What a disgrace the Northern Highway between Belize City and Ladyville has become. In fact, it has become the symbol for the sorry state of the country we live in.
When it is dry it becomes a dust bowl. When it is raining it becomes a swamp. In between, it is a mixture of potholes, badly patched tarmac, half-fixed tarmac and Indianapolis speedway for buses, taxis and blue plated vehicles. If this is not just like our country, what is? Everything is falling down, while the few elite breeze on through. GOB attempts to patch itself, but it keeps raining on them, and bigger holes soon appear. When it does stop raining, they are so relieved that they forget to work on the issues that cause the disrepair in the first place.
As we continue to dodge countless potholes and drive through chassis high salt water on a regular basis, we must wonder...are we really living in a country moving forward? Where are our priorities? And shouldn't the highest priority be to fix the one piece of road in the country that is not only the most driven, but the first stretch of road that visitors, investors and the IMF see? The people that keep Belize going.
We've thrown down millions for a now trash littered Marine Parade, but those tour buses still have to chug through the eyesore we call "Friendship Street". They still drive on the stretch of road that is a killing field for pedestrians and motorists. Several years ago, someone coined the term Kamikazi Junction. Well, this road should be called Snipers Alley. Every time you take a drive on this road, you are risking your life, dodging holes, vehicles, people, water and even the odd real bullet. Mostly we avoid all the perils, but occasionally we fall in that big new hole and never come out. Will Belize finally fall into a really big hole and never come out? Some would argue that we already have.
Lets fix the road, fix ourselves, and fix our country. We deserve it. Our children deserve it.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
What about made in Belize
"Seven years ago Belize imported three hundred and sixty two million dollars in goods from the USA. Today that number has increased by one hundred million"
I was reading the transcript of the news this weekend and this statement jumped out and smacked me across the face. $ 462, 000, 000. 00. That's a lot!
It brought to mind an old conversation I had with my father years ago about entrepreneurship. My father taught me that entreprenuership was the key to economic success. Sure, we, as a nation, could import most anything we could ever desire. In this global village ruled by personal desire, self gratification, greed, and capitilism, the sky is the limit. Hell, for $20 million, even a flight in space is up for grabs. But when we do for ourselves, by ourselves, we improve ourselves. Which is exactly how these big countries got the point of security that they are now. {and by stealing the natural resources of other countries for hundreds of years, but I won't go down that path today}
Taking an analytical view of economic trade from Belize's standpoint, let me outline the steps to get Heinz Ketchup or Nike Air sneakers to our favorite country. First, we must buy foreign currency - at a lost, might I add. After the sales transaction, we must then ship these things to our shores, increasing our carbon footprint in the world, whilst shouldering the ever-increasing cost of fuel. After various taxes for... I don't know what, the consumer then has the joy of purchasing the item. Which may remain on the shelf for years... expire... but never ever go on sale.
Why import things that we can produce for ourselves in Belize? Self-sufficiency is the path we should walk to our development. The global market is so prone to fluxuations. When a needle falls on a sweat shop in China, we feel the reprucussions here for a long time. Making things for ourselves in our own country protects us from the global tides, that storm sometimes for reasons that economist find out only after the fact.
Buy Belizean goods... if you have a little idea for a business, start small and don't stop. Try your best. Believe in Belize and let's try to keep some of that $462, 000, 000.00 here within our own shores. America certainly doesn't need it, and we do.
Let's start a dialouge... looking forward to your comments.
I was reading the transcript of the news this weekend and this statement jumped out and smacked me across the face. $ 462, 000, 000. 00. That's a lot!
It brought to mind an old conversation I had with my father years ago about entrepreneurship. My father taught me that entreprenuership was the key to economic success. Sure, we, as a nation, could import most anything we could ever desire. In this global village ruled by personal desire, self gratification, greed, and capitilism, the sky is the limit. Hell, for $20 million, even a flight in space is up for grabs. But when we do for ourselves, by ourselves, we improve ourselves. Which is exactly how these big countries got the point of security that they are now. {and by stealing the natural resources of other countries for hundreds of years, but I won't go down that path today}
Taking an analytical view of economic trade from Belize's standpoint, let me outline the steps to get Heinz Ketchup or Nike Air sneakers to our favorite country. First, we must buy foreign currency - at a lost, might I add. After the sales transaction, we must then ship these things to our shores, increasing our carbon footprint in the world, whilst shouldering the ever-increasing cost of fuel. After various taxes for... I don't know what, the consumer then has the joy of purchasing the item. Which may remain on the shelf for years... expire... but never ever go on sale.
Why import things that we can produce for ourselves in Belize? Self-sufficiency is the path we should walk to our development. The global market is so prone to fluxuations. When a needle falls on a sweat shop in China, we feel the reprucussions here for a long time. Making things for ourselves in our own country protects us from the global tides, that storm sometimes for reasons that economist find out only after the fact.
Buy Belizean goods... if you have a little idea for a business, start small and don't stop. Try your best. Believe in Belize and let's try to keep some of that $462, 000, 000.00 here within our own shores. America certainly doesn't need it, and we do.
Let's start a dialouge... looking forward to your comments.
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