After hearing about the welfare programs in other countries it made me wonder about the welfare services that are offered in Guyana, South America, which is where my family originated from. I did some brief research and it made me realize that to even have a program that provides aid in a country when you are down in the dumps, is a luxury.
Now the government says that you can receive pension, but how many people actually have a good job in this country. When you take away the 15% that are unemployed and then take away those who work for next to nothing, you are not left with many who can find a good government job that has a pension plan.“In 1990, about 40 percent of the country’s workers were in minimum-wage jobs, earning the equivalent of US$0.5 per day (at December 1990 exchange rates). These low wages, often not enough to even cover the costs of commuting to work, helped explain the high rate of emigration.” Even though this information is outdated, I have seen how hard it is out there. My cousin is a police officer and she makes $30,000 a month in Guyana which is an equivalent of US$150.
I hear Americans complain about taxes but in this poor nation they charge they recently (2007) enforced a new tax of 16% on everything you buy, including food. I was there this past Christmas and it just made me really angry because they were definitely not seeing that money back.
Americans might say over and over again that they oppose increasing government spending on welfare programs, in reality, they support the majority of programs defined as “welfare.” The majority of social welfare spending is on education, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. In fact, only 17% of government social spending is directed toward means-tested programs that target the poor.
Guyana is a poor country that lacks a lot of the bare necessities that we take for granted each day. Of course you will never see this in the tourist area but take a walk to the country. Imagine not having a mailbox and just making routine trips to the post office just to check. If my mom wants to send money down, she has to call and let my family know in advance so they can go to the post office to collect it.
I have included a link to read about the welfare services in Guyana (don’t wry it’s not long : )) for all of u who won’t read it at least read the quote.” Statistics for 1988 showed 164 physicians in Guyana, which made for a physician-to-patient ratio of one to 5,000. About 90 percent of the physicians were in public service. Guyana’s 789 nurses made for a nurse-to-patient ratio of one to 1,014 in 1988” Makes u wonder…
http://www.photius.com/countries/guyana/society/guyana_society_health_and_welfare_s~310.html
I too am from Guyana, and it is a vast difference in the way the society as well as the government is structured in the US and in Guyana. I wouldn’t say that they lack the bare necessities, I would say that the government is not using it in a way to at least better society. My father, now retired still lives there. He was fortunate enough to hold a good paying job where he was able to acquire some benefits but there are great amounts of people that are literally struggling to make ends meet. It’s very unsettling to see the government not doing anything to help those in need. There are some that are fortunate enough to have relatives in other countries to help facilitate their income; while others are left to struggle. What will this tax or as they call it “vat” going to do for those less fortunate? I would only hope it is used to better that country.
I am from Guyana also, but I came here about 18 years ago when I was 5…so I don’t know much from first hand experience. Both my parents have told me numerous stories about the suffering that took place when they lived there. My dad graduated high school and attended a university, so did my mom…but that’s because their families were well off. Others aren’t so lucky, the educational system is not too good, the medical services hardly exist (for instance, heart surgery was not even performed until recently on patients, medical attention for major health problems was to be found outside the country). We haven’t been back home because of fear, crimes are high (that’s one of the reasons my parents left,they wanted to better their lives and our lives). I think the government should put serious thought into the economy, widen the tourism aspect of the nation and take care of public services. The politicians,police officials are corrupt…the Caribbean newspapers point out that phone calls to the police stations are answered but the length of time it takes for the police to respond to crimes is ridiculous. Guyana is a beautiful place culturally, but economically it needs major improvements.
Roshni