22 Statistics That Prove That The Middle Class Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America

By Michael T. Snyder:

The 22 statistics that you are about to read prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace. So why are we witnessing such fundamental changes? Well, the globalism and “free trade” that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some rather nasty side effects. It turns out that they didn’t tell us that the “global economy” would mean that middle class American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people on the other side of the world where there is no minimum wage and very few regulations. The big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor pools over the last several decades, but middle class American workers have increasingly found things to be very tough. The reality is that no matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working American workers are, they just cannot compete with people who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at less than a dollar an hour on the other side of the world. After all, what corporation in their right mind is going to pay an American worker ten times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? The world is fundamentally changing. Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the big global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the American middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new “global” labor pool.

What do most Americans have to offer in the marketplace other than their labor? Not much. The truth is that most Americans are absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job. But today, U.S. workers are “less attractive” than ever. Compared to the rest of the world, American workers are extremely expensive, and the government keeps passing more rules and regulations seemingly on a monthly basis that makes it even more difficult to conduct business in the United States.

So corporations are moving operations out of the U.S. at breathtaking speed. Since the U.S. government does not penalize them for doing so, there really is no incentive for them to stay.

What has developed is a situation where the people at the top are doing quite well, while most Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to make it. There are now about 6 unemployed Americans for every new job opening in the United States, and the number of “chronically unemployed” is absolutely soaring. There simply are not nearly enough jobs for everyone.

Many of those who are able to get jobs are finding that they are making less money than they used to. In fact, an increasingly large percentage of Americans are working at low wage retail and service jobs.

But you can’t raise a family on what you make flipping burgers at McDonald’s or on what you bring in from greeting customers down at the local Wal-Mart.

The truth is that the middle class in America is dying – and once it is gone it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild.

The following are 22 statistics that prove that the rich are getting much richer and the poor are getting much poorer in America….

#1) According to a poll taken in 2009, 61 percent of Americans ”always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.

#2) The number of Americans with incomes below the official poverty line rose by about 15% between 2000 and 2006, and by 2008 over 30 million U.S. workers were earning less than $10 per hour.

#3) According to Harvard Magazine, 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.

#4) According to that same poll, 36 percent of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything to retirement savings.

#5) A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.

#6) According to one new survey, 24% of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.

#7) Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.

#8) Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.

#9) For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.

#10) In 1950, the ratio of the average executive’s paycheck to the average worker’s paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.

#11) One study found that as of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.

#12) The bottom 40 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.

#13) Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.

#14) In the United States, the average federal worker now earns about twice as much as the average worker in the private sector.

#15) An analysis of income tax data by the Congressional Budget Office found that the top 1% of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America’s corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.

#16) In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.

#17) More than 40% of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.

#18) For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.

#19) This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.

#20) Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.

#21) According to one new study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.

#22) According to Professor Emmanuel Saez of the University of California at Berkeley, the gap between what the top 10 percent of Americans earn per year and what the rest of us earn has been widening sharply for the last 30 years. His measurements show that the top 10% percent of Americans now take in approximately 50% of the income.

Visit Michael’s Economic Collapse Blog

July 17, 2010

inteldaily

Bahamas Blog International

Haiti six months after - a national and international shame

By Jean H Charles:


On July 12, 2010, the international press has returned en masse to Haiti for an evaluation of the progress in the rebuilding effort after the earthquake of 1/12. It has been reporting on whether the outflow of global donations has contributed to bring solace to the people of Haiti. The verdict is unanimous: the effort in rebuilding has hit a discomforting snag.

To start with, only Norway, Australia and Brazil have delivered on their promised pledges, or 10% of the $5.3 billion raised at the United Nations last March. Only 250 million tons of rubble out of 3 billion metric tons has been removed. The majority of the 1.5 million displaced people are still living in tenuous conditions in tents and shacks. The international Jesuit Society summed up the general sentiment; Haiti six months after the hurricane is a national and international shame!

Wyclef Jean, the ubiquitous Haitian-American artist, gave us the picture of the situation on the ground. “I arrived here 24 hours after the quake and I will say that minus the bodies on the floor, and minus the smell, it looks exactly the same today as it did then. Nothing has changed and people are getting frustrated. The youth is frustrated.”

The Haitian government continues to exhibit the same indifference towards, and the same lack of leadership and coordination in leading the way for an effective recovery. In canvassing the pile of literature on the process of reconstruction, I have been able to find only three points of light.

