Why curtail corruption??

Pavan

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Jan 18, 2002
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The beauty and the charm of the Dominican lies in the way things happen and are made to happen.

If for example you could not bribe a cop to let you off for speeding, or a aduana guy to let you and your 16 boxes of luggage for ten dollars. You would be virtually be in a country like the US.

The Dominican does have beautiful beaches, rivers etc but so does US.

The beauty and the beast of DR which virtually attach everyone to the island is because of the way it is.

I wish it does not change and become another Puerto Rico and I dream of it going back to those 1990 - 1994 years.

Let corruption live I would say.
 

Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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Well while it may be good for a few it is very bad for the many.


For me it would be good once I had it figured out. For the country as a whole it will never advance and become better for the people.

People ask for better education, better social security, better healthcare. This won't happen if coruption remains in my opinion. The country will just wallow in its own swill and only attract a lower class of people.

Just of course my opinion.

Regards
 

Andy B

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Jan 1, 2002
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missing_dr,
With a statement of allowing corruption to continue is a good indicator that you (and many others on this board who wear rose-colored glasses) have no idea of the reality of living and doing business in the DR. Although there are some benefits to living here, the negatives still outweigh the positives. Many investors are like myself: living for the day we can sell our investments at a tidy profit,...and then relocate to a saner environment, at least one that has a defined set of rules and regulations.

Unfortunately this doesn't happen that often as many investors, especially the smaller ones, just can't continue to handle the cancer that has permeated this country and then they give up and sell at a loss.
 

Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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Jim, if you are asking me why I want to fix the country, I have to say that I have no desire nor the capability to do any fixing. I have no angle but like Andy B said it wont attract investment and the growth that would come with it without losing the corruption and greed. When and if I live there full time it will be on the back of interest earned from my success in another country. I certainly would NOT go into business there without having me head examined and then a frontal labotomy. Way too much unpredictablilty for me. I go to the horse track or casino to bet my money not my business.

Regards
 
Apr 26, 2002
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Efficient Corruption

I'm going to provide a limited endorsement of Missing's posting.

Those who rant and rave against corruption are like those moralist crazies in the US who insist on "winning" the "war on drugs". It can't be won. The drug trade is too engrained and lucrative. Even law enforcement relies on it for their jobs. And the war on drugs punitively and misguidedly makes "putting drug fiends in jail" its prime goal instead of reducing drug use. The whole thing is such a giant waste of breath (not to mention money).

And so it goes for "ending corruption". Because it's impossible it can only be called a misdirected goal. And policies designed to achieve that end will necessarily fail.

There are other threads about how engrained corruption is in the DR. This will always be the case. But I have written in those threads how there are two types of corruption: "efficient corruption" and "inefficient corruption".

Andy B. and Jazzcom mention the impact that corruption has on foreign investment and formentation of business. In the DR, the current situation is horrible. That's because the DR suffers from the same kind of inefficient corruption that was in place when Balaguer ruled. By inefficient, I mean that it is (i) not predictable and (ii) does not even seek as an end goal economic development. Rather, the goals appears to be for the people in power to steal as much as possible before getting kicked out.

A friend of mine lived in Taiwan for many years. Taiwan is thoroughly corrupt. Practically every government official has his hand out. But the corruption is completely predictable and, therefore, every businessman can accurately build-in the price of bribes into his economic model.

And, perhaps more importantly, once you have properly paid off the government officials, the government official actually does his job.

I have also cited the difference between the "efficient corruption" of Chicago versus the "inefficient corruption" of Philadelphia in the US. Both cities are known for corruption, but Chicago is known as a place where things get done, albeit through corruption, while Philadelphia is considered a most difficult place to get anything done (also because of corruption). The difference shows in the greatly varied job growth of the two cities (Chicago excels).

So the proper policy of the DR government should be to focus on reducing inefficient corruption, or that corruption that actually stands as an impediment to economic growth. Other corruption need not be addressed at all but rather can be accepted as a cultural trait.

I thought that the Fernandez administration understood this and took steps in the right direction. They seemed to have as their goal not just lining their own pockets, but also economic growth for the country. Perhaps they stood to personally gain from economic growth, but so would everyone else.

The current goons can't misappropriate fast enough. In fact, you would swear that their only policy is to promote misappropriation.
 

