Poor vs Rich

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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1zbrr5t.jpg

yawn yawn yawn. the photo above from your original post looks nothing like the poor houses from my pic, sorry. those guys have basic, minimum wages jobs, cleaning, motoconching, waiting tables and whatnot. i don't care what they spend on transport, i'm talking about their salaries.
 

HUG

Silver
Feb 3, 2009
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Most women who work in the Banca are very local, like across the street from it. Yes the wages are very low, the woman who works in our corner Banca earns 4,500 per month. Most women who work in Banca still live with family, mum, sister, brother whatever, just because they have never been in a position to buy a sofa, a bed, cooker etc.

DV8s numbers are slightly high I'd say, typically. But it doesn't matter as these are not representative of poor or rich, like I said originally. Those buildings on the hill probably only rent out at RD8,000-10,000 per month.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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I see said the blind woman!

Never argue with a blind person, you will never see eye to eye.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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listen, you round down, i round up. i could just as well say that you are the one who is blind because there are plenty of dominicans who make million bucks a year and their DR is just as real as DR of those living on tarjeta solidaridad. there is no point in arguing, we will never arrive to the common ground. talk about being detached from reality.
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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listen, you round down, i round up. i could just as well say that you are the one who is blind because there are plenty of dominicans who make million bucks a year and their DR is just as real as DR of those living on tarjeta solidaridad. there is no point in arguing, we will never arrive to the common ground. talk about being detached from reality.
I'm currently on a trip through south America with 16 Dominican, 13 of whom are far richer than I.
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Most women who work in the Banca are very local, like across the street from it. Yes the wages are very low, the woman who works in our corner Banca earns 4,500 per month. Most women who work in Banca still live with family, mum, sister, brother whatever, just because they have never been in a position to buy a sofa, a bed, cooker etc.

DV8s numbers are slightly high I'd say, typically. But it doesn't matter as these are not representative of poor or rich, like I said originally. Those buildings on the hill probably only rent out at RD8,000-10,000 per month.

Banca wages- 4000-7000. Banco wages - 12-15,000 for cashiers.
 

HUG

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Feb 3, 2009
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Security camera? Security from incoming rpg? Certainly likes to see em coming!
 
May 29, 2006
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Mi esposa's sister and dad both rent out rooms in their casitas from 500-1000 pesos a month. We're moving out of our casita and renting it to her brother for $RD3000/month. There is a district here in Hig?ey called Los Rosadas(?) that is nicer than most suburbs in the US. Lots of HILUX SUVs and video cameras.

Lots of changes. People who grew up under thatched roofs living in block homes with AC and LG appliances now. They work hard to climb the property ladder around here.
 
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bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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None of them are the rich, apartment building are mostly for lower middle-class people and for las Queridas de los Ricos in the DR.

At least they are built on the Piantini, naco, vella Vista area of SD.

JJ
 

rfp

Gold
Jul 5, 2010
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I was looking for insightful socio economic commentary and saw a picture of ghettoized Dominicans looking down at even poorer folks.
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
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I take little stock from the "knows it all" folks that often have never been outside ex-pat areas
except in or on motorized vehicles. Visiting relatives, places with your Dominican partner/friend also does not count towards
"Seeing" the country. Boots on the ground solo else it's just rose colored glasses!

Makes two of us. I always chuckle when I read some of the things people post
regarding how poor people live down here. In some ways, I prefer poor Dominicans
over the wealthier ones. Its been my experience they are less materialistic and a lot
more genuine.
 
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May 29, 2006
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100 ft from our apt. The shanties are slowly being replaced. I suspect legal hassles are as much of problem as financing. There's a drainage ditch by the shanties the dump their chamber pots. Inside, they have a full sized fridge and TV.

[video=youtube_share;AGtN2j5Ph-w]https://youtu.be/AGtN2j5Ph-w[/video]
 

rfp

Gold
Jul 5, 2010
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I dont see rich at all. I see middle class income but with underclass education and values that would drive them to construct in an area surround by poor folks. They probably feel comfortable there and like being the man in the ghetto instead of improving their human condition by surrounding themselves with a better class of people.