- The 7 Day Adventist Relief fund has built, with recycled material, some 500 solid homes to house displaced families from the earthquake.

- Venezuela, in the city of Leogane, operates an effective tent city with the support system that makes the lives of the people much better than before the earthquake.

- There is no major outbreak of disease because of the abundance of vitamin D from the tropical sun and the medical care of organizations such as Doctors without Borders and the chain of international medical volunteers who commute to Haiti week after week.

The rest is promises and promises, without a delivery mechanism system. The Haitian people, passionate fans of soccer, have observed a hiatus of three weeks during the World cup season. The World Cup is over; Haiti this summer will be a hot one! The people are already on the streets demanding the resignation of the inept and corrupt government.

The amount of discontent is broiling. The Haitian government is requesting a 20% tax to admit donated material into the country. The warehouses near the airport are filled with food and medicine; yet, because of indifference, dysfunction, nepotism and corruption, the food and the medicine are not delivered to those in need. Worse, some of the medicine is now expired and some of the food is now rotten.

Having invested so much emotion and empathy in Haiti after the earthquake, the rest of the world is crying for some explanation. Leadership matters. The current issue of Foreign Policy has provided an excellent analysis on why Haiti will continue to sink itself and the rest of the world with it. Haiti is pregnant with the lethal cocktail that feeds the appetite of the type of leadership that we find in countries like Somalia, Guinea, and Niger in Africa. Weak and bad leaders make their countries weaker, threatening world security.

Rene Preval the president of Haiti is benefiting of an aura of goodwill fed by a sector of the international community. Yet he fits into what Paul Collier, the eminent economist, called the bad guy, whose survival is incubated against the interest of its people by a combination of support from the international powers, big business and international institutions, labeled the enablers by Paul Wolfowitz.

The neocolonial ruse of using corrupt leaders to maintain the grip on the country’s resources and its people is alive and kicking in Africa and in Haiti. France has recently helped Bongo junior to succeed Bongo senior. The United Nations is making the bidding for some named foreign countries in planning to help Preval to succeed himself through a clown puppet with a botched and flawed election.

The takeover of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, in France did have unintended consequences some fifteen years later in Haiti. It produced the country’s independence in 1804. Be ready for a rough ride this summer! Haiti, the rebel daughter of Africa has a way of setting an international trend. The undemocratic practices of some Western powers, supported by corrupt national leaders, might be in the beginning of their end. It seems Haiti is ready to ring the bell for the death of the failed States as it did some two hundred years ago by dismantling the world order of slavery.

Haiti needs the support of all people of goodwill in the world as it crosses the river from that painful transition of a failed state status to an enlightened nation, ready to provide service and leadership to the world. Stay tuned for updates on the mahogany revolution in progress, in Haiti!

July 17, 2010

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog International

Bolivarian Venezuela at a Crossroads, Part 2: Debate and Contradiction in the PSUV

By Eric Toussaint

Part 2: Debate and Contradiction in the PSUV [1]

During the 2007 constitutional referendum, one might have thought that the party created by Hugo Chávez in 2006 was stillborn since fewer people voted ‘Yes’ than the number of people officially enrolled in the party.[2] But this impression was partially belied in the following months. Grassroot meetings multiplied, which resulted in the nomination of candidates for the municipal elections and for governors of the 23 states that make up Venezuela. However, the process is contradictory. While participation from the party’s rank and file was active and effective and while grassroots members did appoint candidates for the elections, the fact stills remains that when it came to the party’s executive board, ordinary members could not vote for all the leaders and Chávez himself put his government’s ministers in the party’s key posts (for example, the eight vice-presidents of the PSUV). This creates a regrettable confusion between the state, the government, and the party.

