Our Dominican Vacation with Mr. Obama
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On our last day, we met up with Mr Obama on the beach.
Lesson number 5
You see, Mr. Obama was not the POTUS, but rather an amazing 19 year old dancer, comedian and athlete, who worked 14 hour days , 12 days in a row before he was permitted to return home and see his family, a three hour drive away. My bride, Kate, asked a few questions of the entertainer, who clearly would have given the New York City Rockettes a run for their money. One question was answered with a sense of pride by Obama. “ Have you been specially trained for this job as an entertainer?”
My wife Kate and Mr. Obama
He responded , “ Oh no. We have been dancing since the age of two. But you have to know somebody to try out for this position. And so now, I have a very important job”. Obama threw his shoulders back with that last comment. That was lesson number five and it tied in well with my observations of the cleaning people, waiters and everyone on the resort. The people may serve you, but they are not your servants.
They take pride in their job and want to make everything just right. Whether it is a meal, the making of a bed, or an entertaining moment, everyone took pride in their work and in seeing satisfaction in their customers’ eyes.
The last local we met taught us the final lessons of Self-Reliance and College Civics 101.
We met a young vendor on the beach who was selling fishing, boating and scuba diving packages. He spoke English like an American from New York City, and had trained himself by watching American movies and studying his customers. He explained that someone in his business, working on commission, could make on average US $2,000 per month. Kate asked about income taxes and he simply laughed as he said, “ Taxes are not a problem in the Dominican. The government gets enough. “ As he smiled, I immediately understood.
Lesson number 6
He meant that vendors were paid in cash , and reported on average maybe a quarter of their earnings. I then explained that in the USA a professional could make over $100,000 a year, and the young man’s jaw dropped. But then I explained that we might pay every bit of 40% of this in taxes, between Social Security, State, Federal, real estate, excise and other taxes. Again his jaw dropped. He said, “You people must be joking. This could not happen in the Dominican. You see, the country is for the people, and not the politicians!” Lesson number six.
Lesson number 7
But I could not let that go. I explained to him about our welfare system, and that families with no income, like a single mother with babies, could receive housing, food, health care, cell phones, and other benefits worth $50,000 annually after taxes. He, again was in disbelief, and found it unacceptable that people should not be required to make their own way. Lesson number seven.
Lesson number 8
So, I asked, how do you manage such things in the Dominican? He explained that people have families, and families care for themselves and their children, or their elderly parents. Lesson number eight.
These eight lessons were simply our personal observations. We aren’t sure whether these thoughts reflect the attitudes of the majority, but it did leave a consistent impression.
When we got off the plane in the Buffalo airport, and for days after, we reflected on the beauty and warmth of the Dominican weather and people, the words of Mr. Obama and the other vendor. While we would not trade the snow and opportunity in the USA for the dirt roads and low priced medications of Punta Cana and Higuey, Kate and I walked away with a few lessons in Civics and Self-reliance, and maybe we in the United States would benefit from some of these lessons.
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