Haiti's elite spared from much of the devastation

[bemildred]

Source: WaPo

PETIONVILLE, HAITI -- Through decades of coups, hurricanes, embargoes and economic collapse, the wily and powerful business elite of Haiti have learned the art of survival in one of the most chaotic countries on Earth -- and they might come out on top again.

Although Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed many buildings in Port-au-Prince, it mostly spared homes and businesses up the mountain in the cool, green suburb of Petionville, home to former presidents and senators.

A palace built atop a mountain by the man who runs one of Haiti's biggest lottery games is still standing. New-car dealers, the big importers, the families that control the port -- they all drove through town with their drivers and security men this past weekend. Only a few homes here were destroyed.

"All the nation is feeling this earthquake -- the poor, the middle class and the richest ones," said Erwin Berthold, owner of the Big Star Market in Petionville. "But we did okay here. We have everything cleaned up inside. We are ready to open. We just need some security. So send in the Marines, okay?"


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/17/AR2010011702941.html

[Sultana]

1. Fuck them

[ElmoBlatz]

27. Would you feel better if their houses caved in too?

[hlthe2b]

2. uggh

:puke:

[elocs]

3. To be honest, the elite have been spared from devastation throughout much of history.

It's not right, but that's the way it has always been. The rich are different from the rest of us--they do have more money and all of the advantages and privileges that go along with that. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

[RedCloud]

6. But when they go under ground we will weld the doors shut behind them.

Bastards think we will simply go quietly to our graves while the outside world dies.

[izquierdista]

7. Not the Titanic

The elite could afford the best ship of her day. They also could afford the last flight of the Concorde.

[bitchkitty]

14. Even then -

There weren't enough lifeboats, so steerage was out of luck.

[Thothmes]

32. But she was built to Government accepted standards

[Control-Z]

13. In So Cal

it seems to be the wealthy who suffer the most from natural disasters. Canyon, hilltop and oceanfront properties are the most vulnerable to fires, landslides, erosion. I can't tell you how many times I have felt grateful that I couldn't afford one of those homes that has slipped down the side of the hill or burned to the ground. It is the only time I really appreciate our modest home.

[bhikkhu]

17. Its possible the owner of the Big Star Market has much less than any of us

...and he might be surprised to be called one of the "elite", and a bastard as well, for having survived and hoping that his business isn't looted or burned down.

[SsevenN]

28. Hey man..

Knock it off...

You know as well as I do that anyone who has ever had money got it through being a lying, cheating, dirty trickster.
That's why they are the elite, because they are full of themselves. It's not because they we more motivated to be successful for them and their family, obviously.

Fuck those pompus rich ass holes, so selfish they decided to work hard through their life, I mean, what kind of jerk wants a better life for his children at the expense of his own time and effort?

All those stupid elitest rich assholes should have their homes fall on them and their familys, that's teach them for working for a better life.

[delete_bush]

34. For the literal minded around here,

it helps to use this...

:sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

4. if you need the food, take it, just don't sell it for 100 times what it is worth

indeed

[Pavulon]

5. News just in, rich people suffered less when rome fell..(nt)

[gorfle]

8. Translation:

We just need some security. So send in the Marines, okay?

Translation: If things break down much worse they will be marching on OUR asses to take our stuff. Please safe us and our stuff.

[Zoeisright]

9. I think some pitchforks and torches are in order here.

Fuck those bastards. What exactly are THEY doing to help their own countrymen?

[earcandle]

11. We cannot resent the rich for simply being rich. No, its only the ones that have

taken advantage of the illegal deregulation of laws that need
to lose whatever they gained.

And we need to prosecute those who deregulated, because once
we do, they will be less likely to try this again.

This is their umpteenth time upsetting the applecart on us. 
Are we gonna learn or are we just dumb fucks? 

[Zoeisright]

18. I can certainly resent the rich for not helping out those less fortunate.

And it sounds like the rich in Haiti are doing just that. And being smug about it.