Jim Hinsch

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Jan 1, 2002
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Keep in mind Hipo is growing the country. The media seems hell bent on exposing every politico with their hand in the coffer and goes as far as to criticize where individual monies have gone without evidence in order to get the politicos to make public statements. This is not good for anybody. I don't hear them touting all the great projects that are being finished, are in the works, or planned.

All I hear about is over spending, over borrowing, and missing funds. I hear about "giving in" to the electrical distributors, misuse of the military, predictions of economic disaster, ... Who's running the country, the media or the elected? Corruption? I have seen zero evidence that this group is any more corrupt than the prior, unless you call keeping political promises by expanding government and giving members favors and jobs to be corruption. It may not be efficient, but from what I can see, Hipolito doesn't stand up for any horse play, isn't intimidated by the media, sticks to his guns, and changes course when new information dictates it prudent to do so.

No, he isn't a rocket scientist. He doesn't have to be. He's a leader. I don't like him as much as I liked Fernandez, but the guy has my respect and he for sure, is improving all the time. He had an enormous learning curve and it was a deep transition from get elected antics to shaping things up.

One man cannot do it all. He may be a bit quick at the draw but when he screws up, he fixes it instead of making endless excuses, no? If anything, he needs a better group of advisors and administrators under his belt and needs to get away from personally making decisions outside his area of expertise when his advisors fail him.

All he needs is a vision and I can see that is developing. I just wish he would market it a bit better so people could see what he's really up to because if you read between the lines like most of the international analysts do, he's done rather well considering the economic times and having come from a background not very conducive to leading Latin America's star performing nation.

Like Prof said, you don't just crack the whip. People don't respond well to that. He takes the two step forward, one step back approach but he's not taking the country down, he's still moving forward.

He's working on the problem of roads, traffic, crime, schools, social security, health, electricity and water. Those are tough and highly political issues. You've got to give him credit for aggressive addressing of these problems, even if the outcomes are not yet ideal. Nothing is final yet. Let him walk before he runs.

Those that want to take and run are incredibly short sighted. Take $10 now, or take a dime every day for many years to come. The politicos are in politics for wealth and power. I have no problem with that. Nobody is in it for the people. Not in the USA, not in the DR.

Now that we've got that out of the way, there is money up the nose to be made through real growth, foreign investment, infrastructure projects, and developing the nation. Oh my God, if they could only imaging the potential tax revenues they are missing out on and being heroes all at the same time instead of having to duck, run, and hide after their party is replaced. Or maybe not. All I've got to go by is the media, and they don't seem to be on his side.

Regarding Andy's comments about it being tough to do business in the current climate, it really depends on what business you are in. There are businesses that flourish when controls are unpredictable. I bet the construction contracting business is doing quite well these days. It looks like the electrical distribution business is mopping up in this environment. Banking seems to be expanding. And do you hear the latest? The judges are going to the jails if that's what it takes to get people's cases heard. Bravo!

Andy, it seems you are complaining about lack of consistent enforcement or observance of the law. Hasn't it always been this way? This is nothing new, so if you can't make a profit operating your business and can't sell it for a tidy profit, then I guess you paid too much and are in the wrong business. I thought you said you had political connections in high places. That should at least protect you and yours and as far as potential buyers go, nothing has changed. You didn't really think corruption would end just like that did you? I knew it wouldn't last. Isn't the old saying in the DR, the more things change, the more they stay the same, if you don't like it today, come back tomorrow?

I think too many people are comparing now to the few short years when corruption at the lowest level really waned and making big picture statements based on it. Can't do that. It's not indicative of the big picture.

And Prof, Bravo on using the analogy between the war on corruption and the war on drugs. There are bigger fish to fry right now. First law, then order. Fix the lights and the roads, handle fuel and taxes, then worry about the low level authorities with their hands out and how many jeepetas are being bought with side money. I have a bad feeling for anybody on the take that isn't part of the really good buddy system. If Hipo doesn't get them, the next admin will.

By the way, the war on drugs is severely misguided and is a being used as an excuse to lock up undesirable people. Very good insight, that's exactly what the laws were originally drafted to do. Seriously, they were never about the drugs themselves. That was the public angle. They have always found a way to keep the riff-raff under the dirt. They start getting all loud with ignorant statements and hoopla, stirring up trouble, well, they want justice? Here, take some justice.

