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Show The Salt Lake Tribune Ag July 23, 2002 OPINIO Balaguer’s Death Marks Endof an Era for Dominican Republic WASHINGTON When I went to interview Joaquin Balaguer in his presidential office in Santo Domingo in the late 1960s, | walked into the room and looked around in bewilderment for a few moments, unable to find anyone there. Then I sensed the stir ofa presence andquiteliterally, old Spanish-style caudillos, those big mete guys who devastated women GEORGIE ANNE GEYER and spellbound the masses. Juan Peron or Fidel Castro he was not Joaquin Balaguer was something else. find behind it a man so small and seemingly timid that all I could see were his eyes andthetopofhis head. Yet, when Dominican Republic President Balaguer died this week at 95, he was hailed as one of the hemi. sphere’s classic “strongmen,” as the “last caudillo.” as either a “moderator”of Dominican polities or a “ruthless politician” who carried the Trujillo dictatorship onward long after it was dead. And most of that time he was blind anddeaf. Joaquin Balaguer ruled the Caribbean nation of 8 million people through more than six presidential terms, which added up to an astounding 22 years. He outlasted all his Latin American contemporaries except Cuban President Fidel Castro and, in even thelast weekofhis life, when he could stand for only 10 minutes at a time, he pushed through legislation that would havepermitted him to run UNNEASAL PRESS SYNDICATE midnight in Santo Domingo,but even in death, he was a man hard to categorize ideologically or theoretically. Hewas thecat’s-pawofthe horrid and hated dictator, Generalissimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, until Trujillo's as- sassination in i961. Afterward, Bal- iy translating whatever thoughts he has (think of Fidel Castro and his Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez) But in larger part, Balaguer was the Caribbean’s, and maybe the hemi sphere’s, “last patron.” or boss or pa triarch, the last leader who gained his power through political subterfuge. but also through manipulating and consoling — the problemsofthe poor aguer insisted upon seeing himself as the bridge to Dominican democracy. and making them thinkhe alone un derstood them. But he hated and moved to destroythe real democrats, such as black Dominleader Jose Francisco Pena Gomez. ily home, an old Spanish mansion in downtown Santo Domingo, and Balaguer wrote book after book and prided himself on his vast library and his intellectual pretensions but one of the books started out, “Trujillo is God and Godis Trujillo.” He never married and never had anychildren — at least, they whisper, legitimate ones. for presidentyetagain. Who exactly, then, was this odd, Tens of thousands cametohis fu- ingrown,intense Caribbean leader? neral ceremonies that lasted past He did not look anything like the T remember once goingtohis fam. one left to buy when someonewants to sell,” Greenspan said. “Thetrouble is NEWSDAY Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said last week that the nation’s corporate culture has become thevictim,if that's the word,ofanattitude of “infectious greed.” This was Greenspan's most successful exercise in phrase coining since he warned in late 1996 that the stock market had become the victim of “irrational exuberance.” IT suppose this raises the question of whether we moved from point A to pointB,from exuberance to greed, as part of some inexorable process the chairman should have seen clearly and might have warned us about. In a memorable speech to the National Association of Business Economists in 1997, Greenspan explained how bull markets cometo an end. “What tends to happen is that everyonegets increasingly bullish and everyoneis committed and there’s no that the person whois standing next to the market and sneezesatthe time is goingto find out that his sneeze caused the price fall.” The most recent market declines were different, however. They have roots in the corporate rot that has producedscandalafter scandal at ma jor corporations, each seeming to top the other with nausea-inducing find- ings of misconduct and fraud. This might actuallybe good, ifit meant that reassuring the markets was as simple as reforming the corporateculture. But the collapse of stock prices has deeperand moredisturbing roots. One is the financing of campaigns, which has become socostly that it robs the political process of anypretense ofinnocence. If Enron was the largest single benefactorof President Bush, then the collapse of that company andits association with the president spreads a lack of confidence that becomes annot deny that the past Dominican Republic women of the country poor. He was