Would You Support A ‘Marshall Plan’ For Central America?

Posted July 17, 2014 09:30 by Comments (73)

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Much of the gang violence in Central America was born in the 1980’s on the streets of Los Angeles, California, where such gangs as the MS-13 and MS-18 as well as others took hold. These gangs consisted mostly of illegal immigrants from El Salvador and other Central American Countries. Today they are considered to be the most violent gangs in the United States. Throughout the years since their rise, the US has arrested over 160,000 members and deported them back to Central America. These gangs have established bases of operations throughout Central America as well as spread within the US, and are an underlying factor in the magnitude of illegal drug sales and violent crime in America.

Honduran officials have floated the idea of a “Mini-Marshal” plan for their nation, modelled on American General George Marshall’s plan to rebuild nations in Europe and Asia following World War II, which would require the US and other countries send personnel and other resources to help combat this violence.

What is your opinion? Would you support such a plan?

Honduran officials on Wednesday called for U.S. aid to Central America to reduce violence that has fueled a surge of child migration to the United States, with the foreign minister calling for a “mini-Marshall plan” to attack the broader underlying problems.

Honduran President Juan Hernandez said Washington should help Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras fight gangs with a plan similar to U.S. anti-drug programs in Colombia and Mexico, as well as funds to lift growth in the impoverished region.

“One has to recognize that our countries can’t do it alone,” he said at a conference about the unaccompanied minors fleeing for the United States. “We need help from the United States, from Mexico, because this is everyone’s problem.”

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73 responses to Would You Support A ‘Marshall Plan’ For Central America?

  1. John Tarter July 17th, 2014 at 09:40

    I’d be willing to try – once our southern border was secured once and for all by our military forces. We are leaving Afghanistan so the manpower would be available.

  2. John Tarter July 17th, 2014 at 09:40

    I’d be willing to try – once our southern border was secured once and for all by our military forces. We are leaving Afghanistan so the manpower would be available.

  3. Red Eye Robot July 17th, 2014 at 09:42

    Instead of sending troops and billions of dollars to a corrupt government hoping they will deal with the problem in honduras, wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to seal the us border and even place those troops on the border?

  4. Red Eye Robot July 17th, 2014 at 09:42

    Instead of sending troops and billions of dollars to a corrupt government hoping they will deal with the problem in honduras, wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper to seal the us border and even place those troops on the border?

  5. tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:47

    No, not an anti-drug fiasco that has done nothing but build another vast bureaucracy here and wasted billions of dollars and fueled corruption in every country where we’ve tried to stop the drug trade. Building infrastructure, schools and helping their economies, yes. Hey, wait a minute, why don’t we do that here, first?

    • Anomaly 100 July 17th, 2014 at 09:47

      Fix our infrastructure? That’s just CRAZY!

    • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 11:12

      Not entirely true. We have had success in Columbia, Panama, and Costa Rica. yes, there is still a civil war going on in Columbia with the FARC in southern Columbia, but the country is in much better shape then it was 20 years ago. Recently we signed a free trade agreement with them also, which is also producing dividends.

      But I also agree, there has been some failures as well. But read my other posting on this thread.

  6. tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 09:47

    No, not an anti-drug fiasco that has done nothing but build another vast bureaucracy here and wasted billions of dollars and fueled corruption in every country where we’ve tried to stop the drug trade. Building infrastructure, schools and helping their economies, yes. Hey, wait a minute, why don’t we do that here, first?

    • Anomaly 100 July 17th, 2014 at 09:47

      Fix our infrastructure? That’s just CRAZY!

    • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 11:12

      Not entirely true. We have had success in Columbia, Panama, and Costa Rica. yes, there is still a civil war going on in Columbia with the FARC in southern Columbia, but the country is in much better shape then it was 20 years ago. Recently we signed a free trade agreement with them also, which is also producing dividends.

      But I also agree, there has been some failures as well. But read my other posting on this thread.

  7. mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 09:52

    Can it be done free of corruption?

  8. mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 09:52

    Can it be done free of corruption?

