Gustavo Coronel - Quacks like a Duck, Walks like a Duck & Reply: The poor: a problem that will not go quietly away!

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 6:29:56 PM By: K.D. Willke

Gustavo Coronel - Quacks like a Duck, Walks like a Duck

Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 16:14:26 EST From: K.D. Willke WILLKE42@cs.com To: editor@Vheadline.com Subject: Gustavo Coronel - Quacks like a Duck, Walks like a Duck

Dear Editor: I think it is unfortunate the Gustavo Coronel continues to ignore the basis for the current problems in Venezuela. I congratulate him on being so erudite on many worldly matters and for showing some creativity in how he presents his case.  However, for some reason he continues to demonstrate a naivety (not stupidity as some people would accuse) about the realities of the situation in Venezuela and the solution to this situation.  We have several sayings in the US which are also pertinent to the situation in Venezuela.   Two that are particularly relevant are:

• what goes around, comes around; and
• you reap what you sow.

Forgive me for repeating the obvious, but the current problems in Venezuela are the result of decades of corruption, greed, and abuse of the working class and poor, not only by various governments, as Gustavo Coronel likes to point out, but by a large segment of the business community (including Gustavo Coronel's pride and joy - PDVSA).

• It is this corruption and abuse that generated the need for President Hugo Chavez Frias.

By electing  Chavez Frias as President, by large percentages on two separate occasions, the people spoken ... enough is enough.  President Chavez has drawn the line and has put the perpetuators of this corruption, greed and abuse on notice.  They must either rein in their greed and give greater consideration to the needs of Venezuela and its workers and poor, or risk the possibility of loosing everything.

Those in the opposition that control many of the businesses, the media or that are wealthy, can posture all they want ... but the honest reality is that most have brought this upon themselves.

Rather than fighting to preserve business as usual, by disrupting the country's economy and imposing further hardships on the workers and poor, they should help solve the problems they have created over the past 40 to 50 years.

Gustavo Coronel makes it clear in some of his past editorials that he thinks that the problems of the poor are mainly due to improper education and training.  As a result they do not have the skills, proper work ethic, and drive to succeed.

Undoubtedly, this is part of the problem.

Another part of the problem, structural poverty, I have addressed in a previous letter.  A more fundamental problem that Gustavo Coronel does not address is the human need for recognition, achievement, security, respect, identity, and fair play.

Providing education is certainly important ... however, unless the poor are giving the opportunity to appropriately apply this education and are compensated accordingly, it can have quite the opposite affect on work ethic and drive.

In the US, and other countries, where quality education is more affordable and readily available, there are still major inequities in income distribution.  One has only to look at the huge disparity between salaries and benefits at the upper management level and the middle management and non-management levels in most corporations for a vivid example of this inequity. The magnitude of this disparity has been documented in the press and various studies.

Consequently, the educated workforce is aware of this inequity, but feels helpless and frustrated due to its inability to change the system.   As a result, these workforce levels become disenchanted with upper management and have been forced change their ideals and attitudes toward work and life in general.

Instead of the loyal and dedicated workforce that existed in the past, it is now a very fragmented workforce with attitudes such as:

• • do unto others what is being done to you 
• • just put in eight hours and nothing more
• • fight the system, the hell with the work
• • getting even by sabotage or retaliation.

In other words, education plus inequitable income distribution equals trouble.

In all his attacks on the Chavez administration and proposed solutions to the problems in Venezuela, Gustavo Coronel fails to comprehend these fundamental human needs.

These considerations are of prime importance.  Education should be built on these considerations and not just on training people to perform certain tasks or to behave in a prescribed manner.  People must have the opportunity to utilize their education, talents, and skills and be properly recognized and compensated regardless of their social standing, race, or sex.  It is through helping its people achieve their basic needs, and thus opening the door for attention to other needs such as creativity and self-motivation, that countries are able to achieve greatness through its people.

• Therefore, Venezuela not only has to provide quality education to all its citizens, it must provide an opportunity for its people to contribute meaningfully to society and to be appropriately compensated for their efforts.

As history has demonstrated over and over and over again, countries do not achieve greatness as a result of a chosen few amassing wealth and power through greed and abuse of others ... this is the major problem in Venezuela, and it lies predominately with the opposition ... they control most of the wealth and resources in the country and it is their social responsibility, as human beings and citizens of Venezuela, to use these to the benefit of the country and all Venezuelans.

