The Beirut Municipality decided to “compensate” victims of the Ashrafieh bombing last October. 5 million lebanese pounds was the amount for each family… And, in the municipality members’ mind, or some of them at least, 5 million is more than enough for the 11 million that was being suggested.
Now, the word “million” looks sexy, but with our severely depreciated currency the value of 5,000,000 LBP is exactly 3,317.85 USD. 3 thousand measly dollars to repair the damage you see in that photo up there. The damage of course has been repaired, I mean, who on earth wants to wait for the Lebanese government to fix things, right? And here, allow me to thank everyone, individuals and NGOs, who helped these people find shelter and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives when news crews had moved on to the next big story…
All that happens as thousands of employees and teachers participate in an open strike after years of lies, deceit and raises in our beloved scumbag MPs’ salaries for life, and even after they die. It’s disgusting really, and how we let that pass as people struggle to fill their tanks and recharge their mobiles, while their descendants still get paid for the bad jobs they did when they were alive.
Worst part is, these people are getting killed and their properties damaged or destroyed because of those very same politicians’ struggles to see who can be more corrupt and get away with more. Yet, they pay themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, forever, for not even doing their jobs we pay them for.
I’m not voting this election. I suggest any candidate dreaming of a vote from me, and maybe many like me, is a pledge from said candidate to stop paying salaries for MPs that are not in elected office anymore, and stop providing them with scores of police officers as personal bodyguards, chauffeurs and valet parking and instead focus on directing traffic, solving kidnapping cases and trying to turn Roumieh from a 5-star accommodation facility for alleged terror suspects into a proper jail, with a proper trail. You know, one with no WiFi and cable TV and mobile phones…
Of course, they need to pledge loads of other things, but this one thing is inspired from this rude, disgusting misappropriation of funds from people who need it, to billionaire bags of human feces we vote for every 4 years.
Seeing this makes me really sad all over again
There will be a Leb Spring by itself
This comment is for the 2nd part of the article about the politicians and their new wages/raises:
Hah, this is typical behavior of survivors on a sinking ship. Get out with as much as you possibly can carry. This is a serious sign: when these people (who know the current situation of the country and its people) have the audacity to do something like this, they know that it’s short term (before the huge bills start racking up and going public). For the “beyond death” benefits, they are just saving it as a bargaining chip for later on when the country dies then resurrects: if it resurrects correctly, they lose their claim; if it resurrects with the same corruption we have now, then they legally claim their “lost” benefits.