perfectleade suffering and frightened women. He “Twas in Ger current Dominican ¢ Washington, he nad, and then write note about the person’s problem andhandit to one of his aides. In those same years, the quintessentially modern leader of the D.R., infectious andself-feeding. Another factor is the income gaps that have become moreglaring in the past 10 years. These are measurable in a number of ways, not the least of which are the widening distances between the rich and the poor, between middle class and super-rich. Another is in the gap between corporate executives and workers on the shop floor that has been fed by stock options, golden parachutes and excessive executive compensation packages that have remade America on less egali- tarian model. Bush's 2001 tax cut al! but guaranteed these gaps will widen. Anotherdepressingfactor: the sus: picion that excessive deregulation is oneofthe causes ofall these corporate scandals. This underminesthe widely held view that the unprecedented prosperity of the 1990s was thedirect result of a deregulatcry process that began in the 1970s in theairline industry, flowered under President Ronald Reagan and became economic Bosch and“d now Jo:sp “Now we just have Ber who do we seemed to sympathize with them, but he was not a macho who wouldsexu ally threaten them. In fact. after he was elected president for thefirst time in 1966, he took the extraordin step of appointing women to all 23 of the governors’ posts. whohad been waiting on the streets for hours to see him. Only he pos: sessed powerto help them! When they finally got to him, thelittle Balaguer, with his pop-eyes, would hold their hands andnod in that frightened way Balaguer rizon anymore though Chavez understood that women could play a very importa to usurp theold role. Andthat is essentially good. for it means that the try, Politician Balaguer was merely an opportunist. “His oniy objectivein life of leaders takes hold andthis gen erationis technocraticallytrained but politically untested the drama and memory of the hemispherearestill in the handsofthe larger-than-life menof wastostayin power,” Bernardo Vega. the past orthodoxy in the ‘90s. Oneresult was competing House sion, which is generally regarded as weaker. role in calming the violent passion then present in the country To the true democrats of the coun that corporations were effectively shielded from being sued by their own shareholders. In a bow to corporate America, Congress, overriding Presi- Thefirst of the majorpolls to reflect the most recent scandals are now coming in. In oneof them, 58 percent of dent Bill Clinton's veto, approved measure making respondents a it . for shareholders to file such suits on the corporate rot that has grounds that many produced scandal after cans felt business has were frivolous. In fact, the victim of one such suit filed last summer was you guessed it World. Com. Before it could come totrial, World. Com collapsed when 2 scandalat mejor corporations, each too muchinfluence on Bush. In his testimony seeming to top the other with nausea-inducing findings of misconduct andfraud. inflated its bottom lion in operating Israel effectively secures NATO's southeastern flank, without having a single Americansoldier sta tionedin its territory. Still, the superb military installations, the air and sea lift capabilities, the with NATO and over 30,000 U.S. Meanwhile, Bush pink thatthe Senate “has he’s tickled acted nowon a toughbill that shares mygoals.” But he also has spoken warmly of a Celebrate the Days of “47 Rodeoat The Gateway’s st Annual Sidewalk Sale. Enjoy country bands, bullfighter appearances and ofcourse, great summer clearance bargains. Pick up your Daysof “47 Rodeo Discount Coupons and calendar ofevents at The GatewayConcierge. troops in the Far East. In contrast, not onesingle U.S. soldier needs to bestationed and put at risk in Israel. U.S. military analysts estimate that the U.S. would haveto spend the equivalent of $150billiona year in the Middle This ad has been published and paid for by FLAME He confessed error. “My view was always that accountants knew or had to know that the market value the view that regulation of accounting vas and indeed most inappropriate.” “T was wrong,” Greenspansaid equipment and food storagecapacity, and the trained manpower to maintain and repair sophisti East to maintain a force equivalent toIsrael's. There are many other benefits that the U.S. militaryderives fromIsrael. Israelis the only countrythat has gained battle field experience with U.S. weapons. This experience is immediately conveyed tothe U.S. Enormous quantities of cap tured Soviet weapons and defense systems wereturned over tothe U.S. military for analysis. Israel,in thelight