Category Society

If it is about issues pertaining to society -drug, crimes, prostitution, family, religion, culture, abortion, immigration, etc… -it will be found here.

Oct 28 2010

SOCIO-ECONOMICS: A COMMUNITY OUTLOOK FACTOR

If you drive through any suburb of New Jersey, you could barely see a liquor store, a fast food restaurant or a church on your way. Yet, in the economically disfavored cities (i.e., East Orange, Orange, Irvington, Newark, etc…), all you see on every block are liquor stores, fast food restaurants (McDonald, Burger King, Wendy’s, Checkers, Popeyes, Chinese, etc…) and churches. And I truly believe it is like that in most, if not all, of the cities across the country. Trust me, there is a reason for that.

When in nursing school I was studying Community Health Nursing at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, I was extremely disturbed by this observation. As part of our final grade, we were to team up with a partner to work on a community health research. My partner and I were assigned to conduct a windshield survey in the city of East Orange to depict the socio-economic realities the citizens in that city were facing and how they (those realities) were impacting lives.

Windshield surveys are a form of information gathering mechanism, involving making direct visual observations of a neighborhood or community while driving. These types of surveys are quite an inexpensive, time-efficient approach to assess the social environment of a community. They can even be conducted on foot in the event that a vehicle is not available or practicable.

The purpose of the windshield survey my partner and I conducted was to gain a better understanding of the city of East Orange’s social environment in terms of its boundaries, housing conditions, use of open spaces, shopping areas, schools, religious facilities, human services (such as hospitals and physician offices), modes of transportation, protective services (such as fire and police stations), and the overall neighborhood life.

We were working closely with the health officials at the East Orange Public Health Department to retrieve and analyze health-related policies, prevalent diseases and statistical data. It was a very insightful research study, which was worth conducted.

Many may be asking why you only find the McDonalds, the Burger Kings, etc… in these economically challenged neighborhoods. Well, first of all, you cannot blame the city officials; they do not have control over that. It is pure economics –supply and demand. Why supplying a good or service to a population that does not have the financial or purchasing leverage to afford it? In other words, what is the sense for a fancy restaurant owner selling healthy food to come open a branch in a neighborhood where the people cannot afford to buy the exquisite meals? That would be really stupid, especially when we all know that business people are in business not for sympathy but for the purpose of making money.

What explanation do I have for the presence of the liquor stores and the churches in those neighborhoods? It is so because there is a demand for them. Otherwise, they would have not been there. Most of the people that live in poverty cling to their drugs to help them forget about the stressful lives they are living and their religion to give them a sense of hope. Do the people in the suburbs consume alcohol and honor their religion? Yes, they do, but demand is everything.

Could the city officials implement policies to discourage these businesses from opening shop in their neighborhoods? Well, that would be economically stupid on their parts, especially when we know the level of education of their constituents only equip them for these kinds of jobs. If they (these jobs) were to be pushed away, then what would happen to employment opportunities and tax revenues which the city governments desperately need to run their operations? So it is a vicious circle, which can only be broken and reversed (on a long-term basis) through a drastic agenda of social reforms with emphasis on investing in the people’s education to increase their socio-economic worth.

Oct 25 2010

IRRESPONSIBLE SEX & SINGLE PARENTHOOD

We cannot change society’s sentiments or perceptions of women having kids out of wedlock. Yes, it is not nice and kind for any woman to be looked down upon just because she has kids outside the realm of marriage. But what can you do? You cannot change that. What you can change, however, is your approach to courtship and sex.

Sex ought to be a very serious matter, something that must not be taken lightly. Why having sex with a man who does not see you good enough to be his wife? Please tell me. And when things get complicated and twisted, because a child comes to be added to the equation, you want to hate the man for not wanting to be in your life. You don’t mother his child as a way to keep him or pressure him to marry you. Some women do that, and I think it is very illogical.  