  9. Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:54

    Bill the global oil companies that ripped off their resources on behalf of Big Oil oligarchs. South America could create a renewable energy goldmine economy modeled on Brazil’s Alcohol and growing solar and wind jobs. To keep pace with that growth, Brazil’s capacity to produce energy must increase by 50% over the next decade. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-brazil-the-wind-is-blowing-in-a-new-era-of-renewable-energy/2013/10/30/8111b7e8-2ae0-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html

  10. Obewon July 17th, 2014 at 09:54

    Bill the global oil companies that ripped off their resources on behalf of Big Oil oligarchs. South America could create a renewable energy goldmine economy modeled on Brazil’s Alcohol and growing solar and wind jobs. To keep pace with that growth, Brazil’s capacity to produce energy must increase by 50% over the next decade. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-brazil-the-wind-is-blowing-in-a-new-era-of-renewable-energy/2013/10/30/8111b7e8-2ae0-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html

  11. fancypants July 17th, 2014 at 10:12

    It seems to me our military has been directed to be the street gang of the world.
    Lack of planning and poor information gets you the same results

  12. fancypants July 17th, 2014 at 10:12

    It seems to me our military has been directed to be the street gang of the world.
    Lack of planning and poor information gets you the same results

  13. Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:16

    I found this article and asked for it to be posted. thought it would make for a good debate.

    When I was working in Ecuador, back in 2006, President Rafael Correa had just won election and had aligned himself with Cesar Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia. The called themselves the Bolivian Revolution and were basically taking over private enterprises, throwing out companies. Correa refused to sign a new lease for the US govt base in Manta, Ecuador, which we used for flights monitoring drugs in Southern Columbia and northern Ecuador. With all the rhetoric and fiery speeches of how the US was the devil. their economies grossly depended on exports to the US. And have suffered since then. Columbia however embraced the US, asked for help and were able to create a plan that has paid off in dividends and is now in much better shape both economically and socially.

    That being said, I was having lunch with a grower, and he asked me to please convince our government to start a war with Ecuador. I said, why would you want to do that. His answer was very surprising. Basically he said, you Americans will come here and bomb my country. many people will die but it will be worth the sacrifice. I asked him why he wants that. And his reply was, because when the war is over, you Americans will come and rebuild my country. Your business will come and invest. Your government will help us write a new constitution, one that would protect the citizens. And we will have a new start for our future and for our children to have opportunities for a new life.

    It surprised me, that he had actually thought it all through and was quite serious in what he wanted.

    • mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 10:38

      I have no problem with the spirit and intent. It is all the opportunities for corruption that bother me. It would need a lot of oversight and severe penalties for those caught cheating and scamming the system. The world overall needs better infrastructure and educational opportunities and we would all benefit from it. Whenever large projects with lots of money starts flowing though the greedy and unscrupulous like to jump in and corrupt it. Keeping out the corruption would have to be as important as the project itself.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:43

        agreed whole heartedly. There would have to be extensive oversight. And with my experience’s in some of these countries, corruption runs rampant.

    • tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 19:25

      Or, he recently watched “The Mouse That Roared” on TCM and thought it could work there, too.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 22:21

        no, I am dead serious. He was absolutely wanted the US to go to war with his country. I have spent a lot of time in Ecuador for Business, and that is where I met my wife. And after traveling the country extensively, I understand why.

        If I could only explain what my eyes have seen as far as poverty goes, it might paint a better picture.

        • tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 22:27

          Settle down. It was an attempt at humor. I believe that we should do more to help all these economies, in our own enlightened economic self interest and for humanitarian reasons. Our history as the largest economy and largest military makes being equals a difficult position. Especially with a very eager right wing that only recognizes military strength as the coin of the realm.

  14. Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:16

    I found this article and asked for it to be posted. thought it would make for a good debate.

