21607: Walton: RE: 21582: (Chamberlain) Haiti-US (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "Walton, Robert" <robert.walton3@us.army.mil>

RE:  Entrepreneurs must "turn the Haitian masses into real consumers," Foley
said. Salaries seldom top the mandatory $2 a day, while half the work force
is unemployed or tries to get by with odd jobs.

I propose that the Haitian government enact a system of corporate taxes or
legislation that would recognize the people's right to a living wage and end
exploitation of the people be foreign corporate interests.  Bottom line is
that people ARE NOT LESS IMPORTANT than corporate profits and that
corporations/businesses have an obligation to be of benefit the country that
houses them.


RE: Foley's speech, delivered in elegant French, drew much applause but some
hostility.
"I think it is time now to accept your responsibility and admit you made a
mistake in making us suffer 10 years of Aristide," said businessman Philippe
Villedrouin.  He was referring to President Bill Clinton's deployment of
20,000 troops to Haiti in 1994 to end a brutal military dictatorship,
restore Aristide to power and halt an exodus of tens of thousands of boat
people.

IMHO Foley or Villedrouin were not praising the dictatorship but suggesting
that the Haitian people chose its replacement unwisely.

IMHO, Aristide was the people's unfortunate choice to replace a dictatorship
that NEEDED to go away. Now, both are gone and it's time to start anew.  I
consider Aristide more inept and ineffective than evil.  He could not
control the corrupt and powerful men in his own party, allowing the country
to be run for their benefit.