This thread got me thinking about government, regulation and Haiti.
I haven't been back from Haiti long enough to feel as though I have
particularly coherent thoughts about the significance and opportunity posed
by the earthquake, but a few ideas have begun to take hold.
Like many poor nations in our hemisphere, Haiti has lived under a
combination of highly centralized government with little regulatory
authority or trade barriers. The theory, or at least the defense, of the
lack of regulation was that free market forces would allow the nation's
people opportunities to bootstrap new businesses, etc. Yet the reality is
that its wealthy trading partners have tended to reinforce the concentration
of wealth in the hands of a small minority. Simple example -
U.S.-government subsidized rice has undercut the local farmers' prices, yet
in the name of free markets, no trade barriers or subsidies are in place...
so Haiti imports more than half of its food, even though it was a very
fertile country. There have been no environmental regulations, so the Haiti
half of Hispaniola is almost entirely deforested, the trees having been cut
down to make charcoal for people to cook on. Deforestation led to run-off
that washed the topsoil into the ocean, greatly reducing that fertility.
And the topsoil killed most of the coral reefs near the island, so fishing
has also become far more difficult.
The lack of regulation regarding building - there were no building codes -
resulted in a huge percentage of the buildings collapsing or undergoing
severe damage. Wanna see some of what I saw?
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/arnett.nick?v=photos
As I said, my thoughts on Haiti are not especially coherent yet, but it
seems like Haiti's major partners - the U.S., Canada and France -- are in
favor of democracy at home, but not in Haiti. It seems like we are in favor
of trade barriers and subsidies at home, but not in Haiti.
The earthquake was the worst natural disaster in the western hemishere -
ever - and hit the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. And it left
Haiti even more vulnerable than it was, with perhaps as many as 2 million
people without permanent shelter and nowhere to go if a hurricane hits.
There is opportunity for real change in this disaster. Haiti is forced to
start over in many ways and perhaps this time, we, its friends and
neighbors, can help create something better.
Nick
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