    When I was working in Ecuador, back in 2006, President Rafael Correa had just won election and had aligned himself with Cesar Chavez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia. The called themselves the Bolivian Revolution and were basically taking over private enterprises, throwing out companies. Correa refused to sign a new lease for the US govt base in Manta, Ecuador, which we used for flights monitoring drugs in Southern Columbia and northern Ecuador. With all the rhetoric and fiery speeches of how the US was the devil. their economies grossly depended on exports to the US. And have suffered since then. Columbia however embraced the US, asked for help and were able to create a plan that has paid off in dividends and is now in much better shape both economically and socially.

    That being said, I was having lunch with a grower, and he asked me to please convince our government to start a war with Ecuador. I said, why would you want to do that. His answer was very surprising. Basically he said, you Americans will come here and bomb my country. many people will die but it will be worth the sacrifice. I asked him why he wants that. And his reply was, because when the war is over, you Americans will come and rebuild my country. Your business will come and invest. Your government will help us write a new constitution, one that would protect the citizens. And we will have a new start for our future and for our children to have opportunities for a new life.

    It surprised me, that he had actually thought it all through and was quite serious in what he wanted.

    • mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 10:38

      I have no problem with the spirit and intent. It is all the opportunities for corruption that bother me. It would need a lot of oversight and severe penalties for those caught cheating and scamming the system. The world overall needs better infrastructure and educational opportunities and we would all benefit from it. Whenever large projects with lots of money starts flowing though the greedy and unscrupulous like to jump in and corrupt it. Keeping out the corruption would have to be as important as the project itself.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:43

        agreed whole heartedly. There would have to be extensive oversight. And with my experience’s in some of these countries, corruption runs rampant.

    • tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 19:25

      Or, he recently watched “The Mouse That Roared” on TCM and thought it could work there, too.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 22:21

        no, I am dead serious. He was absolutely wanted the US to go to war with his country. I have spent a lot of time in Ecuador for Business, and that is where I met my wife. And after traveling the country extensively, I understand why.

        If I could only explain what my eyes have seen as far as poverty goes, it might paint a better picture.

        • tiredoftea July 17th, 2014 at 22:27

          Settle down. It was an attempt at humor. I believe that we should do more to help all these economies, in our own enlightened economic self interest and for humanitarian reasons. Our history as the largest economy and largest military makes being equals a difficult position. Especially with a very eager right wing that only recognizes military strength as the coin of the realm.

  15. Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:36

    I would not be opposed to such a plan. Countries such as Panama and Costa Rica have embraced such actions, and their economies have been growing and their countries have been more stable. Costa Rica has become a huge powerhouse in agriculture. Both countries have become major area’s for retiring Americans and Canadian’s as well. Which has also brought jobs and security to the countries.

  16. Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 10:36

    I would not be opposed to such a plan. Countries such as Panama and Costa Rica have embraced such actions, and their economies have been growing and their countries have been more stable. Costa Rica has become a huge powerhouse in agriculture. Both countries have become major area’s for retiring Americans and Canadian’s as well. Which has also brought jobs and security to the countries.

  17. Jeff Allen July 17th, 2014 at 10:42

    It amazes me that it has taken this long to identify and propose something. Of all the worlds policing that we have done (and there are certainly differing opinions on how and if we should be involved in each one), here is one that has actual, direct impact on the US with refugees flooding our borders. Why are we just now having a conversation about the root of the problem when, unlike other unrest we have inserted ourselves into, our country is dealing directly with the humanitarian crisis?

    • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 11:30

      Nancy Reagan proposed something in the 1980’s: “Just say no to drugs”. If people had listened, the drug cartels would never have become so powerful. The suffering in Central America, and the resulting US immigration problems we are seeing today, are largely due to drug cartels funded by American drug users. Drug users have aided and abetted the destruction of Central America.

      We can spend money and lives to put in place a mini-Marshall plan. But every dollar we spend will be matched by three dollars contributed to drug cartels by American drug users who care more about their own selfish pleasure than the misery and suffering of Central Americans.

      Every time an American teenager gets hooked on drugs, the drug cartels become stronger and life in Central America gets worse. We need to teach kids that when they use drugs, other people suffer.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 11:35

        Sad, but a very true statement.

