Eternal defender of Capitalism
The best thing a Dominican could do for the Dominican Republic is to invest in economic multipliers. For example, if a Dominican comes to the D.R. and builds a building that he then rents he has done far more than if he gave money to say, an event. The building has increased the net property value in the D.R. and CREATED wealth in the country as opposed to moving it around. Investing in the Bolsa de Valores and also in Dominican bank accounts helps as that makes capital available for domestic investment.
The concept of "giving back to the community" is an interesting one. It implies that one has extracted something from a community within the parameters of a social construct, creating a "social debt." Chew on this for a minute: Bill Gates sells you Microsoft Windows for roughly $100 bucks. In exchange for your $100 he gives you software which you agree is worth $100 otherwise you would not have paid the money. (Complaining doesnt count...you paid voluntarily) Now, in the strict sense, he has already given you and the community what he owes, namely the product you are paying for. He doesn't owe you anything additional by virtue of his having sold a bunch of product. If Sammy Sosa makes a zillion bucks, he owes only the people who pay him, unless he has entered into a contract with someone else (A patron as in the case of artists, for example.) They pay him to perform well in baseball.
Now, does he owe the community of San Pedro de Macor?s for his success? In unemotional terms, probably not, as he has not extracted any more from his community than anyone else. Hopefully he will do good works and embark upon charitable endeavors but the concept of "giving something back" implies debt. His social debt is equal to that of his countrymen, no more...UNLESS you say "to each according to his needs and from each according to his means." Now if you are willing to accept this premise, are you also willing to admit you are a Marxist? many of you will, but some of you will be uncomfortable with the label though that's what it means. "?tienes los cojones?"
AM I SAYING that people are not under a moral obligation to charity or to invest in their communities? Not at all. However "giving something" and "giving something back" are quite different concepts. Unless you were a recipient of charity during previous times, when you contribute, you are "giving" not "giving back" which if anything, is more noble not less, so please don't misunderstand my point.
