Diario Libre newspaper’s Adriano Miguel Tejada analyzes the crux of the country’s problems and reaches the conclusion that it is neither electricity nor the exchange rate. What the real problem is, according to Tejada, is the lack of respect for the principle of citizenship, which includes the concept of equality before the law. He mentions the common cases of high-ranking public or security officials who believe themselves and their families to be above the law, and the businesspeople who don’t feel obliged to pay their taxes. The legal system, he says, perpetuates these differences by doling out dissimilar treatment. Tejada compares the situation to the famous quote from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which says, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” Impunity is deep-rooted in this society, and this is what has created the current state of affairs in which many people are not paying for their electricity, which causes resentment among those who do. Drivers who have committed a traffic offence deny accusations from AMET officials, believing the sway of their official plates or political and economic connections, making the rest of us feel we should be able to do so as well. Far from defending lawbreakers, Tejada says that he wants is for everyone to be measured by the same yardstick, in the same way as in other countries in the world. “It is not as if Dominicans don’t respect the law or authority. They resent inequality before the law and the way some are treated compared to others. If you think I am dreaming, look at the way Dominicans behave when in other countries and see if their behavior is the same as here. Think about it and you will know the reason why.”