letters

I read your comments on Marx with interest! As I understand both Locke, the philosopher of capitalism, and Marx, the philosopher of socialism --- both exponents of the labor theory of value --- the production of valuable objects by hardworking people is essential to society but never enough by itself. There has to be someone extracting surplus value, becoming rich by taking over some of the value that the workers create. Though this may seem unjust, it is the only way to form an investment fund and this is what society needs to move forward. Cooperative and student movements are limited in what they can do because they cannot extract much surplus value from their members. Student radicals have tried time and again to get beyond capitalism without getting to capitalism first, and have always failed disastrously. Progressive forces in Panama (now my daughter's country, and surely a place with massive potential) may be unable to get very far with their own resources: they need to find new capitalists who will compete with the current monopolies.

Martin Hughes
Durham, UK

I will be sending you a check. I am a Panamanian/Zonian who left in 1988. I've visited a few times and each time I go I miss it more and more. Do you think there is a future there to start a business and move back? I've bought an investment property here and maybe if I have income from here I can move to Panama. Your web page is truly wonderful to read. I hope everyone who reads it on a frequent level sends you a contribution "y no se hagan los locos".

R L

Editor's note: First, thanks. Yes, I believe that Panama has a brighter economic future than the reality we have been living these past few years. There are various pitfalls about which anyone opening a business here must be aware, and some structural problems like high utility rates, monopolistic practices and corruption that detract from our business climate. Moreover, there are cultural differences that require different thinking about labor and customer relations than would apply in other places. While we are divided about many things, I perceive a consensus within Panamanian society about a number of measures that must be taken to improve the business climate. I also believe that an important part of the change for the better in Panama is coming and will come from the efforts and investments of returning dual citizens.

I have been searching for LPs or CDs of Avelino Muñoz. I found an old (1957) 45 of his at a flea market, and love his organ compositions. Do you have any idea where I might find his music? Gracias! (I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

Nick.Katsarelas@quixtar.com

I have just recently become aware of your publication and have been very impressed with its content and wish you great success in your continued reporting.

I also wanted to let you know that not all tourists are there to take something from the country and leave.

When my wife and I were visiting Bocas Del Toro in the early part of this year, we visited the hospital there and found it to be needing of many basic supplies and equipment. After arriving back in the United States, we started working on obtaining medical supplies and equipment for the hospital.

After several months we were able to fill a 40-foot container with many items such as hospital beds, incubators, exam tables, heart monitoring machines, air-conditioning equipment, operating-room lighting, etc. The container is arriving in Panama this week and is being forwarded to Bocas Del Toro and should be delivered and unpacked sometime during the week of the 12th of October.

This has been an effort of our local Rotary Club here in Watsonville, California and to a large extent the wonderful efforts of Mr. Frank Tedman and Mr. Thomas Ford of the Panama City Rotary Club. Without them, none of this would have occurred and we are therefore very grateful.

Gary F. Darrigo

I was born in Colon and left when I was five or six years old and never returned. I'm grown now and just finding out some things about Panama. You seem to paint a not so good picture of the situation in Panama. I plan to visit one day but I'm discouraged by the stories of riots and instability in the government. Is it really that bad, and is this the only English paper in Panama? I don't speak Spanish, well at least not enough to hold a conversation, but I would like to find out more about the place. I live in New Jersey and I never meet any other Panamanians where I live --- I think there are about three Panamanians in whole United States. I met one in high school and one in Times Square, then while I was driving I saw a car with a Panamanian flag on it. That's it. Like they say in the states, "What's up with that?"

Fermin Jamieson
Elizabeth, NJ

Editor's note: First, there are lots of Panamanians in the US, though they may not be as geographically concentrated as other immigrant groups are. We have a lot of readers in New York City, where particularly in Crown Heights there are a lot of people of West Indian heritage who trace roots through Panama. Second, there are some bilingual or English-language industry publications, but we are Panama's only English-language newspaper. Finally, a serious newspaper has to report the news, even when it's unpleasant. But our recent turmoil is just a part of a society's healthy reaction to hard times and ugly things in high places. It has been my experience that even the wildest of the masked campus militants are eager to explain their concerns to anyone who cares to hear about them, including to foreign tourists. The political confrontations underway in Panama may be the cause of occasional traffic jams, but they are not much of a hazard for tourists.

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Panama Information, Hotels of Panama - Executive Hotel
Panama Information, Real estate in Boquete - Valle Escondido
Panama Information, Real Estate in Las Cumbres - Villa Concordia
Panama Information - Online guide to information about Panama - www.panama-information.executivehotel-panama.com
Panama Tourism - Online info for the Tourist Panama - www.travel-to-panama.com
Panama Pictures - Collection of pictures of Panama - www.panama-pictures.com