ofits experience, continually modifies U.S. weapons systems, For instance, Israeli scientists have madeover 200 improve ments in the F-15 alone and similar improvements, mostly inavionics, in later-generation planes. It would be morein line with reality if military aid to Israel were classified as part of the defense budget,rather thanas “aid”. Israe!is truly ‘America's unsinkable aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Former President Reaganput it well: “Thefall of tran has increased Isroe!'s value as perhaps the only remaining strategic asset in the region on which the United States can fully rely.” Americanaid toIsrael is a two-way street. Aid to Israel is America’s greatest defensebargain East PO. Bax 590359 @ San Francisco,CA 94159 Gerardo Jotte, President ast week, Greenspan 4 something rare. aa he said. Becauseofthis, he had held expenses. What are the facts? The only democratic country in the Middle East. Israelis the only genuinely democratic state in the Middle East, It is committed to freedom and equality, and the ruleof law. It embodies the funda mental values that are in tune with those of America andthat America hastraditionally supported Israel’s military andpolitical importance in the Middle East and its troopsare stationed »usiness. Even ; percent of Republi of their companies rested ontheintegrity of their operations,” line by improperly reclassifying $3.9 bil Israel and Egypt are the two largest recipients of U.S. aid. Forits “participation”in the Gulf War, Egypt was forgiven its indebtedness of $9 billion. Israel pays its bills. It receives §2.8 billion every year. Of that amount, $2.0 billion is for military aid and $0.8 billion for economic aid. It’s fair to ask whether this is a good deal for the Americantaxpayer. Over 300,000 U.S. said the Republican Party was primarily interested much moredifficut hey have roots in the jn” protecting big Aid to Far East. in Latin America, al. a few, like President Hugo in Venezuela, are trying hard Latin American peopleare growing up and needneitherdictators nor patrons anymore. Yet until a new generation Does the U.S. get its money’s worth? rent forces in the eastern Mediter ranean lo era. We noware cauidillo-less. Wesee no audillos on the ho- Roberto recalled to me this week, ‘and the Germanswerejust amazed. But Pres: ident this is thedeath of the You deservea factuallook a cated U.S. equipmentare instantly at handinIsrael It is the only country in the area that makesitself available tothe United States, in any contingency Only fraction ofaid stays in Israel. There is no other country in the Middle East except Israel that can be considered to have a stable government or populace friendly to the United States, There is much danger that anymilitary aid to Arab countries, and military equip ment givenor sold to strategic position sta “Americanaid to Israelis a them, will suffer the same two-waystreet. Aid to Israel is America’s bilize the entirearea, fare as the untold billions greatest defense bargain.” includingthe oil fields ofdollars and priceless of the Persian Gulf military secrets that were During the Cold War, it was America’s indispens. Jost toour enemies in the debacleof Iran. Is Saudi Arabia able rampart against the inroads and expansionist morestable? Egypr? Jordan? Kuwait? Judge for yourself! ambitionsof the Soviet Union. It is now a western Only a fractionof theaid given stays in Israel, By bulwark against the aggressive intents of Iran, fur thelargest shareremains with American defense Iraq, andotherbellicose nations that threatenthe contractors. Peter McPherson, former administrator interests of the United States. It is a most reliable ofthe Agency for International Development, esti partner in the promotion of Westernstrategic mated thatevery billiondollars ofaid to Israel cre interests and inthe stabilization of the Middle ates 60,000 to 70,000 jobs in the United States. East. Over 20% ofits budget goes for defense Comparedto the $2.0 billion yearly military aid to compared to 7% in the U.S. andless than 1% in Israel, the U.S. contributes more than $130billion(!) Japan. Israel has one ofthebest armiesinthe every year to thedefense of Europe and more than world, Its navy and air force are the major deter $30billion to the defenseof Japan, Korea, and the illegiti ower by er’s Old Order, he sai t all his life ke watching him receive the peasants Corporate Scandals’ Roots Run Deep BY ROBERT RENO was tual to the strongman. the thinker who follows a few paces behind, sup- I looked over the huge, shiny desk to fir. Gateway Facts and Logic About the Mikhe wiown oft 400 West « (801) 456.0000 » ANE PARKING FORTHE Me Extended Friday & Saturday Hours Open10 a.m. to 10 p.cn |