I am not here to be telling you to not be having premarital sex. In fact, you should already know where I stand on that. I encourage you to have responsible premarital sex. If you choose to abstain from having sex until you get married, that’s your choice, and no one should make you feel asocial or like some sort of a strange creature. But if you choose to have casual sex with someone you are not married to, be responsible about it. Enjoy the sexual pleasure there is to enjoy with your sense of reason and responsibility, meaning to do so with someone with the potentials and character to be your husband.

Some of you may argue that marriage is not for you. I can understand that, especially with women these days becoming more independent than ever before. However, from a socio-economic perspective, it is more of an asset or investment to be and stay married than it is a liability, especially when you marry a supportive and responsible man. It is not sweet to be working making ends meet. It is not sweet to be stressing yourself over where the money for next month rent is coming from. Keep in mind that 1 income + 1 income = 2 incomes, not zero income.

From a social perspective, it does elevate the image of the woman when she is married. Society looks at you differently. Yes, I understand you are not living your life for people, but that’s the way it is. Can you change that? Well, if you can, go right ahead make it happen. And when/if you do, please do inform me so I could help you spread the word.

Finally, we have too many single mothers out there struggling living egregiously. That is happening because of a choice they had made, for (for the most part) the man/men did not tie their hands and rape them. They had consensual sex with them. Hear me out, ladies: It is not smart to be sleeping with any man just because he has a penis for you to explore. Just know that actions have consequences. Have sex with someone who can be a plus to your life, not a burdensome liability. Use your brain to figure out what tends to work for YOU. No one should tell you how to live your life. However, when things go wrong, your problems, whether you want to agree with it or not, will become other people’s issues. So enjoy your sex life in a smart, responsible and safe manner.

Oct 22 2010

DEATH IS NOTHING BUT A MYTH

What is being dead and what is death? Being in the medical field convinces me to see what we call death from a different and better perspective, one that may be controversial to some.

Does death really exist, some may be asking? We all may disagree in principle, but there is one thing we all can agree upon, and that is the notion that human intelligence is limited. Could it be that what we call death is basically the point of climax of human intelligence, the point of limit of our intelligence?

We declare people dead because our intelligence does not allow us to go beyond and do anything to revive them. Don’t we all believe in the theory that what we don’t know is bigger than us? There you have it.

Death is our greatest challenge simply because our limited intelligence has not given us YET the prescriptions as to how to overcome it.

Until our intelligence granted us access to scientific research and space exploration, we used to believe then in many assumptions about the earth and its relations with the solar system, which we came later to realize were scientifically false.

We send people away to be buried because our limited intelligence does not allow us to go beyond. But there will be a day, one I may not live to see, where what we call death will be laughing matters.

When your computer crashes, for instance, what do you do? You seek professional counsel and help from someone having the trusted expertise to repair it, right? And what do you do if the trusted expert tells you that there is no hope to get the PC to work again? You dispose of it, right? Well, just because it is disposed of does not mean that it ought to really be forever gone and that nothing can ever be done in the future to bring it back to operation.

So does death really exist? I think the notion of death is relative. Death can mean different things to different people. I may be laughed at if I say that death does not exist. We came up with the notion of death because we forged in our psyche a place for it to reside but, in reality, it does not exist.

Oct 16 2010

FANM VANYAN FOUNDATION: A WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

The practice of domination and subjugation of one individual by another, which we call slavery, did not come to an end in most places around the world because the status quo in these societies was sympathizing with the slaves. The same argument could be made for the women’s movement in America. The women’s movement in this country did not come to light by spontaneous generation, nor did it because society wanted to be gracious, sympathetic and understanding toward women. It did because women decided to take matters into their own hands.

Women are abused everywhere on the globe; it happens in the United States, Sudan, Venezuela, China, Haiti, etc… No one country on earth can claim immunity over abusive behaviors perpetrated against women. The statistical figures that are out there, showing the levels and types of abusive behaviors women have been subject to, can attest to that. They are horrendous and staggering. So the issue should not be about how widespread such a social disease has become; it should, rather, be about what are we going to do to eradicate it.

