Ordem e progresso

David

David lives here at the guesthouse because there isn’t enough room with his family and rent anywhere in Rio is far too high. He teaches and his wage is far better—about 50 reis per hour—than the 8 reis per hour most teachers earn. He can pay for his own healthcare, but most people can’t. 

His work is infrequent. It isn’t for lack of hustle—people in Rio, people in Sao Paulo, are always hustling, looking for work, educating themselves. But the robbery and corruption of the government is staggering and it siphons off much of the steam of an otherwise healthy economy.

To put the corruption in perspective, David’s mother, who worked as an architect for 30 years, earns 1,800 reis a month in pension, about $800 a month. 30-35 years is about the benchmark for retirement. Politicians, on the other hand, receive pension after 8 years of ‘work,’ and receive a staggering 19,000 reis per month, or about $8,600 per month. 

There is a current project in Rio to update a tourist cable lift to a popular attraction. Many estimate the cost at about 5 million dollars, yet the local government has managed to budget a billion dollars, most of the funds mostly likely consisting of related party transactions rife with conflicts of interest. 

When I hear these staggering stories of government corruption and outright theft, I feel slightly more hopeful for the future of Brasil, as people seem to be aware of the source of the problem—an active and healthy mafia called ‘government.’ There are hundreds of thousands of people who have descending from the hills of the largest favela in Rio who are on the streets protesting at this moment. There will be protests every day of the year until there is a marked decrease in corruption. 

There is a history of keeping the poor uneducated and in the dark. Before elections, politicians give gifts of food to families, sometimes bicycles, in exchange for votes.    But now the heat is on the government. These protests will weaken the will of those who continue to steal. 

People are aware and angry—how can such a rich country have such a hard time with education? Where is all the money going? People are paying attention and taking to the streets. The corrupt who are in power will not be able to sleep, and no amount of tear gas and rubber bullets will break the will of a people who refuse to be robbed. As government is the adolescence of humanity, it is thrilling to see Brazilians push humanity in a new form and direction.