As for the poor folks, they need to step their game up. It is 2016, this is not acceptable. There is obviously an addiction, substandard work ethic or poor family planning
 

irishpaddy

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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I dont see rich at all. I see middle class income but with underclass education and values that would drive them to construct in an area surround by poor folks. They probably feel comfortable there and like being the man in the ghetto instead of improving their human condition by surrounding themselves with a better class of people.

As for the poor folks, they need to step their game up. It is 2016, this is not acceptable. There is obviously an addiction, substandard work ethic or poor family planning

my next purchase of property ...is going to be right next to RFPs place ...who could ask for better
 

GringoRubio

Bronze
Oct 15, 2015
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I dont see rich at all. I see middle class income but with underclass education and values that would drive them to construct in an area surround by poor folks. They probably feel comfortable there and like being the man in the ghetto instead of improving their human condition by surrounding themselves with a better class of people.

Wow, seems a bit venomous.

I just walked to the gym and back. (closed, thank you).

The middle class neighborhoods were quiet, nicely kept. Occasionally, spiked with a casa that never got beyond the concrete block stage, but from what I can see, the people live clean and healthy lives. However, it's just sort of sterile. No life. Not even children.

I cross back in to the barrio and there is life. The colmado is rocking, food is cooking, children are playing, and vendors are peddling. There's plenty of examples of dilapidated housing, and I know people in that housing that are solid people that are struggling on meager earnings. When I get to my alley, I find the baby (I guess toddler, now) downstairs as made it out to the street. I pick her up and take her back to her mother. I'll need to look for a small fence for her. It's a community.

As for the poor folks, they need to step their game up. It is 2016, this is not acceptable. There is obviously an addiction, substandard work ethic or poor family planning

In my barrio, I know of one person that might fit into this category among the ~100 odd people i know, and she's making a huge effort to get her life back together.

Most the people fit into the underemployed category. They work. Some even work very hard, but there just isn't enough work that pays well enough to lift them out of poverty.

I know one guy that comes home from a construction job to push a wheel barrel around selling platanos. His take for 2 hours of extra work? 100 pesos.
 

rfp

Gold
Jul 5, 2010
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I was referring not to the simple, in progress cement structure but to the laminate shack at the end of the video. The guy peddling platano wouldn't live in that shack.

The barrio may have its charm but its not for me. I wonder why those with means still stay... Your post provides some insight.
 

GringoRubio

Bronze
Oct 15, 2015
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The guy peddling platano wouldn't live in that shack.

Many do. I don't know exactly where the platano guy lives, but there are a large number of clapboard, listing shacks in the barrio (a group of 4 recently sold for $10,000 USD) and it wouldn't surprise me if he and his family did. They are surprisingly comfortable during the day because of the inherent ventilation, they cool off fast after dusk, and they use fans at night to keep the mosquitoes at bay. The downside is that Zika ran through the neighborhood like wild fire with two deaths.

Incomes become diffuse when supporting an extended family. Only prostitutes can make sufficient money to start to break themselves out of poverty such as by funding reasonable education for their children, owning property, or anything more than a street/peddler business. Most of the families deal with some painful choices between medical care for their aging parents or trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Hunger stalks the neighborhood during days of rains as incomes are depressed. The children seem to grow up in communal setting and I know of only one that is/was malnourished.

I had the privilege of spending 45 minutes in a school recently. At the time, there were 5-8 year olds as they take the older kids in the afternoon. The families pay for the books, tuition, uniforms, notebooks, supplies, etc. I can only describe it as pandemonium. There was no learning going on. The diagrams on the walls were dusty and faded. It wasn't the first time that I visited the school, so I don't think it was a one off experience. If these kids learn to read, write, and do mathematics, it will be a miracle. The teachers are Christians and I'd say honest in their attempts, but there's limited resources and I'd say about half are sent to school without books, etc. And these are the lucky ones that actually get to go to school. I hear that other areas have public schools, so I'm a bit confused on why some do and some don't. I'd have to dig deeper.