It has been proven that most women who have been abused are so by individuals whom they have some degree of closeness to and who have used a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviors to maintain power and control over them. We must never forget and constantly be reminded that any woman should be made slave of another human being.

We must stand on principle against women being abused –physically and emotionally -and unjustly treated as second class citizens in this male-dominated society of ours. To do so, we must use a systematic, comprehensive and smart approach -we must not be telling or teaching the women to be rebellious, but empowering them through education, financial independence and self-reliance.

There may be other grassroots organizations on the ground working to improve the lives and conditions of our women, but this new organization named FANM VANYAN FOUNDATION really caught my attention.

What’s in the name FANM VANYAN? In the Haitian culture, when a woman is said to be a FANM VANYAN, this is a woman you really do not want to mess with. And that in itself is not because she is rude, disrespectful, or anything as such. She is, rather, a woman who is very strong-minded, liberated, independent, educated, self-sufficient, self-reliant, respectful, loving and caring. Some men, the ones fighting the lack of self-confident disease, are afraid of them because they defy their prototypes of women. She is someone any real man would want to have by his side as a partner or a battle buddy to fight and prosper on the battlefield of life.

The organization is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It is a newborn non-profit organization with a very ambitious vision. The name is Haitian, but its reach goes beyond the boundaries of the Haitian community at home and in the Diaspora. They believe that one woman’s problems are problems of all women. In other words, the problems the Haitian women are dealing with in society can be found everywhere and anywhere on the globe.

They aim at reaching down and uplifting, enriching, educating, inspiring and empowering women from various walks of life. They also “work diligently to increase self-love and self-esteem by providing the tools necessary to assist each individual and their families in rebuilding a new life.” They focus on women issues, but the core of the movement is love for all humans regardless of gender, nationality, religion, creed, socio-economic status. And the reason for that is because they believe that fighting for the rights of women is fighting for the rights of all humans.

They have a clear strategy to fulfill their mission -empowering and encouraging women by funding and hosting programs that foster education, personal growth and self -love.

We need these types of organizations to flourish, especially when young people are taking on these battles. But, like most of the organizations that did not last to see their first birthdays, if they do not get your moral and financial support, they will not get far. So it’s important for you to support them with your small monetary donations and your volunteering spirit. For further information on how you can support their agenda, you can visit them online at their soon-to-come site: http://www.fanmvanyan.org. They need you to stay alive; you can send them a check payable to:

FANM VANYAN FOUNDATION INC.

P.O. BOX 618398

ORLANDO, FL 32861

Oct 13 2010

PREMARITAL SEX & THE SIN FACTOR

Why do people think that premarital sex, which they call fornication, is a sin? This to me is foolishness. Sex is a need just like the need to be fed when hunger strikes. Do you commit a sin for satiating your thirst and hunger, when you are thirsty and hungry? I don’t think so.

The people making this foolish argument want you to marry the person before you could engage in sexual activities with them. Are they really serious? Wait a minute!!! Which marriage are they talking about –the natural marriage of the hearts, which no one can see when taken place (not even the two involved individuals) or the government’s issuance of this piece of paper with the header that reads “marriage certificate?” I am anxious to find out which marriage they are talking about.

We were born with our own sex engine, which, when cranked, has to produce mechanical work. The mechanism put in place to make possible the cranking of that engine is beyond our control. A one-year-old boy’s engine, for instance, could be cranked, and he would not have any knowledge as to what has caused that to happen.

In my view, there is no sin in premarital sex; it is all a scam. We use the sin concept to scare people out in order to establish some degree of order in society. Go ahead enjoy your sex life as much as you can. Just be smart and careful in so doing just like you would if you were to operate a motor vehicle. If the Almighty did not want you to produce mechanical work with that great piece of engine, he would have not blessed you with it in the first place. He did not give it to you as ornament to beautify your body; He gave it to you so you could put mileage on it. lol 😀

Oct 10 2010

DEFORESTATION WON’T STOP KILLING HAITIANS

 
 

 

Aerial photo taken from above the border

 

Definition

 

Deforestation refers to the total logging and/or burning of forest space -whether this destruction is due to cattle ranching, plantation agriculture or real estate development. It is also the permanent conversion of forest cover to non-forest purposes. There is a big difference between deforestation and forest degradation. While forest degradation may change the ecology of certain forest aspects, it does not, however, destroy all forest cover, which is what deforestation does. So deforestation is much more serious than forest degradation.