Why do you think they recently passed the 100-to-1 law in the USA? That's the federal law that says the penalty for possession of the crack form of cocaine will be punishable by the same penalty currently in place for 100 times the same amount of the hydrochloride form (snort form), and now the only drug that carries a mandatory jail sentence for possessing a small amount. At the time this law was passed (late 80's), crack was almost exclusively found in the poor black and Hispanic ghettos. Pharmacologically identical drugs with two widely disparate penalties almost universally applied along racial lines.

Jim Hinsch
JimHinsch at CSI.COM
 
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scaramooch

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Oct 1, 2002
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I agree with you that power and greed among other human traits are ingrained in the human species, but Andy is talking about a country that is not condusive for a small busines, as you stated on another post, where the powers that be will not let you succeed with out them having their cut, or they will put you of of business one way or the other, since you are an expert on Boca Chica you know very well that all those bar that have ten or fifteen so call waitresses with a carnet on their lapel posing as waitresess when they only have 6 tables on the side walk, you know dam well that's a lure to get guys inside to drink beside been a den of hookers and they pay the cops very well for that. Also I know bars even in Bateys where the cops on a regular basis go to the barto ask for money from the owners because it looks fairly full and they want their cut, I asked one guy who is a freind of mine what would happen if he told them to take a flying f........ He told me that they would come into the place to harrass the customers on the pretence that they are looking for wanted persons and also accusing him of having customers underage and any other bullshit they can think of, so he has no choice. So you see every cat house in the DR are operating under the auspice of the police including those hookers in Boca Chica that walk up and down the drag, the ones that have not paid up you see them running when the cops are making their rounds, even a guy on a street corner selling coco frio there will be a cop there getting his free. There is not a bussiness there that's exempt from the "mordida".
 

Jon

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Aug 8, 2002
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Jim Hinsch said:
Keep in mind Hipo is growing the country. The media seems hell bent on exposing every politico with their hand in the coffer and goes as far as to criticize where individual monies have gone without evidence in order to get the politicos to make public statements. This is not good for anybody. I don't hear them touting all the great projects that are being finished, are in the works, or planned.

All I hear about is over spending, over borrowing, and missing funds. I hear about "giving in" to the electrical distributors, misuse of the military, predictions of economic disaster, ... Who's running the country, the media or the elected? Corruption? I have seen zero evidence that this group is any more corrupt than the prior, unless you call keeping political promises by expanding government and giving members favors and jobs to be corruption. It may not be efficient, but from what I can see, Hipolito doesn't stand up for any horse play, isn't intimidated by the media, sticks to his guns, and changes course when new information dictates it prudent to do so.

No, he isn't a rocket scientist. He doesn't have to be. He's a leader. I don't like him as much as I liked Fernandez, but the guy has my respect and he for sure, is improving all the time. He had an enormous learning curve and it was a deep transition from get elected antics to shaping things up.

One man cannot do it all. He may be a bit quick at the draw but when he screws up, he fixes it instead of making endless excuses, no? If anything, he needs a better group of advisors and administrators under his belt and needs to get away from personally making decisions outside his area of expertise when his advisors fail him.

All he needs is a vision and I can see that is developing. I just wish he would market it a bit better so people could see what he's really up to because if you read between the lines like most of the international analysts do, he's done rather well considering the economic times and having come from a background not very conducive to leading Latin America's star performing nation.

Like Prof said, you don't just crack the whip. People don't respond well to that. He takes the two step forward, one step back approach but he's not taking the country down, he's still moving forward.

He's working on the problem of roads, traffic, crime, schools, social security, health, electricity and water. Those are tough and highly political issues. You've got to give him credit for aggressive addressing of these problems, even if the outcomes are not yet ideal. Nothing is final yet. Let him walk before he runs.

Those that want to take and run are incredibly short sighted. Take $10 now, or take a dime every day for many years to come. The politicos are in politics for wealth and power. I have no problem with that. Nobody is in it for the people. Not in the USA, not in the DR.

Wow! All I can say is that love is blind.
 

