AlterEgo]

dv8 is right.

Dominicans never paid much of anything in taxes, and never got much of anything from the government. Now they do pay taxes - but still don't get much of anything from the government.

Taxation without representation....and all that....

 

[bob saunders]

bob, frankly speaking, f**k that, i am not bitching about PAYING taxes. i like paying taxes. just tell me, what the f**k do i get in return?
and that was a sad question, not an angry one. despite all f words...

Well, I've only been coming to the DR for about 16 years and in those 16 years I've seen improvement in the roads, hospitals, and believe it or not, education. I've also seen improvement in material possesions of many of the poor Dominicans I know. Lots of Dominicans with businesses started, university finished, careers started....etc. THERE are HUGE ISSUES WITH POVERTY, UNDER-EDUCATION, bad social- economic issues like abuse, drug use...etc, and the worse problem is corruption. I choose to be a glass half full person, not the glass half empty. It's too depressing to dwell on the negative. I'd rather do what I can to make positive changes, one small step at a time. I think even small gestures like praising a child for their school work or for using proper manner, putting garbage in the garbaage can...etc all make a difference.

 

[Criss Colon]

DR taxes have always been very high, just not income taxes!
EVERYTHING else has always been taxes.
Not to make this about me, but my son got a full academic ride, from the state of Mass.
He graduated tied with a Chinese kid for the "Prize" in economics.
The state made a great investment in him.
In the last 10 years, he has paid them much more in state income tax, than they paid for his education.
That's how it is supposed to work!
In the DR, I can't name a single thing Iget in return for my taxes,"NADA"!
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[the gorgon]

my parents have very little education. primary school, to be precise. and even that well over half a century ago. but they always praised education as one of the most important things a person can do. and they are certainly proud that i have my degree and speak few languages.
and i only got that because it was FREE. and yes, damn you, i will shout it out: FREE. so what of taxes? one has to pay them anyways. at least with all the taxes my parents paid (and so did i, when i lived in PL) we had something in return. my family is poor. they would never be able to send me to school and pay for it. but with FREE education, they could sponsor my ass (with food and clothing) while i studied.

i pay god damn taxes (when i actually work) in DR. i paid my taxes in poland and in the UK before. and i had my return: in poland education and in the UK health service. tell me, bob, what the hell do i get here, for my taxes?

you pay taxes even when you do not work. ITBIS is tax. all the taxes you pay on everything you consume is a tax. you pay taxes into the country, and out of it. it is not as though you are getting anything for free here.

 

[dv8]

thank you, gorgon, i have not thought of that. and i pay my road tax too, or whatever those stickers are called.

and miesposo pays taxes. actually, quite a lot of 'em. but what does he get? his education? private. health insurance? private. he's never gotten anything back from his government.

coming back to literacy. i wrote an email to my friends with my musings on quisqeya aprende contigo program. here's what one of them said: i am surprised they want to reduce illiteracy. it is much easier to rule over stupid people. but maybe they are looking to create a new matrix: suppress stupidity and religion and replace that with lenin's doctrine?

the lenin part got me laughing but the first part... really... why all of a sudden the illiterate became a thorn in danilo's side? from the point of view of the politician nothing good can come out of having educated citizens...

 

[PeterInBrat]

Nothing is free- somebody is paying taxes for someone else to have a " FREE " EDUCATION.

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.."

Aside from the direct impact of being able to make more money with a basic education(and pay more taxes into the system), there is also a very strong correlation between education and number of children. If they could keep the girls in school through high school instead of having a baby(or two) by , the benefit to the country's economy would be huge. Bad for the prostitution industry though..

 

[Redscot]

Believe it or not Danilo is attempting to make some inroads on some of the countries most pressing problems. Education and government fat. Anyone who knows the real deal here understands that this is swimming against a very strong current (government fat), and all you pessimists have reason. Still, you have to start somewhere, and this education plan will have success stories. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem period.....and a sh*t attitude indicates the latter. I assume all the critics here are registered in helping the literacy program. I am no shill, but I do work closely with a politician, and while there is a ways to go, loopholes are being closed. I have very tempered expectations, but in the least, guarded hope trumps defeatist/elitist observations from the mountaintop. Es simple, si no estas de acuerdo vete pa su pais! Lambones!

 

[pollogringo]

Believe it or not Danilo is attempting to make some inroads on some of the countries most pressing problems. Education and government fat. Anyone who knows the real deal here understands that this is swimming against a very strong current (government fat), and all you pessimists have reason. Still, you have to start somewhere, and this education plan will have success stories. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem period.....and a sh*t attitude indicates the latter. I assume all the critics here are registered in helping the literacy program. I am no shill, but I do work closely with a politician, and while there is a ways to go, loopholes are being closed. I have very tempered expectations, but in the least, guarded hope trumps defeatist/elitist observations from the mountaintop. Es simple, si no estas de acuerdo vete pa su pais! Lambones!

That's heartening. Keep up the positive work.

 

[dv8]

lambones? pardon, what is it that i am taking here from dominicans? breathing their air and drinking their water? coz right now i ain't even taking their jobs!

and gorgon plus bob: please, i know you guys dislike each other, but do not make any thread an argument between just the two of you, ok? this is not the time and place.

redscot, how do you register to be the part of the program? i have all sorts of free time and quite a lot of patience when it comes to teaching. but in order to teach adults to read and write one needs a lot more than that. this is not the same as lecturing fellow dr1ers on life philosophy