Historical aspect of the Haitian deforestation

The majority of us Haitians are descendants of slaves brought from Africa in the 1600s by French colonizers, who then destroyed tens of thousands of acres of forest for the purpose of cultivating the sugar cane that placed Haiti in the lead of the world’s sugar producers. Hence, more forests were destroyed to fuel the sugar mills and be shipped to Europe to make furniture of mahogany and dyes or colorant from campeachy.

After the revolt of the slaves that culminated in the defeat of the Napoleon Army and gave birth to the nation of Haiti, the world’s first Black republic in 1804, great plantations were partitioned among the slaves. Under the inheritance law that governed the then French society, land is distributed among a man’s heirs. A demographic explosion of the Haitian society was going to compromise the applicability of that inheritance law. “One of the fastest growing populations in the world — Haitian women average five births each — has reduced the average holding to little more than a half acre. That is not enough to support a family of seven even in a good rainy season” (Braken, 2004).

The economics of deforestation in Haiti

Because the land could no longer satisfy the farmers’ daily obligations, they found themselves under intense economic pressures for income -simply to take care of their family. So unbearable such a reality has become for them, they had to chop trees to make and sell charcoal.

In a report filed in September 23, 2004 by Amy Braken of the Associated Press, who quoted Mr. Victor, an agronomist, the deforestation in Haiti has moved from bad to worse. According to that same report, from 1950 to 2004, the 25 percent of Haiti’s 10,700 square miles that was covered with forest has reduced to only 1.4 percent.

According to David Adams, a former USAID director in Haiti, over the past 20 years, the U.S. Agency for International Development has planted 60 million trees in Haiti, but the poor chop down 10 million to 20 million trees each year.

Consequences

The rapid destruction of forest cover has serious economic, ecological and ethical consequences on the lives of the Haitian people. Millions of people in Haiti as well as other poor countries around the globe face permanent poverty as a result of the deforestation reality. In a case study titled Deforestation in Haiti, such a devastating reality got Kristen Picariello to say, “If one were to fly over the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the border appears like it was drawn by an ‘acetylene torch’ owing to massive deforestation in Haiti.”

We cannot address the deforestation reality in Haiti without placing under the microscope the most recent tragedy of hurricane Janne. Dan Bjarnason, in an article entitled Deforestation in Haiti published in the CBC News Online of October 01, 2004, stated that Janne had a big toll on Haiti because the country’s natural defenses were extinct. He went further to say that Janne was yet to become “a full-blown hurricane when it hit Haiti. At that point, it was only a tropical storm. Still its impact was enormous.”

Comparing Haiti to its next door neighbor, the Dominican Republic, one can see a heartbreaking reality. The Dominican Republic is lush, green, and fertile. On the same island, neighboring Haiti is mostly mountainous and virtually denuded of trees. That’s the troubling difference that exists between the ecological profile of the two countries sharing the same island.

Haiti’s forests then were destroyed to fuel colonial sugar mills; now its people, impoverished by a thread of gangster governments, are left with no other alternative but to destroy what is left of their trees just to survive.

“There are simply no jobs in Haiti, and for many people, cutting down and selling trees is a form of income, which they would otherwise not have,” says Daniel Erikson of Inter-American Dialogue. “Then the other side of it is 70 to 80 percent of the Haitian people have no access to modern electricity, so they need wood-based charcoal to cook, to provide fuel for heat, for light.”

