Romania's Greatest Burden

Yesterday, I wanted pictures to do the talking, today it's going to be a video. I came across this interview and couldn't keep it to myself. Don Lothrop, an American investor in Romania who's been visiting the country since 2003, has some great insight into some of the issues facing us.

I have to say, I felt very validated in hearing him talk, simply because he says so many things that I've been saying all along: Democracy is not just for the politicians, the country's potential is huge, and that returning Romanians are critical to any positive change(s). Of all the things he says though, this is the part that hit me most:

"Our greatest burden is our natural resources, and the reason we could never become a country till 1918 -and it lasted for only 20 years - was again because of natural resources. Because of our oil. And the reason that's our greatest burden is because our economic model and reflex is to be a colony: Which is to let people strip and steal our resources and take 'em to China, Sweden, Hungary, or Italy, process 'em and sell 'em back to us. That's a colony mentality and that's a disaster scenario for our country."

Before the video there is another thing I need to add: How many foreigners is it going to take, to come here, fall in love with the country, tell us we have amazing potential, and try to help us, before we realize that they must be on to something?

This is a more recent interview with Don, largely about the American elections: Don Lothrop Interview (October 2012)

Comments

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