Jim Hinsch

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scaramooch said:
I agree with you that power and greed among other human traits are ingrained in the human species, but Andy is talking about a country that is not condusive for a small busines, as you stated on another post, where the powers that be will not let you succeed with out them having their cut, or they will put you of of business one way or the other, since you are an expert on Boca Chica you know very well that all those bar that have ten or fifteen so call waitresses with a carnet on their lapel posing as waitresess when they only have 6 tables on the side walk, you know dam well that's a lure to get guys inside to drink beside been a den of hookers and they pay the cops very well for that. Also I know bars even in Bateys where the cops on a regular basis go to the barto ask for money from the owners because it looks fairly full and they want their cut, I asked one guy who is a freind of mine what would happen if he told them to take a flying f........ He told me that they would come into the place to harrass the customers on the pretence that they are looking for wanted persons and also accusing him of having customers underage and any other bullshit they can think of, so he has no choice. So you see every cat house in the DR are operating under the auspice of the police including those hookers in Boca Chica that walk up and down the drag, the ones that have not paid up you see them running when the cops are making their rounds, even a guy on a street corner selling coco frio there will be a cop there getting his free. There is not a bussiness there that's exempt from the "mordida".

Bars with 15 waitresses? You speak of Boca Chica of the past. It hasn't been that way for quite some time. There are no longer bars with so many waitressess, and when there were, it was the girls that solicited the owners, not the other way around. The bar owners allowed it because it was good for business and because it didn't cost them anything, as the girls work for tips and to be able to safely mingle with the tourists. If they prostitute, like any other girl, Dominican or otherwise, that's her business, not the bars', not the cops. It is legal and most of the patrons don't have a problem with it. They make good eye candy. Same with the sankies.

They are otherwise subject to random arrest. The arrests aren't for anything in particular as they are never charged with a crime. It is just your typical shakedown. Prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic, operating a place of prostitution is not. If anybody was to be arrested (legitimately, and charged with a crime), it would be the owners, and that has happened on occasion. There are no cat houses in Boca Chica.

You are exagerating on the number of waitresses and tables, but at times, you used to see a lot of waitresses, but most of them are not working, they just display their id so they don't get arrested. They either used to work there, or it is their night off and they are hanging out like everybody else.

Hookers in the street? There used to be, many years ago. There are zero hookers in the street in Boca Chica at night. ZERO. Unless you define every Domincian girl as a hooker. I don't. That doesn't mean they can't be bought. It all depends on who, how much, etc. Sure, they'd love to hook up with a nice looking wealthy gringo or gringa, and their sights don't end with pesos, they want marriage and babies and a visa. This is how it is at pretty much all the tourist towns in the DR.

In Boca Chica these days, there is a constant uniformed police presence. Constant. They are stationed in the street these days, as the street is blocked off at both ends to traffic and the tables are set in the streets and there is a block party atmosphere.

In certian bars, at certain times of the night, one can get lucky for sure but you need to go to Santo Domingo to get girls off the street these days. Again, unless you call any Dominicana out for the nightlife, by assumption, a hooker. As Chris pointed out, Dominicanas from all walks of life practice the trade in one way or another, as do American girls, albeit their approach and prize and name for the occupation is changed.

We covered that in a recent thread. You wouldn't describe the street as full of dancers, but I bet 99% do dance, or bean eaters, even though most eat beans, or gold diggers, even though many are, or low-lifes, even though many are, why choose to describe the people as hookers. By that notion, all the men out at night are johns or sankies.

My businesses (including Boca Chica) have never paid a mordida, nor have I ever been asked to pay one. It all depends on what your business is, who you know, and how prominent you are. I can tell you Ronny of Ronny's bar stood for at least 10 years and he never paid a mordida. He had friends in high places. Same with portofino's, one of the mainstays of Calle Duarte. Darren does not pay mordidas. Of course he also has connections.