One does not need a Ph.D in environmental economics to understand the reason why tropical storms are a calamity in Haiti. Ken MacDonald of the University of Toronto did a tremendous job at explaining the situation in very basic terms. He said that when there are no trees to break and absorb the fall of raindrops in a storm, they (those raindrops) crushed into the ground like bullets.  Because the soil is not strong enough to sustain and absorb the water, not having any place to escape to, it accumulates over land in a very short period of time -a situation that gets even worse because of the slope that covers most of Haiti.

The politics behind the issue

After the floods of May of 2004 that killed hundreds of people and left thousands without a home, interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said, “The root of the problem is that we have to go and reforest the hills and until we do that, every two, three, four years after some heavy rain, the same thing could happen again.” That is very true, but what did he do to solve the problem? Absolutely nothing!!! The problem with our politicians is that they are good talkers, not so good actors. What he said in 2004, we knew it then and still do today. He said we have to go on and reforest the hills, how is it going to get done? As the person in charge of the country then, that’s what he should have been talking about, not telling us something we already know.

It is not that we don’t have environmental laws to remedy to that chaotic reality of deforestation that the country is living at this present moment. According to that same gentleman Erickson quoted earlier, “Haiti actually has some environmental laws that are quite reasonable and quite good, but there’s absolutely no enforcement, and in most of the country, you have no functioning state whatsoever.”

Projecting toward the future

The future looks very gloomy for us in our battle against deforestation. It has been forecast that as the population mushrooms or swells in the next 20 years, twice as many people will be going after the fewer trees we have left. And Jean-Andre Victor, one of Haiti’s top ecologists, predicted that if nothing is done to take care of the deforestation problem, the situation will continue to deteriorate and other catastrophes are foreseeable. So inaction on the part of the government is not warranted; it is not going to efface the problem. If nothing gets done with a sense of urgency, the situation will get worse and more people’s lives will be exposed to greater and unthinkable natural calamities.

We need a comprehensive reforestation strategy which will take into consideration our geographical location, the people’s socioeconomic reality, the available and alternative sources of energy, the psycho-sociological aspect of the issue and all that. So this is a very complex issue whose scope must not be underestimated.

A comprehensive reforestation strategy will not come to light by spontaneous generation. We do need good and proactive leadership which only active and responsible politics can foster. That’s why it is imperative that we stop falling for political talkers. It is time to put in office political actors with a clear understanding of the people’s problems and a clear vision for the future to lead the country.

Any development plan for Haiti must incorporate the country’s ecological health. There can never be social and economic developments if this issue of deforestation is not properly addressed. This issue is so crucial that it is a make or break issue for any prospective development plan for Haiti. So, yes, deforestation is Haiti’s number one serial killer.

http://www.american.edu/TED/ice/haitidef.htm

http://www.waterconserve.info/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?Linkid=35159

Source: Copyright 2004, Associated Press

Date: September 23, 2004

Byline: AMY BRACKEN, Associated Press Writer

INDEPTH: HAITI

Deforestation in Haiti

CBC News Online | October 1, 2004

Reporter: Dan Bjarnason

Oct 9 2010

RELIGION: THE ADDICTIVE DRUG TO BE MADE ILLEGAL

Before I get deeper into this, I think it would make sense to define for your edification the “illegal drug” concept. Drugs are often called “illegal drugs” but in reality what is illegal about them is not the fact that they are being consumed but rather because of their unlicensed production, distribution, and possession. On what basis would a drug be classified as illegal?

The government would label a drug illegal because its use/abuse tends to lead to health problems, social problems, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, mortality, physical dependence or psychological addiction.

In the case of religion, I think we would be better off without. Religion has caused more tribulations than good to humanity. It has brought us social problems, violence, deaths, homicides, physical dependence and/or psychological addiction.

Aren’t we told that there is one God and one Holy Spirit to inspire and teach us the way? If that is so, why do we have around the globe so many religions? Not only that, why do we have so many religion-driven fights over influence, supremacy and domination? There can’t be anything holy about all these turbulences religion has caused.

Religion divides us more than it unites us. All the great wars/conflicts our world has known stemmed from religion.

