четверг, мая 18, 2006

Tashkent Special

Uzbekistan continues to be on my heart for some reason. I recently got an email from a friend who was there over Pascha a few weeks back. He says unemployment is at 65%... so kicking out all the NGOs (who provide employment, among other things) really makes sense. Sad. He shared this example with me:

"People who own their own vans/cars and usethem as marshrutkas now are supposed to keep them every night in a government garage. They are not allowed to take home their own van that they bought with their own money! Then they have to pay a fee inthe morning to use their own car which they bought with their own money in order to use it that day. Then they still have to pay the 80% tax on profits tothe government, and then at the end of the day return their vans to the government garage. Most of them just plan to quit, but then the government still wins because then only government-owned vans will be working. And of course then the price can go up because it'll be a monopoly, and then the people are all losers while Karimov sends his millions to ever-peaceful Switzerland for his retirement
(which can't come soon enough). Depressing. Better news than that, however, is that the Church there continues to grow. Perhaps the sucky economy and political
situation help turn people's attention to more lasting things."

Not everything that happens in this world is God's will, but he does use it all for the good of those who love him.

Sweet.