why is all of South and Central America the way it is?

[sonya123]

I have thought about this, since we have ALL these illegals coming from there mostly. Why is it there is not a single functioning country below us? Argentina keeps having economic collapses and sky high inflation, Brazil is a scary craphole, Colombia is not safe , Venezuela is a communist craphole, Mexico is run by drug cartels, just naming the bigger ones now

These countries have resources, they have land, oil, can grow food , have minerals and so on. There is no reason for them to be in bad shape except their politics. Why do the people in these countries not ever fix anything to make them better? I mean the US is getting that way also, but I think it is like that because all those immigrants that come from non functioning countries partly.

 

[poltiregist]

This is something a thinking person my want to ponder . However I will not speak up " for now " on this thread topic as I have no desire to anger anyone . Nothing directly tied to south and central America but this phenonium was also pondered thousands of years ago as is written in the Bible .

 

[Pearl]

Horrible leadership, bad government! So called leaders who are out for their own interests, not the interest of their country or people!!

 

[Sourdough]

CORRUPTION...... as the baseline acceptable reality.

Actually, it is more authentic than America. America is "PRETENDING" reality. It is an illusion that works short time periods. Reality is ugly relative to pretend.

If you strongly disagree substitute the word "Pretentious" where I used Pretending. There was always an elite class living an illusion, America simply did an experiment of turning the entire culture into an illusion.

The strong rule the weak and/or the lazy. Post WW-II America became so powerful that it has ruled (directly or indirectly) "ALL" the peoples of the world. This allowed all those in America to live an illusion of "power" and "superiority".

Here is a painful truth that is so ugly few can see it from inside America. But the "world" sees America as the most corrupt nation, relative to other nations, because of its assumed arrogance, and fake military power.

America is posturing, America is pretending, America is powerful "not because it is powerful, but because it can and does manipulate its "bitches" (most being in NATO).

It is because Americas "bitches" submit to America, that America is America.

Come to grips with what currently exists is at best temporary, and at its most frightening "An illusion of power that is being rejected, for what it is, an illusion. First by Americas allies. The allies will stop being Americas "bitches". Then a new power will arise, and America will be one of its "bitches".

 

[elkhound]

pre·ten·tious
[prēˈten(t)SHəs]
adjective
pretentious (adjective)

1. attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed:
   "a pretentious literary device"

 

[elkhound]

CORRUPTION...... as the baseline acceptable reality.

Actually, it is more authentic than America. America is "PRETENDING" reality. It is an illusion that works short time periods. Reality is ugly relative to pretend.

If you strongly disagree substitute the word "Pretentious" where I used Pretending. There was always an elite class living an illusion, America simply did an experiment of turning the entire culture into an illusion.

i call it living false prosperity !

 

[sonya123]

CORRUPTION...... as the baseline acceptable reality.

Actually, it is more authentic than America. America is "PRETENDING" reality. It is an illusion that works short time periods. Reality is ugly relative to pretend.

If you strongly disagree substitute the word "Pretentious" where I used Pretending. There was always an elite class living an illusion, America simply did an experiment of turning the entire culture into an illusion.

The strong rule the weak and/or the lazy. Post WW-II America became so powerful that it has ruled (directly or indirectly) "ALL" the peoples of the world. This allowed all those in America to live an illusion of "power" and "superiority".

we have corruption here but have you ever been to Mexico or any country south of there? It is MUCH better still even now in the US. Even California is still better than anything in Mexico .
So no, US is NOT like South and Central America ( at least not yet)
It's just weird that ALL those countries are like that. Not a one is doing well. That's the weird part. It's like they have no interest in improving anything. They would be better off if CHINA took them over. That's how bad they are. Not quite as bad as Africa but not good either

 

[sonya123]

i call it living false prosperity !

I don't really get what you guys are trying to say with that?

 

[sonya123]

Horrible leadership, bad government! So called leaders who are out for their own interests, not the interest of their country or people!!

but they have elections ( well in some of those countries at least) why don't they EVER vote for someone that fixes things? Or at least tries

 

[d_marsh]

Not all South American counties are **** holes. Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina to name a few. Many of the countries that are **** holes are that way for the exact same reason Chicago, Detroit, LA and Gary are. Lack of jobs, high crime, high cost of living, corrupt government officials and wealthy people who use the chaos to get even richer. Of course you also have drugs and drug cartels and the big criminal avocado syndicate who own the politicians, own the media, own everything. Again much like big cities in America.

 

[elkhound]

I don't really get what you guys are trying to say with that?

we been living high society for decades now and its all been on credit card so to speak...we done lots of stuff but we borrowed it...its reason our debt is so huge now..especially the last 30-40 years....we been pretending to be all that high society upper crust when reality is we just as poor..maybe more so with debt....basically been doing projects and more on credit...living way beyond our means. hope that helps.

 

[sonya123]

we been living high society for decades now and its all been on credit card so to speak...we done lots of stuff but we borrowed it...its reason our debt is so huge now..especially the last 30-40 years....we been pretending to be all that high society upper crust when reality is we just as poor..maybe more so with debt....basically been doing projects and more on credit...living way beyond our means. hope that helps.