  1. Wars of Religion –a series of wars that erupted in Europe during the sixteenth and seventh centuries, as a result of the onset of the Protestant Reformation.
  2. The French Wars of Religion (1562–98) –this name is attributed to a period of civil disturbances and military operations primarily between French Catholics and Protestants. The wars also involved the aristocratic houses of France –the House of Bourdon and House of Guise. These wars ended with the issuing of the Edict of Nantes by Henry IV of France, which granted to the Calvinists a certain degree of religious tolerance.
  3. The Crusades –a series of religious-driven military campaigns waged by much of European Latin Christians against Muslim expansionism, over a period of nearly 200 years (between 1095 and 1291). The intent of these crusades was to regain control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule.
  4. Jihad –an Arabic term that means “struggle.” We are all aware of how this concept has been used by Islamic extremists to get the kind of attention they are looking for.

Religion can be very addictive. In Haiti, my homeland, for instance, we have more religious conglomerates than hospitals/healthcare centers. We are amongst the most religious people on earth, yet amongst the most underdeveloped and divided. In our case, as a nation, religion has not helped a notch.

Most Haitian religious crazies are walking the earth with their spirits and souls in a perceived holy world yet to come. These people are completely detached from the real world. They would not engage in the politics of things in the country, though they are greatly impacted by it. They would not work and even go to school to get an education because they believe that Jesus did not go to school, nor did he have to work to sustain himself and his family. For them, going to school to get an education and working to contribute to the development of the economy are all against the word of God. They view themselves as celestial citizens whose country is in heaven; they are only in transit in this world. Therefore, they don’t have anything to do with what is happening in the country, nor do they have to do with the reality of life they are living. In other words, they are in this world, not of this world. How ridiculous that is!!!

Before I put an end to this, I want to make a serious distinction. I believe there is a big difference between being religious and being spiritual. The difference is simple -being religious is for dummies, whereas being spiritual is for intelligent people. See how simple that is?

In conclusion, for all the pains and sufferings religion has brought us, it should be classified as illegal drug. Why it is not being categorized as such is beyond my pay grade. Some people would tell you, and I tend to agree with them, that the reason why it is not classified as illegal drug is because it is good politics, and politics rules the world.

Oct 7 2010

MADIVIN & THE MEANNESS OF OUR CREOLE

Kissing lesbians

The most popular Creole word there is to refer to a lesbian is “madivin.” It is a pejorative or derogative term to call someone. But in reality, if the etymologists are relying on the phonetic of the word “madivin,” they could deduct that it is from the French words “ma divine” or the English words “my divine,” meaning something holy and sacred. The question I have been asking is this: how could a holy and divinely inspired word such as this get to have a negative connotation in Creole?

Oct 6 2010

JIM DEMINT: FORNICATING WOMEN & GAYS BE BANNED FROM TEACHING IN PUBLIC SHOOLS

Jim Demint: Republican Senator of South Carolina

When you hear me taking some very strong and bold stands against these Conservative Republicans, I am sure some of you may be wondering why. Please do not assume a second that I am crazy. I pretty much have my own personal and ideological reason.

My fight against my Conservative Republican friends is purely ideological, nothing really personal. I believe they are great people who deserve to be loved and respected. However, I strongly believe they are dead and flat wrong on many issues, especially those having to do with abortion, gay rights, same-sex marriages, the DADT policy addressing the issue of gays and lesbians serving in the military and the list goes on and on and on and on. So today, we are going to zero on a very serious and specific issue -the issue of education and the social test teachers must be subject to in order for them to be allowed to teach kids in America.

 I want you to read this report filed in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal of South Carolina of Sunday, October 03, 2010 reporting about Senator Jim Demint’s plan to socially-engineer public education in this country. Before I get you to read the report, I want you to know that Republican Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina is the godfather of the Tea Party movement.  

The Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported: “Demint said if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn’t be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who’s sleeping with her boyfriend –she shouldn’t be in the classroom.”