      • arc99 July 17th, 2014 at 12:08

        I wrote another reply which seems to have disappeared into the land of moderation.. It contained a quote that included a racial slur. I will wait and see if my post appears.

        In the meantime, my basic point was, drug laws are hypocritical.

        Drugs are already legal. Jim Beam, and Adolph Coors are respectable drug dealers. You will never teach kids anything if the lesson is built upon a foundation of hypocrisy.

        • mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 12:23

          Making drugs illegal and creating a black market is the source of many problems. The problem will be dealt with eventually, the question is when and why haven’t we done it yet. Who all is profiting from this and are they influencing our lawmakers also needs to be addressed.

          • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 12:39

            “Making drugs illegal and creating a black market is the source of many problems.”
            Are there any Western democracies in which heroin and crack are legal? Why have so many countries found it necessary to prohibit the sale and use of these drugs?

          • M D Reese July 17th, 2014 at 13:41

            You’d think that we would have learned something from the prohibition of alcohol. Of course, you’d think that we would have learned a lot more about a LOT of things than we have. We are devolving rapidly.

        • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 12:44

          Agreed. In my state it is legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, but illegal to drive a car without a seat belt. It’s nuts.

          Very few people would support a return to prohibition, and very few people would support legalization of crack and heroin. The fact remains that drug money funds drug cartels, and alcohol money does not. If we want to make life better for people in Central America, we need to stop funding the drug cartels by boycotting drugs. The message to young people should be “Don’t buy products from people who use the money to hurt people.”. If Beam and Coors are hurting people, then boycott their products as well. Nothing hypocritical about that.

          • M D Reese July 17th, 2014 at 13:39

            Yup–the anti-helmet “let those who ride decide” folks are really saying “let those who would rather that I wear a helmet pay my medical bills and keep me alive even after my brains are totally scrambled because–freedom!”

        • Jeff Allen July 17th, 2014 at 14:30

          “Jim Beam, and Adolph Coors are respectable drug dealers.” And are very wealthy, pay a lot of taxes, employ a lot of folks who in turn pay a lot of taxes.

  18. Jeff Allen July 17th, 2014 at 10:42

    It amazes me that it has taken this long to identify and propose something. Of all the worlds policing that we have done (and there are certainly differing opinions on how and if we should be involved in each one), here is one that has actual, direct impact on the US with refugees flooding our borders. Why are we just now having a conversation about the root of the problem when, unlike other unrest we have inserted ourselves into, our country is dealing directly with the humanitarian crisis?

    • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 11:30

      Nancy Reagan proposed something in the 1980’s: “Just say no to drugs”. If people had listened, the drug cartels would never have become so powerful. The suffering in Central America, and the resulting US immigration problems we are seeing today, are largely due to drug cartels funded by American drug users. Drug users have aided and abetted the destruction of Central America.

      We can spend money and lives to put in place a mini-Marshall plan. But every dollar we spend will be matched by three dollars contributed to drug cartels by American drug users who care more about their own selfish pleasure than the misery and suffering of Central Americans.

      Every time an American teenager gets hooked on drugs, the drug cartels become stronger and life in Central America gets worse. We need to teach kids that when they use drugs, other people suffer.

      • Pistol-Packing July 17th, 2014 at 11:35

        Sad, but a very true statement.

      • arc99 July 17th, 2014 at 11:58

        It is impossible for this country to say no to drugs. Our policies on drugs have a foundation in hypocrisy and good old fashioned profits. Go to any large city or small town in this great nation and what will you find in virtually every single one of them? You will find a DRUG store. The question of whether or not to legalize drugs is moot. It was answered long before anyone in this forum was born.

        Alcohol is a drug. But no one ever refers to JIm Beam, or the Coors family or a Napa Valley vintner as a drug dealer. But the kid on a street corner selling dime bags of a less harmful substance, marijuana is a “drug dealer”.

        The cartels would be out of business in a heartbeat if we came to our senses and removed the laws against cocaine, marijuana and yes opiates as well. Do any of you think that whatever social problems might arise would be more costly than the overall impact of our drug laws? My opinion is no.