Remember, it isn't wise for a foreigner to operate a prominent business in the DR without being well connected.
 

scaramooch

Dumb as a box of rocks!
Oct 1, 2002
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Jim I was there last year, have thing changed that drastic. There is a bar on the drag runned by some germans, I forgot the name of the bar, but there is a lot of girls that hang around the bar and some of them even work there or pretend they work there, and the room are uptairs right next to the bar, and the chicks ply their trade there, I know because I sat out side on the table having a few drinks and notice the traffic and what was going on, and I didn't insinuate that every gal walking around Boca Chica is a hooker, or every business have hookers working there. There are some that walk the drag up and down looking very innocent and discreet when in fact their roaming ayes and body langauge gives them away, let me say to you that I am a product of the streets NYC to be exact, and I can tell a duck when I see one. I didn't say tha Boca Chica has any cat houses, but if you go to San Pedro ask any motoconcho to take you La casa Amarilla where there are at least 15 to twenty hookers at any giving night, a couple of miles from Juan Dolio right on the hyway there is a joint called the Pink Lady there are at least a half a dozen women working there I don't know if is still operating, last I heard a couple of Italian Mafiosos was running the place, also tell the concho driver to take you to the 3 1/2 in San Pedro or to Fellas place, this places been there for years, you stated that prostitution was legal in the DR but running a place of prostitution was not, now do you think this places are there with out the cops knowing about ? Also you said that, it isn't wise for a foreigner to operate a prominent business in the DR with out being well connected. Thats very true , but does that connection comes free? Isn't a little gratuity in appreciation passes hand once in a while? By the way my freind decide to give his gratuity to the higher ups since then those cops on the beat don't harrass him any more, from then on he tells his customers that he is well "connected".
 

Andy B

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Jan 1, 2002
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Regarding Hippo and his gang of thugs: Jim, it seems to me that you're wearing the rosiest-colored glasses of all. Your paeon to all that is wonderful with this current government sounds suspiciously like the kind of impression that someone who doesn't live here and experience the day-to-day life would percieve. You're only getting part of the picture. And yes, the big money businesses are doing well- after all they are the ones providing the most payoffs. A good example of this was cited on this forum several months ago when it was pointed out that the communication ministry had a 96 page supplement regarding their radio/tv station application rules published in the Listin Diario. Being that the general reading public doesn't usually apply for station licenses, it sorta' becomes obvious that this was a payoff to the publisher, a payoff to a friend and big financial supporter of Hippo. I use this as an example as it is one that many people are familiar with, rather than all the little payoffs that occur daily at the local level. And if I were to try and include the cost of those payoffs in my products (rooms, meals, internet advertising), I'd price myself right out of the market.

I don't want to get into a debate regarding your position, but I can assure you that while there may be more uniformed police on the streets, they've got their hands out worse than ever while providing even less law enforcement than before, if that was possible. And I seriously doubt your assesment of Boca Chica as just too many people have reported otherwise.

So much of the $500 million dollar bond issue disappeared behind blue smoke and mirrors that many projects just came to a stop or were never started. The highway between Samana and Las Galeras was one. For over two years parts of it have been torn up with all work halted. The potholes continue to grow and ocasionally a government truck will throw some caliche (marl) in them. What's been finished to date: a 1/4 mile stretch going up the mountain just east of Samana harbor and that was under construction during the last administration. Hippo may be getting things done, but other than some roadwork, none of the important issues addressing this particular province have been accomplished other than more hands out for daily greasing.

And life in the DR goes on.
 

Jim Hinsch

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Here we go again. Andy, haven't you learned not to speak of that which you don't know by now?

Andy, you're out in the stix and just shown that you're also out of touch. Samana's reality is not the D.R. as a whole. Samana has been missing out over and over again. It just isn't quite connected with the major tourism routes yet. It's too remote. And when it is no longer remote, it will lose the one of the only draws it has - it is remote!

You can't possibly know the state of the various projects that the current government has in the works, let alone whether money is disappearing or not. You know only what everybody else knows, and that's what the media reports, what the international analysts say, and what the government reports. How many times has the media spoken, only to eat crow the next week. Sometimes they do it just to invoke a response when they feel they government is not cooperating with making information public. To know more you'd have to be working for the administration. An occassional visit to Santo Domingo doesn't cut muster (or "mustard" as Mondongo says :) ). The only small businesses I see that fall victim to constant corruption and hand-outs by the local authorities are the gringo owned businesses. A Dominican knows how to navigate these waters.

I'm sorry your sector is failing. What did you expect. I said more than a year ago, the big areas that are being developed are Punta Cana and Boca Chica. Not Samana. There had to be a winner!

