As
the debate rages (well, at least simmers) over extending unemployment benefits
in this country, this might be an interesting time to cover our visit to
Belize. “If you don’t work, you don’t eat,” our guide said proudly as we drove
to more Mayan ruins. (I’m a history geek, but not so heavily invested in the
Mayans; I tend to think if you’ve seen one set of ruins, you’ve pretty much
seen them all. The weather wasn’t conducive to other trips, however.) I hear some heads nodding vigorously as she
continued, “We have no social welfare system.” They also have no educational
system, having turned that job over to various [Christian] churches which they
subsidize (with or without favoritism, I wonder?).
Some
Americans have even relocated to Belize. For that reason? I don’t know, but I
appreciate the irony that Americans have been given land by the government. So
does that constitute a social welfare system for wealthy foreigners in exchange
for their spending power? The (relative) poverty and lack of infrastructure is
obvious and wide spread, and I don’t see how subsidizing Americans will result
in enough trickle down benefits to the people to make a significant difference.
One
thing I noticed in both Belize and Guatemala was an abundance of trash piles.
I’m sure the people are efficient in the concepts of reuse and repurposing, but
the detritus is piled up around houses and along the roads, marring the
supposed beauty of a lush tropical paradise.
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