In this respect some voices have been raised within the PSUV to challenge the fact that the party’s management and coordination are left to the ministers who are already overloaded with their governmental mission. Moreover their position as ministers gives these leaders the power to disproportionately influence the decisions taken by the party. It is also easier for them to influence some party members when the latter are called to the polls. A critical view, shared by a substantial number of activists, was expressed by Martha Harnecker as follows: “One of the things that surprise us and, I imagine, must shock people abroad, particularly in Europe, is that the state is the instrument with which the party is built. It is in clear contradiction with our vision of the party.”[3]

Gonzalo Gómez, a PSUV activist and co-founder of Aporrea, also shows concern regarding the relationship to be built between the party and popular power (which he also calls “the constituent player”): “The party can seek to propose and give direction, accompanying social movements in the building up of popular power, but it cannot subjugate popular power; in other words subjugate this constituent player by the constituted power.”[4]

Communal councils: when “constituent power” challenges constituted power

The law entitled Ley de los Consejos Municipales (LCC)[5] was voted without any genuine debate on 7 April 2006. Its article 3 states: “The organization, functioning, and action of communal councils must meet the principles of co-responsibility, cooperation, solidarity, transparency […], honesty, effectiveness, efficiency, social responsibility, social control, equity, justice, and gender and social equality.”

A citizens’ assembly (asamblea de ciudadanos y ciudadanas), “the grand decision-making body of communal councils” according to Article 6, must consist of at least 20% of inhabitants from the age of 15 and over. The communal council defines its jurisdiction, and its members are not paid, according to Article 12. Its various areas of intervention are defined as follows: “Health, education, land management in towns or rural areas, housing, social protection and social equality, popular economy, culture, security, communication and information, leisure and sports, food, technical guidance on water, technical guidance on energy and gas, services, and any other matter the community may decide useful to proceed with,” according to Article 9.

President Hugo Chávez set up communal councils back in 2006, as a way of introducing participation in the drafting and implementing of local policies. The government sets great hope in these councils, which it sees as “territorial grassroots units of popular participation and self-government.” As the president said, this “revolutionary explosion of popular power” must be the realistic and sustainable basis for a new type of state, for “a socialism of the 21st century.”

Talking about the 15,000 councils already extant in June 2007, Juan Leonel M. of FONDEMI, the Microfinance Development Fund, does not hide the fact that relationships with municipalities are sensitive: “Actually the mayors, or at least many of them, are opposed to this new mode of election and way of organizing communities. They see the communal councils as organizations in competition with their own administrations. But the idea today is that the established power must move hand in hand with the constituent power of communal councils. The state is initiating a revolution within the state system. The people’s constituent power must be the motor of change. Communal councils are the cornerstone of municipal self-government where the people have direct access to power.”[6]

The 2006 law on communal councils is currently being changed. It is likely to be replaced shortly by a new law that is being drafted.[7] To know more about this experiment, read Martha Harnecker’s books on the subject. She lives in Venezuela and has devoted much time in the last few years to the experiment with communal councils.[8]

The PSUV Congress was held in several sessions from November 2009 to April 2010. The 772 delegates who took part in the Congress were elected in a secret ballot by rank-and-file party members (according to official figures, half of the 7,253,691 party members turned out for these internal elections). There were very few workers and company trade unionists among these delegates. On the other hand, many delegates were employees who are answerable to the party or to local authorities and are therefore easily influenced. Even though Hugo Chávez, as president of the party, called on delegates to act in Congress as spokepersons for the popular base and social movements, with Congress composed as it was, it is hard to see how this could really lead to positive results.

In June 2009, the PSUV was the center of attention and debates, when thirty of the most eminent intellectuals invited by the Miranda International Center (CIM) discussed the progress of, and remaining obstacles to, the revolutionary process currently taking place.[9]

The CIM published a summary of these days for reflection entitled “Intellectuals, democracy and socialism: dead ends and paths to follow.”[10]

Here are some extracts from the summary which give an idea of what is at stake in the party itself and beyond, if a genuine revolutionary project is to be implemented.

“What is the future of a party whose base rarely gets the opportunity to have their say? (…) Is this non-separation between state and party merely repeating a mistake of the 20th century socialist model? Was the PSUV created as a top-down structure out of a political necessity felt by the government, rather than a necessity felt by the base? Another important aspect that came up several times was the need for collective leadership of the party, which is effectively based on grassroots social movements (and which does not merely use them as the government’s communication channel during election periods), thereby putting an end to harmful, partisan vote-catching. This would create the base of a true revolutionary party which recognizes the right to express criticism and which fosters greater democracy within the party.”

Another issue debated was the nature of the new revolutionary state. If the state was the instrument used by neo-liberalism to implement its own agenda, should it also be used to free us from neo-liberalism? Can this state put us on the path to socialism or, on the contrary, is it an obstacle to socialism? Other issues debated were the role of the media, both pro- and anti-Chávez; the characteristics of the revolution – it was said that it contained “many types of revolutions within it: student, farmer, worker, socialist, feminist, military and popular,” thus the need for a constant dialogue between these groups; the definition of 21st century socialism; popular participation, especially through communal councils (see section above), which were described as “a prime example of participation” but “not [playing] a sufficiently participatory role” in practice because “they run the risk of being co-opted by the party.”