Why would you, Andy the well connected, be making random payoffs to the local authorities. I guess you aren't so well connected after all.

Most of the major infrastructre projects in the plan were announced within the last 6-18 months. Of course the projects aren't finished or in many cases not even started. Rome was not built in a day. You may not even see the results by the end of this term.

Any gringo who has had a sucessful and prominent business for any good length of time knows better and doesn't pay the local beat cops. You go right to the top, make your favors or whatever your connection is, and the beat cops stay away. You start paying the cops on the beat and it will get worse and never end. Plus, the local cops transfer around so often that you'e always be starting over.

Now, if you want to do the local beat cops an occassional favor, that's different, but if the little authorities are shaking you down, your connections stink.

The common report on Boca Chica has been as I described it, not the way you or Scaramooch defined it. After all, who knows Boca Chica better than I? Only you and maybe one or two others that haven't even been to Boca Chica in years give the conflicing report. Robert himself gets down there quite often and if you check the archives, he more than once has confirmed what I say. The town is not like before. That's good and bad depending on what dars

The beat cops in Boca Chica don't even touch the local businesses down they. These are Turismo cops. They are polished, spit-shined shoes, and they are friendly but professional. They make arrests when their boss tells them to and they aren't going up and down the street shaking down the businesses. Those that pay, pay at the top, not to the cops walking the beat. The are relegated to collecting from your occassional tigre, sankie, or prostitute and that's about it.

I tell you, the police presence with uniformed beat cops has done wonders for killing crime. Pick pocketing in the street is gone. Phantom robberies by way of "visitor" motochonchos are gone. It is really rather pretty at night and I can even recommend now that families stroll Boca Chica early in the evening. It is quite charming these days. It sucks for whore-mongering.

Of course its killing the kind of tourism and nightlife it was once known for as well because much of the local scene has moved out and that was a major part of the draw. So if you are looking for hottie Dominicanas, in abundance with the mindset of "go with tourist", look to Santo Domingo, not Boca Chica.

Things are quieter these days but then again, Boca Chica is transforming and the travel industry has taken a big hit world wide. But Boca Chica's face lift continues and new construction is still happening all around you. It is undergoing a major face lift right now, as it has been ever since Hurricane George. When they finally get those new antique street poles plugged in, it's going to take on a very quaint atmosphere. A lot of the business are keeping their Christmas lights on year round.

You have no way of knowing why a particular project was stopped and certainly have no basis to imply that the projects stopped because officials stole all the money.

That road from Boca Chica to La Romana sure is nice. Those renovations at the Santo Domingo airport are fabulous. The improvements in and around Boca Chica are peachy. I see the results all around me.

I've never been asked for a mordida from a cop, although I did offer one when I got pulled over on a motorcycle and didn't have any ID or papers for the cycle with me. The cop just kept asking about what the police in NYC were like. I got the message, he got un regalito, we both smiled.

Some of us know how to cut a path, some of us don't. Golo, AZB, Chris, those guys don't seem to be having a problem. Robert, Pib, Hillbilly, myself, and a few others don't seem to be having a problem getting things done or complaining about the mordida system killing their life and business. It's part of the culture. It's the stand-alone gringos that get taken for a ride.

In this country you either keep out of sight, or make friends. The average small business does not have the problem you do. The foreign owned ones, yes, if they are not well connected, but it's as I stated, a foreigner needs to be well connected to run a prominent business under the nose of the local Dominicans.

Connections. Sometimes they come free, sometimes not. It just depends on the nature of your connections.

Too bad your part of the country is being neglected but somebody had to win. Long Live Boca Chica. I reported here two years ago that it was being positioned for renovation and will be the up and coming start, second only to Punta Cana. I was right on the money. And this is just the beginning.
 

Andy B

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I'm glad to hear that Boca Chica is now a wholesome, family-oriented town (notice the tounge in my cheek). Also, Samana is growing and will soon become the 800# gorilla that will threaten other parts of the DR tourist scene. Hell, we even have our own Boca Chica- it's called Las Terrenas. Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, Nagua, Punta Cana and even the Juan Dolio-Boca Chica areas have fought long and hard to keep Samana from becomming a major tourist destination. We threaten them and rightly so as we ARE the nicest part of the DR, bar none. Our time is coming and seems to be finally here with the new highway and international airport well underway. New accommodations, including major resorts, are springing up all over the place. We're even adding a new deluxe, duplex apartment building and several rooms at my own hotel. The times are right in anticipation of the influx we will soon see.