[earcandle]

30. I am with you there.

[Andronex]

10. We just need some security. So send in the Marines, okay?

Yes we can !

Is 10,000 troops enough ?

[EmeraldCityGrl]

12. I can't take this. Why is the world so unfair?

[Techn0Girl]

15. The world is unfair because:

1. People without conscious will take advantage of the weak and the uneducated

2. The weak and uneducated will rarely rise up and risk their lives or livelihood to oppose people without conscious

This is the way it has always been.

[heliarc]

31. conscience...

You are conflating two VERY different things ... conscience and consciousness are not the same. I agree with what I think you have said, but my respect for semiotics, sociolinguistics and psychology makes it very hard to leave this uncorrected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflation

My best to you :)

[bhikkhu]

16. I believe it comes down to the construction materials and methods

...as may be the normal case anywhere in the event of disaster. Overpopulation in Haiti has led to deforestation over the years, so wood for construction is expensive. Regular housing is masonry or concrete, which faired very poorly in the earthquake. Expensively built houses of wood did comparatively well.

I wouldn't begrudge any stranger their good fortune to have survived a disaster.

[fasttense]

23. Nope, it was deregulation of the building codes.

Haiti was forced (because you have to force it on a population) to implement "free" trade policies in exchange for loans and aid.

So, they did away with earthquake resistant building codes. I understand that rebarb is frequently required to build concrete, cinder or block homes in order for those homes to even have a chance of NOT collapsing. Yet most of the poor did not have rebarb in their homes because it was expensive and not required.

Yet the rich and many businesses did use rebarb because they could afford it. Not that rebarb always helps but it was required prior to "free" trade policies and deregulation.

[WriteDown]

25. Link to that? Nt

[laundry_queen]

26. I don't know that they even had building codes in the first place.

One of the Canadians killed in the quake was an engineer down there, ironically, trying to implement new earthquake proof building codes.

I thought I heard on CNN the first day that Petionville was actually devastated? Have they changed their story now?

[dipsydoodle]

19. Gravey for some

Sixty miles from Haiti's devastated earthquake zone, luxury liners dock at private beaches where passengers enjoy jet ski rides, parasailing and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks.

The 4,370-berth Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, disembarked at the heavily guarded resort of Labadee on the north coast on Friday; a second cruise ship, the 3,100-passenger Navigator of the Seas is due to dock.

The Florida cruise company leases a picturesque wooded peninsula and its five pristine beaches from the government for passengers to "cut loose" with watersports, barbecues, and shopping for trinkets at a craft market before returning on board before dusk. Safety is guaranteed by armed guards at the gate.

The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The ships carry some food aid, and the cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians. But many passengers will stay aboard when they dock; one said he was "sickened".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/17/cruise-ships-haiti-earthquake

[Kurska]

20. I've been to Hati on a cruise ship, on Royal Caribbean no less.

Many years ago granted, but the cruise ships are a absolutely massive part of the local economy, more so then even most of the other ports I've been to because of the pervasive level of poverty you could see there. Tourist pile out, throw money around , go on tours, visit private Islands, do excursions and a area that has little other economic output gets a weekly injection of American dollars.

Granted this sounds like Royal Caribbean is JUST using the private island, which makes sense considering the main land is probably pretty devastated, but these cruise lines certainly aren't the bad guys here. I don't know what sense it would make diverting ships to another Island.

[lunatica]

21. It's the natural order of things don'tcha know

[demo dutch]

22. you wonder how (or if) they are helping their countrymen in this disaster.. ....

[demo dutch]

24. We're not giving money to Intl. agencies, but give directly to several Haitian janitors that work in

in our school with family members that are badly affected. They will be traveling over there as soon as they are able to in order to help their families.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

29. I'm not sure this is totally accurate...

I read another story, in the Wall Street Journal, I think, that said the poor ppl living in shanties had it better than others, because they didn't have the heavy hurricane roofs that fell and killed so many...

[daleo]

33. Those lucky ducks

Lucky Ducky, you win again!