        The fact is that when the 20th century began, cocaine and marijuana were both quite legal. Black Alabama ship workers were given cocaine as an energy boost so they would work longer hours. It was the ugly racial politics of the time which included Congressional testimony about marijuana causing “white women to seek sex with Negroes” which led to banning these substances.

        Call me crazy to advocate legalizing marijuana, cocaine and heroin. I say it is far more crazy to continue enforcing laws that benefit no one and whose roots can be found in the ugly bigotry that prevailed in this nation a century ago.

        Kids are not stupid. They recognize hypocrisy when they see it.. We are never going to teach kids that people suffer when they use drugs as long as adults whine like stuck pigs if anyone dares suggest eliminating the serving of beer at a baseball game.

        It is not about drug use. It is about which drugs are sold and who profits from that sale.

        http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/lh/article/viewFile/5410/4605

        On 8 February, 1914, the New York Ernes published a full-page article entitled “Negro Cocaine ‘Fiends’ Are a New Menace.” Under a picture of the stern and respectable-looking white author, Edward Huntington Williams, M.D., the article’s subtitle proclaimed: “Murder and Insanity Increasing Among Lower Class Blacks Because They Have Taken to ‘Sniffing.”‘ Williams claimed that crazed cocaine users had killed nine men in Mississippi on a single occasion. He declared: “there is no escaping the conviction that drug taking has become a race menace in certain regions south of the line.” Further, Williams asserted that
        blacks who took cocaine improved their marksmanship, causing incidents such as that of the “cocaine nigger” near Asheville, North Carolina, who killed five men, using only one bullet for each.

      • arc99 July 17th, 2014 at 12:08

        I wrote another reply which seems to have disappeared into the land of moderation.. It contained a quote that included a racial slur. I will wait and see if my post appears.

        In the meantime, my basic point was, drug laws are hypocritical.

        Drugs are already legal. Jim Beam, and Adolph Coors are respectable drug dealers. You will never teach kids anything if the lesson is built upon a foundation of hypocrisy.

        • mea_mark July 17th, 2014 at 12:23

          Making drugs illegal and creating a black market is the source of many problems. The problem will be dealt with eventually, the question is when and why haven’t we done it yet. Who all is profiting from this and are they influencing our lawmakers also needs to be addressed.

          • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 12:39

            “Making drugs illegal and creating a black market is the source of many problems.”
            Are there any Western democracies in which heroin and crack are legal? Why have so many countries found it necessary to prohibit the sale and use of these drugs?

          • M D Reese July 17th, 2014 at 13:41

            You’d think that we would have learned something from the prohibition of alcohol. Of course, you’d think that we would have learned a lot more about a LOT of things than we have. We are devolving rapidly.

        • Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 12:44

          Agreed. In my state it is legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, but illegal to drive a car without a seat belt. It’s nuts.

          Very few people would support a return to prohibition, and very few people would support legalization of crack and heroin. The fact remains that drug money funds drug cartels, and alcohol money does not. If we want to make life better for people in Central America, we need to stop funding the drug cartels by boycotting drugs. The message to young people should be “Don’t buy products from people who use the money to hurt people.”. If Beam and Coors are hurting people, then boycott their products as well. Nothing hypocritical about that.

          • M D Reese July 17th, 2014 at 13:39

            Yup–the anti-helmet “let those who ride decide” folks are really saying “let those who would rather that I wear a helmet pay my medical bills and keep me alive even after my brains are totally scrambled because–freedom!”

        • Jeff Allen July 17th, 2014 at 14:30

          “Jim Beam, and Adolph Coors are respectable drug dealers.” And are very wealthy, pay a lot of taxes, employ a lot of folks who in turn pay a lot of taxes.

  19. fahvel July 17th, 2014 at 12:02

    only when the majority of americans, large and small, old and young, know what the marshall plan is.

  20. fahvel July 17th, 2014 at 12:02

    only when the majority of americans, large and small, old and young, know what the marshall plan is.

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