IPS -- COLOMBIA: Poverty Deepens, Peace Still a Distant Goal

Colombia has entered the new year with poverty on the rise and an increasing appeals for peace, but the impacts of the civil war continue to be felt in neighbouring countries as clashes between irregular armed groups and government forces intensify.

In terms of overall poverty, 60 percent of the Colombian people were poor in 1995, and in 1999 the portion reached 64 percent, and 67 percent in 2001. Between 1999 and 2002, urban poverty grew from 55 to 59 percent, while in rural areas it rose one point in that period to 80 percent.

Seven years ago, average per capita income in Colombia was the equivalent of 91.2 dollars a month, but by last year had slipped to 86 dollars.

As part of "reforms" there is a new labor law. Under the new legislation, the normal workday is to last from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, a notable increase from the current workday of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The new law does away with overtime pay, which is usually 35 percent above normal wages.
It also reduces extra pay for working on holidays and the compensation that employers must pay workers
for unjustified layoffs.

Uribe's critics believe the government's aim to achieve tangible results through military might undermine the possibility of a negotiated end to the civil war.

In the last two years, an estimated 37,000 Colombian civilians have fled to Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama because they feared for their lives

The forgotten war in Columbia. There is still talk of a bigger US military intervention.

Narco News has a fuller report over the New York Times reporter who quit over conflicts of interest in Venezuela.

Of course, they have someone saying:

I believe we should legalize and depenalize drug consumption and the drug trade. That is how we reduce the violence and corruption of those huge black market profits; that is how we reduce the robbing and killing by addicts who need to buy their drugs. But legalization must be accompanied by a strong campaign of education and prevention and rehabilitation for addicts. But even when we educate people about the dangers of drug consumption, we violate their rights if we forbid them from using drugs. Just as an alcoholic can drink without fear of persecution, so it should be for drug users.

But shouldn't everyone say this? Prohibition creates violence, cannot stop a problem, and creates immense profits for evil men.