The final issue considered during the meeting concerned the place and role of criticism in a revolutionary process, and the main question discussed was the following: “Is it possible for a revolution to succeed if it does not make criticism one of its main driving forces?” It was acknowledged that “criticism has lost some of its rightful place. In media that are sympathetic to the process, it is not difficult to find reactions reminiscent of 20th century socialism where those who openly criticize are accused of being “counter-revolutionaries” or “CIA agents”. This considerably weakens the process as it prevents the government from implementing changes when things are not working.” At the same time, the intellectuals said they “were pleased that the executive had given them a space for criticism - something which had not happened in ten years. They also stressed the fact that this event proved that fear of criticism was unfounded. The claim made by the anti-Chávez opposition that there is a lack of freedom of expression in Venezuela is equally false.”

The controversy raised by this meeting showed how relevant these questions are. These days were broadcast live in full on a public channel (TVES) and then re-broadcast over a period of some 10 days. Important sectors of the government strongly criticized the CIM initiative as well as the content of these meetings. Among the critics were the Minister for Oil Rafael Ramirez and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolas Maduro, both of them important political figures in the PSUV. One of the pro-Chávez daily newspapers, VEA, published several articles condemning the CIM initiative and stating, “they convene meetings amongst intellectuals whose positions are confused, whilst allowing them to let off steam at Chávez’s leadership which they describe as a “hyper-leadership” or “progressive autocracy”. Without a doubt, these are pro-Chavista supporters without Chávez, ashamed to show their true colors and get on the other side of the fence.”[11]

After ten days of controversy, both in the pro-Chávez and the opposition press, Hugo Chávez, in his televised programme Aló Presidente of June 14, seemed to agree with those who criticized the International Miranda Centre (CIM). That merely served to increase public interest in the event: different trade union worker leaders as well as the Communist Party of Venezuela and “Homeland for All” (two parties which support the government while refusing to join the PSUV) have defended the CIM and stated that the critical contribution of revolutionary intellectuals was a positive event. It was feared that at some point the CIM would be brought to heel or even shut down but nothing of the sort has happened. This shows once again the complexity of the changes taking place in Venezuela, whose government cannot be considered as totalitarian.

Notes

[1] The first part of this series ‘Bolivarian Venezuela at the crossroads’ was posted on the CADTM website on 14 April 2010 under the title ‘Venezuela. Nationalization, workers’ control: achievements and limitations’ http://www.cadtm.org/Venezuela-Nati...

[2] Officially, six million Venezuelans joined the PSUV at the time of the referendum on 2 December 2007. And yet the ‘Yes’ won only a little more than four million votes, some of which certainly did not come from PSUV activists since the PCV (Partido Comunista de Venezuela, Communist Party of Venezuela) and the PPT (Patria Para Todos, Homeland For All), among others, called for a ‘Yes’ vote. In fact, during the phase when the party was launched, ministries were given membership targets, which resulted in a flawed process and an artificial inflation of membership figures.

[3] Speech of Martha Harnecker on the occasion of the meeting “Intellectuals, democracy and socialism: dead ends and paths to follow” organized by the CIM http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php...

[4] Speech of Gonzalo Gómez on the occasion of the meeting “Intellectuals, democracy and socialism: dead ends and paths to follow” organized by the CIM http://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n...

[5] http://www.tecnoiuris.com/venezuela...

[6] Quoted in « Les conseils communaux au Venezuela : un outil d’émancipation politique ? », by Anne-Florence Louzé, in Olivier Compagnon, Julien Rebotier and Sandrine Revet (eds), Le Venezuela au-delà du mythe. Chávez, la démocratie, le changement social, Editions de l’Atelier/Editions Ouvrières, Paris, 2009, 238 p

[7] See the project of the new law: http://www.alcaldiagirardot.gob.ve/...

[8] See Martha Harnecker “De los consejos comunales a las comunas” http://www.rebelion.org/docs/83276.pdf. This 61 page study includes a bibliography of Martha Harnecker’s 21 books on the subject of popular participation. Read also, by the same author, “Las Comunas, sus problemas y cómo enfrentarlos” http://www.rebelion.org/docs/90924.pdf

[9] The Miranda International Center (CIM) is an official institution created by the Venezuelan presidency and financed by the Ministry of Higher Education.