The AILA airport in Santo Domingo is being renovated by a PRIVATE company-Aerodom. Get your facts straight. And many of the new highways, including the new Santo Domingo-Samana thruway, are also being built with private funds in exchange for toll rights. They are coming right along on schedule, not like the government projects that are mired in bureaucracy and corruption.

Not only do I NOT make payoffs, I am a little better connected than you may think. I'll bet you can't walk into the Governor's office and get a big smile, a hug and a kiss in that order! I have earned my respect in this province. My business is flourishing despite the travails many others are enduring. When I report about people with their hands out, it doesn't necessarily affect me but other businesses that in turn report these things to me in my weekly rounds of the peninsula. Some even stand up in official tourist and other business meetings and tell their stories. I just pass on what I've been told from reliable sources. And finally, a lot of my information comes right from the top, about as close to ole' Hippo as you can get without being in his lap, probably a little better connected than you may think. Enough said.
 

Jim Hinsch

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Jan 1, 2002
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Andy's quote from above: "allowing corruption to continue ...[has]...many investors ... like myself: living for the day we can sell our investments "

Andy's quote from above: "When I report about people with their hands out, it doesn't necessarily affect me "

You have zero credibility.

Now your political statements originate from as close to the president as possible without being in his .lap.

Zero credibility
.
All infrastucture projects are done by private companies. The government is not in the business of construction. If they are able to pay for the project with revenues generated by the project.

Zero credibility.
 
N

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Andy and Jim

Cut it out you two, your fighting is taking away from the monopoly I have with Bob Saunders and Mom C :)

Janice
 

mondongo

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Jan 1, 2002
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Can't a regular guy "cut [the] mustard" around here with a little privacy?....good one jazz...BTW selling your R.E. nowadays is not a bad idea...within the next year or two (or three), R.E. in the USA will at the very least plateau or even suffer some losses...

mondongo
"mustarding up the energy to write this post"
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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Time will tell...

I read the news, listen to the people and live it on a daily basis.

People are not happy, prominent businessmen that usually sit on the fence are speaking out, the media is covering lots of corruption and government related stories, opinions polls do not look good for the PRD, we are seeing an increase in strikes, small to medium sized businessmen are hurting etc etc.

Will the DR survive? Of course.
Is it still a good place to invest? If you know the waters, yes.
Has the feel good feeling with businesses that existed under Leonel still their? No.

I could go on and on...

I don't know about you, but that would lead me to believe that it's not as rosie as some might want to believe.

Time will tell...
 

Jim Hinsch

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Jan 1, 2002
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Things are not rosey, but they are better than they were (10 years ago). When Hipo took office, he made lots of mistakes. Like shutting down good projects and reallocating resources to the wrong places. But he has back peddaled.

Businesses are complaining about taxes.
Consumers are complaining about prices.
The entire western world is in an economic downturn.
We cannot blame Hipolito for that.

The media controls the opinion. As I said, Hipolito has not done a good job of marketing his vision. The anyalysts however differ. They have a rosy outlook and I agree. The masses are ignorant. What do they know. People are hurting from the economic downturn. Strikes and dissent are due to media and leader hype, and electrical blackouts. These same people STEAL electricity.

The media for the first time in an administration, has online access to the accounting. That accounts for the constant arm-chair administration and writing stories every time the editor disagrees with a decision or cannot get the govt. to provide an explanation.

Things are not rosy. We are in a downturn. The outlook is rosy. That's because of the planned boost in infrastructure and all the foreign mega projects coming this way. Remember, even with all the spending and borrowing, it was more than covered by the increase in revenue from the prior years' upturn, according the the analyst, and the budget is at least as in good a shape as it has been in the prior 5 years, actually better.

Hipo does not control oil prices, and that's the number one reason for inflation right now, not the borrowing. The borrowing for govt projects by they way, is a form of foreign investment. He is doing the right thing, borrowing to build. Fernandez did the same thing.
 
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