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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (101555)	6/14/2003 12:55:17 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

According to Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist who specializes in Third World economics, the single most useful service a government can perform anywhere is a reliable system of property registry so that people who buy property can be confident that it will remain theirs. It takes rule of law also. Otherwise, what is yours today may be gone tomorrow, deed or no deed.

To: Ilaine who wrote (101555)	6/16/2003 7:17:00 AM
From: Noel de Leon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

"It's not the bricks and the mortar and the dirt that matter, it's the people and their attitudes towards their surroundings" When my wife and I lived in NYC(1963-70) we took part in a volunteer project to clean up a small section of Fort Tryon Park. It was a part of a city sponsored project to get young unemployed people activated. Basically we collected trash, repaired benches, and painted garbage cans and the benches. Those involved were initially a little skeptical but as things progressed we all became more and more enthusiastic. At one point we ran into some problems(the Parks Department wouldn't release the paint) but we solved that one as well as numerous other small problems. One day someone asked us what we were getting for this work. We said nothing and explained that we were volunteers. He walked off saying we were G.. D... commies. Another time a woman sat down on a newly painted bench(there was a wet paint sign on the bench) and then sued us for a new dress. Case was thrown out. Some of the garbage cans were stolen. The new paint job made them very attractive. All together a very positive experience. We moved to Denmark in 1970. Returned to the area in 1977 and again in 1986 to show my kids what we had done(they were too little to remember). "...but I do know that people take care of what they own." Broken bottles and garbage all over the area, drug addicts in the park, no garbage cans, and the paint on the benches hadn't been freshened up. Have not been back to that area since. I hope that the help that the Iraqis are getting will be perpetuated by themselves. As you pointed out, if they own it they will take care of it.