[10] The complete summary (in French and Spanish) is online on the CADTM website at http://www.cadtm.org/Venezuela-prem... and http://www.cadtm.org/Primera-sintes...

[11] Published 6 June 2009 under the collective signature Grano de maíz.

Translated by Francesca Denley, Judith Harris, Stéphanie Jacquemont and Christine Pagnoulle.

Eric Toussaint, Doctor in Political Science (University of Liege and University of Paris VIII), is president of CADTM Belgium (Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt, www.cadtm.org). He is the author of A diagnosis of emerging global crisis and alternatives, VAK, Mumbai, India, 2009, 139p; Bank of the South. An Alternative to the IMF-World Bank, VAK, Mumbai, India, 2007; The World Bank, A Critical Primer, Pluto Press, Between The Lines, David Philip, London-Toronto-Cape Town 2008; Your Money or Your Life, The Tyranny of Global Finance, Haymarket, Chicago, 2005.

July 14th 2010

Bolivarian Venezuela at the Crossroads, Part 1: Nationalization and Workers’ Control

Bolivarian Venezuela at the crossroads, Part 3: The Venezuelan economy: in transition towards socialism

venezuelanalysis

Bahamas Blog International

The Bahamas is "on track" to reduce HIV/AIDS among young people by 25 per cent this year

Bahamas 'on track' for 25% HIV/AIDS drop in young people
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:


THE Bahamas is "on track" to reduce HIV/AIDS among young people by 25 per cent this year, according to the United Nations HIV/AIDS programme.

As a country that bears a "high burden" of HIV/AIDS prevalence compared with other countries globally - with around three per cent of the population known to be infected with the virus - it was also noted in this year's UNAIDS report as one which is making significant strides towards curtailing its prevalence within its borders.

"A ground-breaking study for UNAIDS led by the International Group on Analysis of trends in HIV prevalence and behaviours among young people shows that these countries with high burden of HIV have either achieved or are on track to achieve the international goal of reducing HIV prevalence among young people by 25 per cent in 2010, as agreed at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994," said the UNAID's "Outlook 2010" report released yesterday.

Sixteen out of 25 countries most affected by HIV/AIDS have seen HIV rates among young people fall - a "breakthrough essential for breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic," according to UNAIDS.

Those countries that have achieved the 25 per cent reduction goal already are: Botswana, Cote D'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Eighty per cent of young people living with HIV/AIDS live in sub Sahara Africa.

The Bahamas was identified as one of those countries "likely to achieve" the 25 per cent goal, along with Burundi, Lesotho, Rwanda, Swaziland and Haiti.

This news comes after Dr Perry Gomez, Director of the National HIV/AIDS Programme in The Bahamas revealed in a press conference in October 2009 that if infection trends seen in the early part of that year continued to year end there would be an overall rise in the number of new HIV infections in 2009 over the previous year.

At around the same time, Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis released the findings of a study involving public and private school students, between the ages of 15 and 17 in New Providence and the Family Islands, which he said showed that while some youngsters are knowledgeable about the deadly virus, many are not taking the necessary precautions to prevent it.

Following the study's findings, Dr Minnis suggested health policy-makers, planners and professionals must redouble their efforts to ensure that young people take HIV/AIDS as seriously as they should.

The Tribune could not reach Dr Gomez and Camille Barnett, President of the AIDS Foundation, for comment on the UNAIDS Outlook report yesterday.

UNAIDS' latest report on the state of the fight against the potentially deadly HIV/AIDS virus shows that countries that saw the greatest shift in the number of young people contracting the disease included Kenya, whose infection rates were down 60 per cent between 2000 and 2005; Ethiopia, where there was a 47 per cent change in HIV prevalence among pregnant young women in urban areas and 29 per cent in rural areas; Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire HIV where prevalence among pregnant urban young women declined by 56 per cent and Burundi and the Bahamas' near neighbour, Haiti, where prevalent dropped by around half.

The report said that in 13 countries, the declines in prevalence were associated with notable reported changes in behaviour among young people, such as waiting longer before they become sexually active and using condoms.

At present there are around 5 million young people living with HIV worldwide, making up about 40 per cent of new infections.

