Venezuelan ambassador in Minnesota
Minnesota Lulac List serve
What is happening in Latin America is very important to Latinos in the US and what happens in Venezuela is increasingly important to all of us in the US, not just Latinos.
I share Francisco's passion for improving the living conditions for people in Puerto Rico, where I'm from, and the rest of Latino America. I've traveled in the last few years, to Peru, El Salvador, Mexico, Belice, Argentina and Puerto Rico, and have been very disturbed by US policy towards Latino America. In my traveling I encounter an anti-Americanism and a level of crime and violence that seem to be deteriorating every day. And although many countries in Latin America seem to be improving their macro-economic statistics, the great majority in Latin Americans live in extreme poverty, we still see extreme inequality and most people who live in countries with economic growth are not seeing an improvement in their own standard of living. In my recent trip to El Salvador I saw the average monthly wage at $250 a month, and the average monthly needed household budget closer to $700 a month. I saw the same in Peru.
Chavez is a result of years of neglect by the Venezuelan oligarchy in solving the problems of the poor. It has failed to invest in schools, health care, infrastructure and other programs that could improve the standard of living of most Latin Americans. An incestuous relationship between an elite that control business monopolies and that kept corrupt governments in power, and corrupt governments that keep inefficient business monopolies in business have prevented the poor from starting and growing their own businesses, creating jobs and improving wages for most. This corrupt relationship between business elites and governments in Latin America, have created the horrible inequality we see today since days of the Spanish conquest.
It is this corruption and neglect of the poor that created Chavez. Yet history proves over and over again that Chavez strategy for fighting poverty and improving the conditions for most Venezuelans will fail miserably. Specially for the poor and most vulnerable. Nationalizing industry, the extreme dependency on oil prices that will eventually fall, closing media, intimidating political opposition and following an economy where the government controls and dictates everything, failed in Nicaragua in the eighties and in Cuba in the past fifty years. It will also fail in Bolivia where the Cocaleros and unions keep violently protesting against Morales, just like they did when the oligarchy was in power.
Yes Cubans have a better health care system and educational system than many in Latin America. Yes the US embargo of Cuba is ridiculous and outdated and does a lot to damage Cubas poor. But most Cubans are poor with no chance of ever getting out of poverty because of an outdated and inefficient government controled economy. They lack independent media, elections and human rights the same way Chileans did under Pinochet. Most Cubans that can leave Cuba, leave, just like our Mexican brothers and sisters. Not the rich ones, since the only rich in Cuba are in the government. Poor Cubans leave. The big difference is poor Mexicans are allowed to leave Mexico. Poor Cubans are not. They have no right to start a business, grow it and no incentive to create and innovate.
Of course the right wing governments of Nicaragua after the first Sandinista failure, and in other Latin American countries have failed miserably also. That's why the Sandinistas and Daniel Ortega are in Power again.
Chavez might have the best of intentions. He was democratically elected in clean and fair elections. But lets remember that the first time he tried to get into power was through an attempted bloody military coup. And his obsession with imitating Cuba, befriending Iran, attempting to shut off opposition, nationalize the economy, attempting to get himself elected to a twenty year term, and his lack of concrete results are going to destroy Venezuela. His imperialistic efforts to control other Latin American countries are also disturbing.
I have much more faith in the Social Democrat Presidents Alan Garcia of Peru, Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Lula da Silva of Brazil to make the changes needed in Latin America. Latin America needs low inflation, foreign investment, economic growth, international free and fair trade and fiscal stability to reduce poverty. But that's not enough. It needs and educational system that allows for equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of economic status or race. It needs good health care for all. It needs anti-monopolistic policies. It needs a system that will allow Latin American entrepreneurship to flourish. It needs labor rights and free independent unions that have the ability to organize. It needs governments that will protect the environment.
It needs a United States government that will focus in Latin America as much as it focuses in the middle East. The Us needs to encourage free and fair trade, labor rights and enviromental standards need to be protected. It needs to invest in organizations that will help improve the lives of most Latin Americans. The Us needs to stop an international foreign policy creates more anti-americanism
The ultimate solution to the immigration problem in the US is the improvement of peoples lives in Latin America.
