Anibal de Castro, the Diario Libre’s executive editor, writes today on Page 2 of that newspaper about how the current government appears not to have a belt, and that it could be in danger of losing its pants or letting them fall so low that it verges on indecency. “Since the government never tightens its belt, in these times of crisis the conclusion is obvious,” he writes. In contrast, Dominican society is showing a belt with more holes on it than the streets of the poorest barrios, and one that is skimpier than that of a “megadiva” after leaving the hands of a plastic surgeon. He says that every measure is about “tightening the belt of the population.” De Castro mentions that belt-tightening for the government would mean establishing real austerity and a discontinuation of the practices that dip into the pockets of others and yet fill their own, such as the measure that obliged taxpayers to pay a fee to be weighed to get their drivers license. Some measures that could make a difference would include cutting the public payroll once and for all, without regard for whether re-election goes ahead or not. Others, says De Castro, would be to declare it a national priority to eliminate all non-governmental agencies of the Congress and order that official vehicles be used only for official work. Cutting the prolific military spending would also be a step in the right direction in his opinion. With these measures, the authorities would barely have to use a different notch in the governmental belt, but it would be a sign that, first, the pants are being held up and, second, that the example starts at home.
\nFor comments, write to acastro@diariolibre.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anibal de Castro, the Diario Libre’s executive editor, writes today on Page 2 of that newspaper about how the current government appears not to have a belt, and that it could be in danger of losing its pants or letting them fall so low that it verges on indecency. “Since the government never tightens its … <\/p>\n