According to UNAIDS' estimates there were 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2008. In the same year there were nearly 2.7 million new HIV infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths.

The Bahamas recently signed on to become a beneficiary of the US President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which will allow the country to benefit from up to $2.5 million in grants from the US Government over the next three years towards fighting HIV/AIDS.

July 14, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Caricom SME — soon come

By ANTHONY GOMES




PRECIOUS little has been reported in the media about the outcome of the 31st meeting of Caricom Heads of Government in Montego Bay. Apart from the sparse attendance by Heads of Government that can only be described as disappointing, the meeting was successful in bringing to the fore the three cardinal issues that for years have haunted the agenda of the conference. These are the issues of governance, that is, leadership, difficulties with intra-Caricom trade, the selection of a new Caricom Secretary General and reform of the Secretariat.

However, we are encouraged by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar's expression of goodwill by promising to address several trade disputes existing between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The PM made reference to concerns about a "few perceived issues" related to the cost of production and inputs in both Trinidad and Jamaica, which would include the preferential cost of energy in Trinidad. She said, "We will assess and reassess and review, and where we can find amicable solutions that will endure and enure for the benefit of our people here in Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago."

The PM continued, "Now is not the time for the regional business community to be combative rather desperately, we need to join forces to impact in a sustainable way on the international scenario, so let us not in some ways concentrate on our differences and engage in warfare in the region." These remarks are well intentioned, indicating where the inquiry process should begin and the amicable attitude that should prevail.

The foregoing comments were well received and it is now clear that the PM is aware of our continued "bleating and bitching" about these "perceived issues" over the years. It is certainly not the intention to be "combative" as the issues at hand are legitimate trade problems encountered as part of our developing Caribbean trade regime, to be settled within the purview of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas without recourse to the World Trade Organisation, if possible.

The PM also gave advice on how the two states can enjoy successful commercial relationships. Three changes for improvement were recommended. First, engage in innovative improvements to their businesses. Second, create alliances between the business communities of both countries. Third, engage in meetings to discuss ways in which businesses could establish partnerships. These business liaisons are already in progress evidenced by the continuing investment by Trinidadian interests in new projects being developed in Jamaica. However, as the adage goes, "The largest room in the world is the room for improvement", and so we support and concur with the offered advice.

Regarding the paramount issue of governance, PM Golding as Chair of Caricom for the next six months said, "We acknowledge that there is an issue with governance, and we have not solved that problem. We are aware of the proposal to put in place a permanent executive commission or a group of commissioners who have executive powers and then, in effecting the decisions of heads, would translate it to a domestic legislation with a certain amount of automaticity. There is need for continuity and follow-up. There is need for coordination to ensure that those decisions can be implemented." We await the report of the sub-committee in January 2011 covering this key proposal for a Caribbean Commission. The issue of the inequitable terms of trade between the states has been dealt with above.

The selection of a successor to the Caricom Secretary General and reform of the Secretariat should be the subject of a Technical Working Group study. The world's largest current service industry is "bureaucracy" creating a multilayered structure comprising organs, bodies, treaty entities, installations and associate institutions in Caricom which excels in job creation but slows to a moribund pace of implementation of constructive decisions. To be relevant to Caricom today, it has to be reorganised from bottom up and turned into a lean, mean, multifaceted machine, equipped to manage the electronic speed of business today, without the "paper chase" that accompanies the conduct of the Secretariat's business dealings.

A point of high importance which passed unnoticed without comment, was reported by Rickey Singh in this newspaper on July 7, that referred to Trinidad's PM openly speaking about her government's reservations: "...as well as against a commitment to any form of political integration with the sub-region of the OECS as had been signalled by her predecessor, Patrick Manning." Such an outstanding rejection will surely reverberate throughout the Eastern Caribbean, but will reinforce Caricom's unity.

Mission: "The Caribbean Court of Justice shall perform to the highest standards as the supreme judicial organ in the Caribbean Community. In its Original Jurisdiction it insures uniform interpretation and applications of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, thereby underpinning and advancing the Caricom Single Market and Economy. As the final court of appeal for member states of the Caribbean Community, it fosters the development of an indigenous Caribbean Jurisprudence."

There should be no rush to enjoin the CCJ in its original jurisdiction on the sensitive issue of disadvantaged trade in Caricom. The issue could be resolved by dialogue, investigation and conciliation, given the goodwill and understanding expressed by Kamla Persad-Bissessar during her visit to Jamaica. As with all things temporal, should the critical path as suggested not succeed, then referral to the CCJ should be considered. It is sincerely hoped that such recourse would not come to pass.

