The Splinter In Haiti's Eye...

[WhiskeyGirl]

After the horror, the first cries heard around the globe "Don't send money to Haiti's government"  and "corruption".

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, co-host of Wednesday's meeting, said the United States would pledge $1.15 billion for long-term recovery, which she said must be planned and executed by Haiti's government.

"Aid is important but aid has never saved a country. Our goal must be the empowerment of the Haitian people. They're the ones who will carry on the work of rebuilding Haiti long after our involvement has ended," she said.

more here - http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100331/ts_nm/us_haiti_un

So, how does Obama build America?  Though welfare and debt.

The aid and debt has been building for decades, and it just leaves devastation in it's wake.

Increasing violence, drug abuse, poverty, ignorance...

Why does Washington see the splinter in Haiti's eye, and not the wooden stake in their own?

America needs to rebuild.  America doesn't need to reload the welfare programs.

Welfare doesn't build nations, it destroys them.

Americans need to be empowered.

For some reason, Washington doesn't see the wooden stake in it's own eye.

jmho

[WhiskeyGirl]

"Can Bill Clinton Keep Corruption In Haiti In Check?"

Because Bill Clinton’s role has been so paramount in pressing for proper management, sound planning, and accountability from the Haitian government, the UN has placed a great deal of power in his hands. He will be co-chairing a special commission to oversee rebuilding efforts, along with Haiti’s Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellarive.

Significant concerns have been raised by the Haitian’s governments corruption. Millions of dollars for stabilizing the situation in Haiti and to build infrastructure that has been put in the hands of Haitians officials have disappeared. This happens quite often and the UN, the US, and everyone else knows about it. The world cannot afford to give $11 billion for the “smart reconstruction” of Haiti and have it go into the pockets of wealthy Haitians in the government. I think the public outrage over how much more chaotic the situation in Haiti has gotten after the earthquake demands for a system where every penny donated can be accounted for.

The US is trillions in debt.  No one knows where the stimulus money went, the job money went, and there is no stimulus, just more Obama debt.

Can Obama account for every penny of the stimulus?  TARP? 

Money disappeared in Washington, the debt remaining forever on the backs of Americans.

more here - http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/03/31/can-bill-clinton-keep-corruption-in-haiti-in-check/

my opinions.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Preventing Corruption

Prevention means making government systems, such as procurement, more resistant to dishonest officials and bribe-giving business people. Corruption follows a formula:

C = M + D – A.

Corruption equals monopoly plus discretion minus accountability. Corruption flourishes when someone has monopoly power over a good or service, has the discretion to decide how much you get or whether you get it at all, and has no accountability.

To prevent corruption, monopoly powers have to be reduced and competition increased. Discretion in official actions must be circumscribed. Accountability must be enhanced, through performance indicators and feedback from citizens, businesses, and public officials themselves.

Prevention also recognizes that corruption is a crime of calculation, not a crime of passion. Reforms must change the risk-reward calculations of those who might give bribes and those who might receive them. Salaries should be somewhat competitive with the private sector—perhaps 80 percent is a good norm for senior levels of government. Once salaries for top officials are “reasonable,” reformers should emphasize improving information about performance and the incentives attending good and bad performance.

All these points should be part of Haiti’s reconstruction and development plans. But they won’t be enough in the context of deeply corrupt systems of government. Beyond strengthening the legitimate institutions of government, the task is how to weaken the illegitimate institutions of corruption.

Subverting Corruption

In Haiti, corruption is not the activity of a few rogue officials or politicians. The right metaphor here is not cowboy corruption but organized crime. Take procurement. Corrupt deals have arisen through well-organized arrangements. Some bidders collude, and then working with government officials that award the contracts, approve change orders, and make payments. Political protection is in play.

Once corruption becomes systemic, we have to go beyond prevention to subversion Subverting corruption means understanding corrupt systems, identifying their weak points, and going after them using the tools from fighting organized crime.

First, it is important to understand how organized corruption works. Take procurement, for example. How are corrupt buyers and sellers found and matched? How do they make and enforce their implicit contracts? What footprints do their illicit transactions create, and how do they try to cover them up?

    Axel Dreher and his colleagues estimate that corruption is responsible for a reduction of 58 percent in per capita income in Latin America and the Caribbean.

To find the answers, ask the people. Citizens know where corruption affects them, from getting driver’s licenses to receiving public services. Lawyers understand the workings of corruption in legal systems. Accountants know the illicit games played with audits. Business people understand how corrupt systems of tendering work.

Surprisingly, public servants will explain how corrupt systems work, as long as the questions asked focus on systems and not individuals and as long as they can speak confidentially.

more here - http://american.com/archive/2010/march/tackling-corruption-in-haiti-is-possible-heres-how

Can bribes to government workers take the form of benefits?  Pensions?  Health insurance? 

IndyMac special deals?

TARP?

American debt and taxes, unending under Obama?  Perpetual?  Poverty for generations?

[Edward]

Obama found the right guys for Bribes and payoff favors.