My little criticism of Ortega

[B5C]

As Ortega gets elected for a third term. What really grinds my gears is what I saw on the Travel Channel's "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations." He showed a clip of the waste pickers of Managua who spend all their days collecting trash just to earn a living to feed their families. Children and generations of familys spend their days just picking trash for just dollars a day. DOLLARS! :cursing:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/12/3/1291382383716/Wastepickers-at-landfill--004.jpghttp://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/12/3/1291382385035/Wastepickers-at-landfill--005.jpg

Yes, I do know that Anythony Bourdain is a libertarian, so he will be very anti-Ortega. Yet it should not let me be blinded to see such people picking trash for a living. Is government of Ortega really ignoring them or not a priority? Ortega being the man of the poor. Well he is not really showing me that he is supporting these people. I can not find any info through the internet on Ortega's plan about these waste pickers.

I mostly find these groups are protesting city's idea to install incenrators to remove the trash. This group protested to the UN to let them CONTINUE picking trash for life.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/dec/03/1#/?picture=369336932&index=0
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/03/scavengers-leave-dumps-to-speak-out-on-un-stage/

What is Nicaragua or Ortega doing to solve this? :unsure:

[citizen of industry]

Thousands of Australians turn to dumpster diving for free groceries:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/national/watch/23167004/248153/3/

Guatemala's trash 'minors' risk lives to find gold
http://news.yahoo.com/guatemalas-trash-miners-risk-lives-gold-172213176.html

This shit happens all over the globe, wherever there is poverty. Does Anthony Bourdain cover trash minors or dumpster divers in every country he goes to, or only when the travel channel execs wants to make a political statement?

What's far more pathetic is when you see it in developed countries, with massive production, stores stocked full of products, and unbelievable wealth concentration, like in the US.

[citizen of industry]

Also, you might not have had this problem in Nicaragua if the CIA hadn't done everything in their power to undermine the regime, including outright invasion and murder by the contras, instead of leaving them alone to develop their economy.

[RGacky3]

This sort of poverty is all over the place, it happens in brazil, it happens in the US, you have to look at the big picture.

[B5C]

Just because it happens everywhere is not a good excuse.

[Seth]

I don't see what you're getting at.

Ortega runs a capitalist state, coalitions with rightists, and is by no means radical today, not even like, say, Chavez.

[B5C]

This shit happens all over the globe, wherever there is poverty. Does Anthony Bourdain cover trash minors or dumpster divers in every country he goes to, or only when the travel channel execs wants to make a political statement?


I don't know, but what I have read. He is a immigrant right supporter, so seeing the poor like this make him angry.

[Franz Fanonipants]

an insightful view on the world from the Pacific Northwest

[tir1944]

Ortega is a socdem at best.Not a communist,that is.

[Franz Fanonipants]

I mostly find these groups are protesting city's idea to install incenrators to remove the trash. This group protested to the UN to let them CONTINUE picking trash for life.

comrade if i found your lifestyle disgusting i would be puzzled by your insistence on maintaining it.

[B5C]

Here is the video:

-MVXAWBXjKA

I don't know about his claim about Ortega's personal's wealth. I can't find any information on that. Yet if Ortega has tons of wealth and not giving it back. I would be mad.

[Robocommie]

I like Anthony Bourdain's show but mostly when he talks about food. Some of his political commentaries seem starkly tone-deaf and annoying, if not outright infuriating. The show on Cuba was interesting in many ways, but Bourdain's own commentaries on how Cuba didn't live up to his expectations was really pretty stupid. He'd comment on how Cuba didn't have internet cafes and that average everyday people couldn't afford to eat at the fancy cafes he was eating at, even though he had already expressed admiration for the way that Cuba handles healthcare, homelessness and malnutrition.

Fucking priorities, man.

It's particularly ludicrous if you think of how more "prosperous" countries in Latin America or the Caribbean, countries which benefit from more extensive trade relations with the outside world, tend to have unbelievably squalid slums and rural peasants living in tin shacks and scraping by with subsistence farming. Right-wingers talk about what socialism has done to Cuba, but they never mention what capitalism has done to the rest of the Caribbean.

[RGacky3]

Just because it happens everywhere is not a good excuse.


Being mad that there is still poverty in Nigeragua, without looking at the history of nigeragua, is like being mad at a 8 year old for not being able to dunk, its stupid. What did you expect? Ortega to wave his magic wand and turn a country from the third world into the first world instantly?

[Franz Fanonipants]

because there aren't people who make a living digging through AMERICAN trash amirite guys?

[Red Commissar]

I don't know, but what I have read. He is a immigrant right supporter, so seeing the poor like this make him angry.

Ortega shed his 'radical' positioning at some point by the late 1980s. He may have had some ideas in his head when he first joined FSLN with others. It may be worth noting that by the end of their time in office and getting voted out due to the economic mess brought about by the Contras and embargoes, the party retained much of the confiscated proprieties for their own use to sustain themselves. This led some of the FSLN to end up becoming big landowners themselves!

By the time he came back into office, he was a bonafide capitalist and sell out. He has some rather conservative social views in line with the FSLN's 'opening' to the Church, and economically he has more or less implemented neo-liberal reforms to encourage economic growth in Nicaragua- essentially keeping wages low. There's also some changes to the tax code that keeps more money to the wealthy, and the establishment of special economic zones to boot. And they get a cut of that.

Ortega's support drawn from the poor is more opportunistic. They have a tough pill to swallow- the rich bags from the conservative groups, or Ortega who is trying to 'help' them?Kind of like how here stateside a lot of candidates claim to be on the side of the 'working class' or the 'middle-class', what ever rosy image they decide to conjure. He utilizes a lot of populist banter but little of it is seen as a result- even Chavez manages better than that. Though Chavez has built strong ties with Ortega, I suppose for the purpose of having someone with a lot of 'history' in the heyday of leftist movements in Latin America back in the day.

I don't generally link Al Jazeera articles but they had a piece on Ortega's political evolution over time:

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/11/2011117173951437487.html

We must keep in mind Nicaragua's history though, considering how thoroughly fucked up it has become from imperialism. But at the same time I don't think Ortega is acting currently with the aims of the people in mind, just his political career by this point. But I don't think we can blame him exclusively for poverty- it would be there with or with out him and the FLSN.

[B5C]

I know some of the history of the country, but I don't like people living in these conditions. I sure know capitalism will never help them.

[RGacky3]

I know some of the history of the country, but I don't like people living in these conditions.

No one does, but you can't put that on Ortega.

[dodger]

Follow the link...another facet of life.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/oct/08/health.lifeandhealth

DOESN'T NEED COMMENT FROM ME............

[Judicator]

I thought they weren't too bad....
http://www.wheatintolerance.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ortega_white_corn.jpg

[Belleraphone]

I have toured various Latin American countries when I worked on a mission, the leftist governments in Latin America have offered new hopes for the people and have alleviated so many terrible conditions, but the Nicaraguan government is by far the worst of these governments. I'm not sure I would call it leftist, the government just takes rich peoples houses and then just gives those houses to high ranking people in government. I don't have a problem with seizing the rich's property, but they're not putting it to good use and are motivated more by greed than desire to help the poor.

Crime is also awful in Nicaragua. Women have to take off their earnings because some criminals will literally cut off a woman's ear and run, then later they'll pick out the earnings and throw the ear away.

[B5C]

Crime is also awful in Nicaragua. Women have to take off their earnings because some criminals will literally cut off a woman's ear and run, then later they'll pick out the earnings and throw the ear away.

From what I have read. Nicaragua is one of the safest in Latin America.