Ok I get what you are saying now. The debt is what makes US living a wealthy lifestyle and that is possible because of petro $ and the US military keeping oil and trade flowing....I get it now.

 

[old tex]

I have thought about this, since we have ALL these illegals coming from there mostly. Why is it there is not a single functioning country below us? Argentina keeps having economic collapses and sky high inflation, Brazil is a scary craphole, Colombia is not safe , Venezuela is a communist craphole, Mexico is run by drug cartels, just naming the bigger ones now

These countries have resources, they have land, oil, can grow food , have minerals and so on. There is no reason for them to be in bad shape except their politics. Why do the people in these countries not ever fix anything to make them better? I mean the US is getting that way also, but I think it is like that because all those immigrants that come from non functioning countries partly.

Why do the people in these countries not ever fix anything to make them better? I mean the US is getting that way also, but I think it is like that because all those immigrants that come from non functioning countries partly.

I think that the central American countries give up trying to hide or cover up the graft & corruption going on a long time ago. People see it & that unifies them to throw out those in charge & replace them with even more corrupt people. It's resulted in more turmoil basically everywhere & all the time. It's all about money & power.

As for the immigrants being the cause of our problems, no they are a symptom or even the result of our problems. The people in our government are just as corrupt as those down south. I guess that you could say that we are more civilized & don't result to killings & revolutions or at least those used to be hidden from the public. I believe things started changing about 20 years ago with the slow destruction of our education system. Now our morals are being attacked & destroyed. It's gotten so bad here that they only make a minor attempt to hide what's going on. A great example is Eppenstein's death. Is there any thinking person in the world that believes he wasn't murdered & there was a cover-up? Look at all the figures around powerful people that keep dying when they get into the news saying they "know" something about them. Our government now has a stench that covers it.

 

[kenv1950]

Not all South American counties are **** holes. Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina to name a few. Many of the countries that are **** holes are that way for the exact same reason Chicago, Detroit, LA and Gary are. Lack of jobs, high crime, high cost of living, corrupt government officials and wealthy people who use the chaos to get even richer. Of course you also have drugs and drug cartels and the big criminal avocado syndicate who own the politicians, own the media, own everything. Again much like big cities in America.

you forgot new york state

 

[Sourdough]

There is a painful truth.

"EVERY COUNTRY HAS the GOVERNMENT that it DISERVES".

Including America.

 

[Tirediron]

There is a painful truth.

"EVERY COUNTRY HAS the GOVERNMENT that it DISERVES".

Including America.

sorta kind a maybe, but the governments are assigned by the hidden hands of control. he who controls the banks controls the country, so maybe think about who that is and see where the control really comes from, the US was just the thug that inforced the will of the banks.

 

[Hooch]

I think it is a combination of issues already mentioned..similar to what issues plague our country.
My childhood friends parents would travel for 3 months every summer and most years they would go backpacking into South America. Keep in mind this was in the 80's.
They would fly down..usually to Columbia, then get way off the beaten paths and wonder for months.
They had some great stories and national geographic worthy pictures upon returning.
They really fueled my dreams of seeing the world and being adventurous.
They avoided cities and tourists places. The rural areas was where they met gracious , interesting and kind people.
Just like here..

During that time period, it was interesting to note that some areas they would revisit had foreign investors interested in setting up shop. Minerals, gems, fruit plantations, mining of some sort. It worried them because that part of the world didn't have restrictions on the use of chemicals or any kind of conservation in mind to not strip or poison the area after using it up. The governments would see $$ , the people wouldn't have a way to know at the time certain chemicals were toxic banned for use in ag in 1rd world countries for a reason..stuff like that.
I think now we are seeing the results of the corruption and greed that spawned a brief period of prosperity in some areas. 20 -30years later, those kids from there are now left with poisoned soil n water, lost opportunities, rampant drug cartels , broken supply chains etc..
I guess look at any part of the world and it's history n it's the same kinda shinniagins..

 

[Sourdough]

sorta kind a maybe, but the governments are assigned by the hidden hands of control. he who controls the banks controls the country, so maybe think about who that is and see where the control really comes from, the US was just the thug that inforced the will of the banks.

American people accept the current level of corruption and mismanagement because the burden and the risk of failure, that exists to transform it, exceeds the discomfort of lining with it.

THEREFORE: America (as does all countries) have exactly the government that it disserves.

 

[Supervisor42]

but they have elections ( well in some of those countries at least) why don't they EVER vote for someone that fixes things? Or at least tries

...Likely because their intelligent people are abandoning those countries in droves.
I firmly believe that the immigrants we see coming here are the 'not-worthless' people that are willing to make a great effort so they are not sentenced to spend the rest of their life in a craphole where there is no hope.
I can't blame them.
Read up on how many miles some of them have walked!

 

[Supervisor42]

Read up on how many miles some of them have walked!

Mexico’s southern border is shared with Guatemala. From that border, it is 1,125 miles by foot to McAllen, Texas. At three miles an hour, that’s 375 hours, or about 38 days if they walk 10 hours a day....The journey that thousands of Central American migrants are making through Mexico to the southern U.S. border could take a month or even longer, depending on which section of the border they’re hoping to reach.