If that man and the rest of his Tea Party gang have their ways, my kids and yours will be indoctrinated with bogus ideologies to hate women, gays, lesbians, and basically American ideas.

According to Republican Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina, if you are gay or lesbian, you have no right to be in the classroom teaching American kids, and the same goes for you unmarried woman sleeping with your boyfriend. Jim Demint wants you to get out of the classroom; you should be out there doing other things, not teaching American kids.

Now, folks, as a Black man in this country, as someone whose people had been discriminated against for centuries solely because we look different than most (and such was legally accepted under the law), I cannot be staying mute, as though this issue does not concern me, in front of such a crooked and outdated rhetoric. Demint’s ideology is so un-American, it is not even funny. Since when had discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation made a comeback? I guess I missed the train on that one. I thought we had buried and put that behind us a while ago? Are we now witnessing the recycling of a sad and shameful past in American history or what? That man had the nerves saying that if you are openly gay or an unmarried woman sleeping with your boyfriend, you are not good enough to be holding certain functions in America.

Now, my fellow Americans, these are the people you want to lead this nation going forward. You have got to be kidding me, really. If you are going to forget everything I said to you today in this piece, I want you to always keep in mind that we cannot be moving ahead looking backward. It is just impossible.

Oct 5 2010

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY

Some, if not most, in our society are very confused when it comes to the role government must assume in a free market economy. There is a reason why it is called “free market economy.” It is called so because government must not dictate the course the economy should take. When you have government controlling and/or interfering in the course the economy should or must take, then we have an economy that ceases to be free.

The role of government in this type of economy is to guarantee the fluidity and complete functioning of the world of business. That is so easy to say. But how can government make that possible? That’s where the bulk of the challenge lies.

Government makes possible the fluidity and functioning of the business world by enacting and implementing laws/policies that could guarantee the rights of the individuals to own properties and have these rights secured and respected. Also, government must strengthen the institutions that could guarantee the security of the physical aspect of all private investments in a stable political climate.

There is no doubt that government alone cannot make an economy work for the betterment of all its citizens. It does need to partner with a progressive private sector (watch the emphasis put on the word progressive) to make that happen.

Government must not position itself as the ultimate competitor, which, sadly, is and has long been the case in Haiti, our beloved country. When you have government -whose primary job is to guarantee a safe environment suitable for business -competing against the private sector, the market tends to become unfair, which in itself is a detriment to economic development and progress.

It is imperative that government guarantee a secure and politically stable playing field where all the players in the economy can play freely within the realm of fairness and dignity.

What we need to keep in mind is that business people are like migratory birds. They would build their nets and lay their heads wherever they can find their peace of mind to operate, without having to be reminded of the possibility of their investments being ransacked. So when you have a volatile political climate -where any unexpected thing can happen at any given time, which may put in jeopardy the security and good operation of private investments -then you have a situation that cannot synchronize itself with the expectations of the private investors. What will happen next? That’s when you start seeing private investors leaving the economy for places where the security of their investments can be guaranteed, creating an anemic economy.

We need to do more to attract private investments from foreigners and Haitian natives living in the country and in the Diaspora. Money is just as important to the economy as blood is to the human body. No economy can survive without money circulating in it.

I’ve said this before and I am going to say it again –this time I am going to say it louder so it can finally register in the carcass of your heads. THE ERA OF “DECHOUKAJ,” “KRAZE BRIZE,” KIDNAPPING, INTOLERANCE AND LAWLESSNESS MUST BE OVER!!!!! These practices have not produced positive results for the country as a whole and the economy in particular. We have been doing “dechoukaj” and “kraze brize” since 1804, the year our nation was officially created, what have we gained? I can tell you that we have not benefited anything positive. Instead, we are progressing backward.

So, what is the job of government in a free market economy? It is to make sure that the democratic and institutional structures are in place and strong to guarantee a stable political environment and a strong economy. That’s when we’ll start seeing investments coming in, and we will be able to keep the ones that are already in the economy. Needless to say that security and political stability are paramount.