The state of the economy, and how badly that city is run: somebody is camping out in the right-of way by the Pan-American Highway in Arraijan. Photo by Eric Jackson.
New game, new players
Coming down into the Interior from Cerro Campana the road is in woeful state and billboards are being dismantled. One offers to sell its component aluminum panels at bargain prices.
Who is advertising to sell what, through which medium – Panamanian law and culture have little transparency about such things, but there is a seismic shift with the government changing hands. Old informal business stands on the highway’s rights-of-way have shut down, others are popping up – is it about old political connections allowing de-facto permits giving away to new sets of these?
Alliances of bus and taxi syndicates are breaking up and forming.
There are more major construction projects on the agenda than the nation will be able to afford anytime soon. Will the most useful to the nation get priority over the bad ideas?
There are lots of questions to be answered over time, if ever. In a different configuration old politics won the elections, but those games can’t be afforded and won’t long be tolerated.
Wait and see. Speak out against what’s wrong, whoever is backing it; and for what helps Panama, no matter its proponent. And start some serious thinking about elections of delegates to a constitutional convention and what we want to see in a new founding charter for Panama’s government.
None of this is simple, but you’re not a simpleton, are you?
The unpleasant truth.
My, what an ugly election campaign – but don’t for a minute think that it’s all the same
A racist caricature of the truth.
Dorothy Parker portrait from the Library of Congress archives.
That woman speaks eighteen languages and can’t say “No” in any of them.
Dorothy Parker
Bear in mind…
Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.
Marie Curie
The more we are unfairly targeted, the more our supporters across the country will want to prove that these attacks are inefficient.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
A cult is a religion with no political power.
Tom Wolfe
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