What started as a group of 160 Honduran nationals fleeing violence and a poor economy in early October has evolved into a 7,000-person caravan of migrants hoping to get to the United States where they can either apply for asylum at ports of entry or illegally enter the country. ... But before they get to the United States, weeks of walking lay before them. The migrants did not bring vehicles with them on the journey and most are carrying a bag.

Are you up for an 1,100 mile walk?
They are.

 

[old tex]

I wanted to point out something that I never hear talked about. We do NOT CHOOSE our leaders. No, we vote on those that were picked by others with money & power. Every elected person was hand picked by someone, except maybe Trump. Now I am a Trumper but that's beside the point. Trump didn't go up through the political ranks being "owned" by those in power & going all the way to the top. So yes we "elect" our officials but they were/are all bought & paid for. And because of that they don't "work" for us & never will.

 

[Snowman]

Seems there are Many Definitions of "FREE"...!!!

 

[kenv1950]

Seems there are Many Definitions of "FREE"...!!!

Maybe the politicians that are in power now should look it up.
the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint:

 

[sonya123]

the issue is not that the US has a terrible government, the issue is that the entire world south of the US has a more terrible government, we ARE still better off than people there, or they would stay in their own countries
So the issue is what sort of government is the worst and what sort of government is the best. I would say the best government would be the ones with least corruption that benefit the most people in that country
But other things affect that also. South Korea has a lot of corruption ( looked this up since I like watching their tv shows and like their food LOL) , but their country functions a whole lot better than any in South America, so corruption alone is not it either ,

And then there is the thing about the people get the government they deserve, do they? If you have corruption, how can you get rid of your government and replace it with something better? I would think the system has to be set up somehow to prevent corruption. IMO the best way to do that would be to not attach ANY sort of financial gain by holding any sort of political office or very little , but it does all come back to the financial system somehow. If you can make laws that affect the economy and flow of money, you can make laws that benefit you personally ( the politicians) .

 

[sonya123]

Not all South American counties are **** holes. Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina to name a few. Many of the countries that are **** holes are that way for the exact same reason Chicago, Detroit, LA and Gary are. Lack of jobs, high crime, high cost of living, corrupt government officials and wealthy people who use the chaos to get even richer. Of course you also have drugs and drug cartels and the big criminal avocado syndicate who own the politicians, own the media, own everything. Again much like big cities in America.

You can't compare an entire country with a few cities in the US. And even those cities have some ok areas. I have a good friend in Chicago, they do ok there.
Brazil mostly is a craphole , Argentina has sky high inflation and their economy collapses on a regular basis and husband has lots of relatives in Colombia ( his mom was from there) and has been there, it's a scary place. We were going to visit but some of the stuff my sil told me after they visited made me not want to go there at all
And I have been to Mexico several times, and it is indeed a scary craphole , even the tourist areas , never mind places like Juarez

 

[bkt]

Huh. I was just gonna say "the CIA". Maybe I'm nuts.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Not all of South America is corrupt.

The least corrupt nation in Central/South America is Uruguay.

It is ranked as the 14th least corrupt nation in the world and less corrupt than the US, UK and France.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index

 

[Tirediron]

https://fragilestatesindex.org/analytics/fsi-heat-map/

 

[Haertig]

Most of the countries of the world are crapholes. I don't know why they are crapholes, but they are. And it explains why the illegals keep busting through our borders. I wouldn't want to live in a craphole either. The US is not a total craphole yet. Parts of it certainly are. But currently I think it is still maybe 51% non-craphole.

Things change over time. California did not always used to be a craphole. I remember it decades ago as a wonderful place. But it's definitely a craphole now, IMHO. I live in Colorado. When I moved here, it was great. But it's rapidly approaching craphole status. Arguably it has already passed that mark. I've been voting in every election since I was old enough to. I vote conservative (and even did in my youth). So you can't just flippantly say "well, you get what you vote for". I didn't vote for this. But I guess the people around me did. I used to really like and admire Canada. No offense intended for our Canadians here, but I think Canada has really gone downhill quickly, ever since your current leader has been in power. But the USA is no better, so I'm certainly not criticizing. More like commiserating with you. There are still mighty fine places in both the USA and in Canada. We have to protect them, but I don't know how. Voting doesn't seem to be the answer.

 

[LadyLocust]

I have thought about this, since we have ALL these illegals coming from there mostly. Why is it there is not a single functioning country below us? Argentina keeps having economic collapses and sky high inflation, Brazil is a scary craphole, Colombia is not safe , Venezuela is a communist craphole, Mexico is run by drug cartels, just naming the bigger ones now

These countries have resources, they have land, oil, can grow food , have minerals and so on. There is no reason for them to be in bad shape except their politics. Why do the people in these countries not ever fix anything to make them better? I mean the US is getting that way also, but I think it is like that because all those immigrants that come from non functioning countries partly.

Most of those you listed are actually becoming stronger economically. US is becoming weaker. They come here for the free handouts which are sent back to their home country and they will follow it back when their time here is complete.