July 14, 2010

jamaicaobserver

Bahamas Blog International

Haiti could be Caricom’s big chance

JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN



EVEN as our Caricom heads are projecting sweetness and light, their largest member state, Haiti, remains doubled over in pain from the January 12 earthquake.

For us UWI alumni, there was indeed a Caribbean oneness on campus that persists today in close friendships and marriages. Yet we have made little effort to promote this feeling of kinship among the general populace.

What a fantastic signal we would send to the world – “to the world!” – if we could make Haiti the focus of a Caricom-UWI restoration project. In last Thursday's New York Times three professors of engineering from the respected Georgia Tech wrote about the staggering volume of earthquake debris literally standing in the way of the country's recovery.

Reginald DesRoches, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Ozlem Ergun and Julie Swann, associate professors of industrial and systems engineering and codirectors of the Centre for Health and Humanitarian Logistics, described the monumental challenge left by an earthquake that took 300,000 lives and destroyed 280,000 homes and businesses.

“The quake left an astonishing amount of debris, including concrete and rebar from collapsed buildings, destroyed belongings and human remains,” they wrote. “Twenty million to 25 million cubic yards of debris fill the streets, yards, sidewalks and canals of Port-au-Prince.”

They said initial efforts were promising, but now there is little coordination of the clearing, funded by the European Union and USAID. “Haitians, at best, breaking concrete and loading trucks by hand and, at worst, just moving bricks from one side of a road to the other,” they commented. “Many workers lack masks or gloves. While this inefficient process may put money into the hands of Haitians, it only further slows rebuilding.”

They are calling for the United Nations, the World Bank and agencies like USAID, in conjunction with the Haitian government, to “create a task force focused on debris removal to coordinate the clean-up efforts of the hodgepodge of aid groups in the country.”

Caricom should blush that they are not even mentioned in this suggestion. Yet Haiti accounts for more than half of the population of Caricom – nine of 16 million, the total population of the 15-member states. Where could our region go if nine million of our poorest were finally put on a path to prosperity? Haitians are among the region's most talented artists and artisans. If you have ever seen the beautiful gates and rails in Haiti, you would realise how gauche most of our welders are here in Jamaica. The benefits would be mutual.

It is true that the University of the West Indies has turned out some of the finest engineers, many of whom are now senior executives in powerful international companies. It is true that UWI's graduates have written about the history of such heroes as Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian general who defeated Napoleon's army. It is very true that our campus has yielded the majority of heads of state in the English-speaking Caribbean – this same Caricom of which Haiti is a member state.

We have the resources and should most certainly have the heart to be the turning point for our neighbour. What a sea change it would be for our region, if all our heads of state galvanised their finest engineers and planners to make Haiti's recovery a speedy reality.

It can happen! Does the leadership of Caricom believe that it was a coincidence that for the first time, a UN Secretary General was in attendance at a Caricom Summit? Ban Ki Moon must have left Jamaica for Haiti with a heavy heart. I am sure he was hoping he would have had a more positive and dynamic plan from these distinguished leaders to take to the battered Haitians.

What is more, the restoration of Haiti could address the huge problem of joblessness in the region. Our school leavers could learn valuable lessons from an energetic stint in Haiti, working as part of a professionally planned mission to rebuild the country.

The Georgia Tech professors believe it can be done. “The task force should identify critical facilities, like hospitals and schools, and the roads that approach them, to clear first,” they suggest. “It should lay down environmental regulations for debris disposal and landfill management, and regulate the use of cash-forwork programmes. There's no reason these can't continue, but more of the money should be allocated to bringing in heavy equipment and expertise. This kind of task force would serve as a model for future disasters.”

How can it be that 27 states of Europe with a population of over 500 million could arrive at a legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2009, while our 15 small states of Caricom still cannot come to such an agreement? Why are we still acting like crabs in a barrel, even as we stand close and smiling for the photo-op? It is the EU that is helping Haiti while we preside over our persistent poverty. The UWI that I attended certainly did not subscribe to such values. Let us do what we promised ourselves we would, as brave young graduates. By challenging ourselves to create a new Caribbean, we can indeed change the world.