The Chavez administration recognizes the problem and is trying to deal with it.  President Hugo Chavez Frias has stepped up to the plate, at grave risk to himself, and confronted the problem ... he has focused attention on this problem and the international community is starting to get the message.

If Gustavo Coronel and the opposition don't like his methods, then they must make a better case for themselves by coming up with a meaningful and realistic alternative to the problem.

So far, I only see a lot of belly-aching and finger-pointing coming from the opposition.

They created the problem and they should  take the lead in helping to solve the problem ... getting rid of President Chavez through organized strikes, work lockouts, capital flight, etc. are not meaningful solutions.

Now that President Chavez has "set the bar," and lit the flame of hope for the majority of Venezuelans, the cat is out of the bag.

This situation will not go away if President Chavez leaves ... someone else will take up the torch and that person may truly be a dictator.

I enjoy Kay Onefeather's poetic pieces and would like to end this letter with a modest poetic attempt to put a more positive spin on Gustavo Coronel's demeaning comment.

Quacks like a Duck Walks like a Duck Proud as he can be Head held high for all to see

Quacks like a Duck Walks like a Duck Leading his ducklings in a row So they know where to go

Quacks like a Duck Walks like a Duck Nurturing his ducklings all Till they grow tall

Quacks like a Duck Walks like a Duck Head held high for all to see Proud his ducklings will be

Sincerely, K.D. Willke WILLKE42@cs.com

Posted: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 1:37:17 PM By: Oliver L Campbell www.vheadline.com

The poor: a problem that will not go quietly away!

Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 12:35:17 -0800 From: Oliver L Campbell oliver@lbcampbell.com To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: Mr Willke's Letter

Dear Editor: I refer to Mr. Willke’s interesting e-mail of 28 January where he expounds the problems of education and inequitable income distribution in Venezuela ... I would, however, have liked him to suggest some solutions as well.

I passionately believe that a lack of sellable skills is main problem of the poor in Venezuela. In a recent article I wrote “It is essential these people (the poor) are brought into the economy by learning useful skills. This means reforming the education system so more technical institutes are created which provide practical instruction and training to those who are not cut out for an academic education. A technical qualification will be given the recognition it deserves and carry its own prestige. At the same time, a host of young people will acquire the dignity and intense satisfaction that come from being employed and doing a worth while job.”

I do not disagree with Mr. Willke that inequitable income distribution is a problem in Venezuela as, indeed, it is in many countries. The trouble is how do you reduce it?

Venezuela already has a progressive system of income tax and an inheritance tax of 40% ... we all know that value-added taxes hit the poor more than the rich. The only thing I can think of is a wealth tax of some kind, and that certainly would be difficult to introduce.

The centrally-managed economies had some success because they could dictate salaries. The result was, for instance, that a medical doctor with years of training did not earn substantially more than, say, an electrician. However, this type of economy proved to be very inefficient and most countries that had it (including Russia), have now moved to a market economy.

My point is, that in a market economy, it is very difficult to reduce inequitable income distribution. For instance, how do you lessen the large differentials in salaries where the general manager earns, say, twenty times what one of his manual workers does?

The only practical way to eliminate this is through education or ... as I prefer to put it ... through the acquisition of skills required in the market place. Those countries that have tried to introduce an incomes’ policy, like the United Kingdom, have soon abandoned it as unworkable.

You can, of course, throw money at the problem of the poor by giving them hand-outs, allowing them to use public services free of charge, and improving the infrastructure of the sectors where they live e.g. the 'ranchos' of the large cities ... this has all been done, but it is only a temporary palliative (panitos calientes), and the aim surely must be to enable them to earn a reasonable living.

The Chinese have a saying "Give a hungry man a fish and he will be hungry again ... teach him how to fish and he need never be hungry again." If money has to be thrown somewhere, it should be at the construction of technical schools all over the country. This will mean increasing taxation ... but it is the cost of rectifying the indifference of governments over the last 50 years.

I agree with Mr. Willke that whichever government is in power, it will have to address the problem of the poor: it is not a problem that will quietly go away.

Oliver L Campbell oliver@lbcampbell.com