Oct. 23, 2006 - 20:49 MDT

GOOD NEWS

Despite conjecture to the contrary, it looks like the Panamanians are voting their common sense. An article by Will Weissert of the Associated Press in today's Rocky Mountain News brings us this, quoted in full:

VOTERS APPROVE CANAL EXPANSION

Panama plan would allow largest ships to squeeze through

Panama City, Panama -- "Voters overwhelmingly approved the largest modernization plan in the 92-year history of the Panama Canal on Sunday, backing a multibillion-dollar expansion that will allow the world's largest ships to squeeze through the shortcut between the seas."

"Late Sunday, about 94 percent of 4,416 polling stations had reported results, according to the country's electoral tribunal."

"Almost 43 percent of the country's 2.1 million voters turned out."

"Thousands of supporters in green "Yes" T-shirts cast ballots endorsing the $5.25 billion overhaul, which will allow the canal to handle modern container ships, cruise liners and tankers that are too large for its current 108-foot-wide locks. The plan is to build a third set of locks on the Pacific and Atlantic ends, by 2015."

"The Panama Canal Authority, the autonomous government agency that runs the canal, says the project will double capacity of a waterway already on pace to generate about $1.4 billion this year"

"We are going to serve the world better and that means we are going to serve Panama better," canal administrator Alberto Aleman siad. "Everyone's a winner."

"The expansion will be paid for by increasing tolls and will take in more than $6 billion annually in revenue by 2025."

"Voting "no" is like closing the door on the canal. It's the top source of income for Panama, and improving it means more monehy for the government and less poverty," said Leonard Aspiora, a boat salesman who sported a "Yes" shirt and baseball hat in Kuna Nega, a largely Indian town of dirt roads and banana trees on the outskirts of Panama City."

"The canal employs 8,000 workers, and the expansion is expected to generate as many as 40,000 construction jobs. Unemployment in Panama is 9.5 percent, and 40 percent of the country lives in poverty."

"Critics contend that the expansion will benefit the canal's customers more than Panamanians, and they fear it will stoke corruption and uncontrolled debt if costs balloon."

"The expansion is necessary, but we all have to watch closely, make sure there isn't embezzlement and corruption," said Igor Meneses, a 34 -year-old advertising executive who was waiting to vote in Panama city. "With that kind of money, there's a lot to steal."

"President Martin Torrijos, and outspoken supporter of expansion, called the referendum "probably the most important decision of this generation."

"Opponents of the expansion plan complained about electoral foul play."

"On the sweltering streets of Panama City, some wore red shirts and smocks supporting a "No" vote."

"Former president Guillermo Endara, who dressed in red from head to toe to show his opposition to expansion, complained that polling place workers wore "Yes" clothing and handed out cards with directions on where and how to vote with propaganda supporting the plan printed on the opposite side."

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Almost sounds like politics as usual in our country to me. What ever is planned that is good has its detractors, even here in the U.S. Touted as too costly, or prone to corruption. And even here both charges occasionally are true. But, still good of the country accounts for much progress.

One thing I wonder is why the size of commercial ships has been increasing when the canal hasn't been growing wider ? Of course size does not matter so much, except when shipping necessitates the shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific. So what are the big shipping companies doing about that now ? Are they using the smaller ships to go that route ?

A toll increase is the only way to go to my mind, the users will have to pay the tab, obviously.

To my mind I think it is up to the Panamanians to control corruption and theft of funds, up to them to demand fair treatment and employment.

But it is good that this is in motion but a slip betwixt the cup and lip could be totally disastrous.

All this is academic to me as I probably won't be alive then, I would be 94 and don't think the ticker will last that long but I hope it does. Even so it is something to comfort me to know that it is in process.

Today the paper had GOOD NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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