Peru v. Middletown

Quite interesting, the story in the Middletown Journal about MidFest and the featured country, Peru.  I, for one, did not realize how much more prosperous and advanced both socially and economically Peru was than their host, Middletown.

Consider these outtakes from the newspaper story:

He said Peru’s new government hopes to improve “social inclusion” by eliminating poverty and providing tools to residents to make themselves self-sufficient; improve “public safety” while reducing drug trafficking; and “promoting private investments.”

Contrast that with Middletown’s recent constant efforts to promulgate poverty and provide tools to keep residents dependent with their increasing Section 8 program; decrease public safety by downsizing police and fire departments; and hindering private investment by picking certain ventures to subsidize, thereby guaranteeing that no non-subsidized private venture will be able to compete.

Almost 7 percent of its residents are unemployed, and 31.3 percent — down from 54 percent — are living at or below poverty levels.

Quite a contrast here with Middletown, where unemployment is close to 10%, and over 50% are living at or near poverty levels according to Mr. Adkins.

He described Peru’s economy as the “fastest growing” in the world, and said “we are doing very, very well.”

Another sad contrast here, where our economy is miserably stagnant, and we are one of the “fastest dying cities in the country.”  We aren’t doing well at all, except when viewed through the eyes of our mayor and some of his rose-colored-glasses-wearing cheerleaders.

Peru’s public debt, he said, is steadily falling and there’s an “open trade and market.”

Good for them, but Middletown’s public debt is steadily rising, according to the impartial, independent CPA that Ms. Gilleland brought in to report to City Council last month.  And it will only get worse in the foreseeable future unless changes are made quickly, but we keep spending like drunken sailors on every frivolous, expensive screwball idea that the mayor’s friends and relatives dream up.  And forget “open trade and market” in our city.  City hall picks the players that they deem marketable, and keeps all others out.

He said Peru is home to one of the “richest seas in the world,” one that produces 900 million tons of fish annually. As he said to the laughing audience: “That’s lots of fish.”

Ah, at least we keep up with Peru on this one.  There’s a lot here in Middletown that smells fishy, too.