What is happening in Latin America is very important to Latinos in the US and what happens in Venezuela is increasingly important to all of us in the US, not just Latinos.
I share Francisco's passion for improving the living conditions for people in Puerto Rico, where I'm from, and the rest of Latino America. I've traveled in the last few years, to Peru, El Salvador, Mexico, Belice, Argentina and Puerto Rico, and have been very disturbed by US policy towards Latino America. In my traveling I encounter an anti-Americanism and a level of crime and violence that seem to be deteriorating every day. And although many countries in Latin America seem to be improving their macro-economic statistics, the great majority in Latin Americans live in extreme poverty, we still see extreme inequality and most people who live in countries with economic growth are not seeing an improvement in their own standard of living. In my recent trip to El Salvador I saw the average monthly wage at $250 a month, and the average monthly needed household budget closer to $700 a month. I saw the same in Peru.
Chavez is a result of years of neglect by the Venezuelan oligarchy in solving the problems of the poor. It has failed to invest in schools, health care, infrastructure and other programs that could improve the standard of living of most Latin Americans. An incestuous relationship between an elite that control business monopolies and that kept corrupt governments in power, and corrupt governments that keep inefficient business monopolies in business have prevented the poor from starting and growing their own businesses, creating jobs and improving wages for most. This corrupt relationship between business elites and governments in Latin America, have created the horrible inequality we see today since days of the Spanish conquest.
It is this corruption and neglect of the poor that created Chavez. Yet history proves over and over again that Chavez strategy for fighting poverty and improving the conditions for most Venezuelans will fail miserably. Specially for the poor and most vulnerable. Nationalizing industry, the extreme dependency on oil prices that will eventually fall, closing media, intimidating political opposition and following an economy where the government controls and dictates everything, failed in Nicaragua in the eighties and in Cuba in the past fifty years. It will also fail in Bolivia where the Cocaleros and unions keep violently protesting against Morales, just like they did when the oligarchy was in power.
Yes Cubans have a better health care system and educational system than many in Latin America. Yes the US embargo of Cuba is ridiculous and outdated and does a lot to damage Cubas poor. But most Cubans are poor with no chance of ever getting out of poverty because of an outdated and inefficient government controled economy. They lack independent media, elections and human rights the same way Chileans did under Pinochet. Most Cubans that can leave Cuba, leave, just like our Mexican brothers and sisters. Not the rich ones, since the only rich in Cuba are in the government. Poor Cubans leave. The big difference is poor Mexicans are allowed to leave Mexico. Poor Cubans are not. They have no right to start a business, grow it and no incentive to create and innovate.
Of course the right wing governments of Nicaragua after the first Sandinista failure, and in other Latin American countries have failed miserably also. That's why the Sandinistas and Daniel Ortega are in Power again.
Chavez might have the best of intentions. He was democratically elected in clean and fair elections. But lets remember that the first time he tried to get into power was through an attempted bloody military coup. And his obsession with imitating Cuba, befriending Iran, attempting to shut off opposition, nationalize the economy, attempting to get himself elected to a twenty year term, and his lack of concrete results are going to destroy Venezuela. His imperialistic efforts to control other Latin American countries are also disturbing.
I have much more faith in the Social Democrat Presidents Alan Garcia of Peru, Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Lula da Silva of Brazil to make the changes needed in Latin America. Latin America needs low inflation, foreign investment, economic growth, international free and fair trade and fiscal stability to reduce poverty. But that's not enough. It needs and educational system that allows for equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of economic status or race. It needs good health care for all. It needs anti-monopolistic policies. It needs a system that will allow Latin American entrepreneurship to flourish. It needs labor rights and free independent unions that have the ability to organize. It needs governments that will protect the environment.
It needs a United States government that will focus in Latin America as much as it focuses in the middle East. The Us needs to encourage free and fair trade, labor rights and enviromental standards need to be protected. It needs to invest in organizations that will help improve the lives of most Latin Americans. The Us needs to stop an international foreign policy creates more anti-americanism
The ultimate solution to the immigration problem in the US is the improvement of peoples lives in Latin America.
posted by reportesur at 8:09 PM
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