It has been noted by some that the spread between top and bottom incomes in America is becoming larger, and that it is now as high as 100 to 1. In Haiti, the CEO of the Disney Empire earns $97,000 an hour (didn't ask if that included benefits) while the average Haitian's income has dropped since the 80's and now stands at 25 cents an hour. At that rate Mr. Fantasia is making earning 388,000 times as much as his employees, whose lives, needles to say, are no dream.

To Alleviate Haiti's economic woes, the IMF and USAID rushed in with the usual miracle cures - development assistance loans requiring the same structural adjustment policies, which included maintaining poverty-level wages, opening the Haitien economy, and stepped up incentives to the export sector. Investors are encouraged to come into Haiti with a whole host of freebies including reduced telephone, electricity, and custom fees. At the same time the Haitan government has removed food and fuel subsidies for the poor and increased their utilities fees (to pay for the investors tax breaks?).

You might just be able to survive in a Caribbean island on 25 cents an hour if you could grow your own food, but domestic rice production has been undercut by the import of American rice, which is cheaper, of course, as it is mass produced. Now this formerly lush volcanic island is dependent on the United States for food.

The United States has been actively involved in Haiti's welfare for most of the century, including the support of Papa Doc Duvalier, one of the the century's outstandingly corrupt leaders (no mean feat in this century), who returned the favor by giving generous incentives to attract U.S. private investors. Aristide, too, seems to have come under lots of US pressure to abide by the rules and prioritize the establishment of "a stable macroeconomic environment and an incentive framework for private sector development."

Recent elections have been undermined, manipulated and challenged, though by whom is by no means certain. Despite this and the violence, 60% of the Haitian electorate got out and voted. OAS is now questioning the results. "The people voted. The foreigners want to tell us to share the power. If the people wanted to share the power, they would have voted for the other political parties," was the comment of one Lavalas supporter.

Despite all, Haitians plow ahead. This week's Haitian Times top story was on the help being offered by Cuba to Haiti to rebuild their sugar industry. "When the Cubans give aid there is no hidden agenda in the help. But other countries that come, with more meand than Cuba, they always have something behind what they are doing," Said Anthony Dessources, the Haitian Minister of Planning.