re: #340 EmmmieG

Excellent, and perhaps they could look at the buildings that did not collapse, and see what could be done differently this time. Without foreign aid, though, better buildings will not be built.

Hi EmmmieG! Unfortunately, without a significant change in the way the government of Haiti operates, foreign aid would be throwing good money after bad. (Speaking of foreign aid here - not humanitarian relief.)

I’d prefer a government in Haiti that turned to the private sector and asked, “Okay, what guarantees do we have to make, what changes in how we do things, and what kind of business climate do we have to implement to ensure that you are willing to invest in our country?”

The current situation with governance in Haiti doesn’t find it necessary to rebuild to any but the skimpiest of standards, as they want the majority of the foreign aid money to go into their pockets. Private industry, on the other hand, has an economic incentive to build structures that won’t be blown away or ground into dust.