Hasta la vista, World Cup

By the time this column goes to press, the whistle would have signalled the end of an exciting and heart-stopping World Cup. I must confess I shed tears when Ghana came so close to beating Uruguay but lost their nerve in that final minute. Like most Jamaicans, I had been backing Brazil, even when my husband Hubie declared from the begining that Spain would be the champions. Since this goes to press before the final, I can only hope Spain has won, as Hubie takes these results very seriously. In spite of the French debacle, we can say that we saw a splendid World Cup, and we were hugely proud of South Africa who proved to be magnificent hosts. See you in Brazil in 2014!

RJR's 60th

We have been enjoying the nostalgic programming on RJR94 as the radio station celebrates its 60th anniversary. We owe a debt to this media house for preserving high standards in every aspect of their business. Thanks to Alan Magnus and Dorraine Samuels for helping us to start each day on a positive note, and journalists like Earl Moxam and Dionne Jackson-Miller who have kept the station “consistently credible”. Kudos to Chairman JA Lester Spaulding for his visionary leadership through the years.

lowrie-chin@aim.com


lowrie-chin.blogspot.com

July 12, 2010

jamaicaobserver

Bahamas Blog International

Kamla was the star of the Montego Bay summit... but

by Oscar Ramjeet:


Kamla Persad Bissessar, the new prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago definitely stole the show at the recently concluded summit of CARICOM Heads of State at Montego Bay, Jamaica, not only for her nimble dance moves, and calypso relics, but for her tough, no nonsense talk, and sympathy shown to the unfortunate abandoned, mental and AIDS children at the "Mustard Seed"

The 58-year-old attorney, who spent 14 years of her life in Jamaica as a student and teacher, said that she was a Caribbean woman, but made it quite clear she would not be dishing out money to assist regional countries as was done by her predecessor, Patrick Manning. Issuing the Jamaican politicos with a stern warning, "Move from mi stall, unna think is a ATM machine dis."

Press reports from Kingston state that Kamla, who went on her first tour as prime minister, quickly became the darling of the region by singing and dancing at the "Jamaica night" party, when she swept into the dance floor immediately after her arrival and, minutes after, she grabbed the microphone and sang the lyrics of "One Love", the Bob Marley anthem that had formed part of her campaign repertoire for the May 24 elections.

However, after pointing out the constraints on the economy at home, she made it quite clear at the Summit that the twin island republic will no longer carry the bag with the goodies, but would rather seek relationships with her Caribbean partners that "pull their weight" rather than those who seek handouts.

She told her colleagues that she will withdraw her country's funding for several regional programmes, which include patrol and surveillance in the region to develop stronger and more effective countermeasures to the incursions of the drug trade. She also told businessmen at a luncheon that she would "find amicable solutions" to the issues between business operating in both countries.

She urged Jamaican and Trinidad and Tobago's business leaders to participate in a three-pronged effort to drive innovative improvements, deepen alliances between each nation's business communities and to explore more meaningful partnerships.

The former attorney general also said that there was need to join forces to impact in a sustainable way on the international scenario and added, “So let us not in some ways concentrate on our differences and engage in warfare in the region."

The Guardian newspaper, in an editorial on Sunday, stated, "It is incumbent on the Prime Minister and her Trade Minister to ensure that there is adequate follow through on her promises to defuse the source of those differences and review the complaints of Jamaican manufacturers and exporters in the best interests of developing strong regional trade partners."

Persad Bissesssar made it clear at the Summit that Trinidad and Tobago would be retiring from its role as Caribbean financial godfather in favour of regimes that engaged more co-operative regional efforts at driving the many initiatives of CARICOM that have languished over the years.

But former Caribbean diplomat, business consultant and regional commentator, Sir Ronald Sanders, took issue with Kamla for her ATM machine utterance, contending that "such statements would not endear Trinidad and Tobago to the rest of the CARICOM countries, nor would it encourage citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to regard other CARICOM citizens with anything but contempt."

In fact, Sir Ronald went further to state, "In reality, the relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and other CARICOM countries, particularly the small nations of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is far more beneficial than is conveyed by the analogy of the ‘ATM machine’. Other CARICOM countries are a lucrative protected market for Trinidad and Tobago manufactured products and financial services under CARICOM Treaty. Were it not for the membership of CARICOM, those countries could purchase most of what they buy from Trinidad and Tobago at cheaper prices elsewhere in the world."

July 12, 2010

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog International