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Finally, Загорка!
romerican
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As if to prove the point I make below
Horace
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Cretin
of the Week
Horace
June 19th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Our true industrialists were killed or disowned in ‘47. Nowadays, the majority
of rich people built their fortunes on “ţepe”(frauds) and continue to do so.
We are seeing a small, but growing number of people who are actually
BUSINESS-men and try to build up fortune again.
v-twin
Finally, Загорка!
romerican 2007
Occasionally, I’ve been an outspoken critic of Romania’s apparent lack of
interest in participating in neighboring economies. Those synaptic flares
generally boil down to the distasteful observation of Romania drinking in too
much of the outerworld in comparison to seemingly non-existant projection of
itself.
Some moments it seems Romania could have a long-term economic disadvantage
when I read about Austrians buying the banks, Dutch buying the breweries,
Czechs buying energy concerns, British buying the property, French buying the
car manufacturers, Swiss buying the ice cream makers, Germans buying the
insurance conglomerates, and so forth and so on.
Rather than build lasting commercial empires, I worry about a future where
Romanians have already sold everything like an international rummage sale when
the economic games have only just begun.
Will the macro point of view be one where Romania only exists to be drained of
its’ wealth potential? It’s a vampiric scenario to think of so many Romanian
companies having their profits siphoned outside the borders.
From there I get to ranting about how various foreigners are taking possession
of historical treasures, the radical absorption of massive amounts American
culture through the entertainment and food/beverage industries, the rapid
influx of retail brands from Hungary, the loss of seaside tourism to other
parts of the Black Sea, and more.
When I rarely, if ever, hear about Romanian-owned companies exporting Romanian
brands to the outside world, those are the times when I wonder what is
happening to Romanian culture? It is really disappearing before our very eyes?
I hope I am overlooking some obvious and substantial enclave of Romanians who
take pride in ownership, build some great businesses, brave the economic wars
of entering new markets, and bring some of those profits back home.
A new generation of Romanian business leaders who don’t salivate over the exit
strategy of quickly selling out to the nearest stranger with sacks of cash and
then blowing it all on some wildly lavish escapism.
A bumper crop of serious entrepreneurs yearning to construct stable empires to
hold.
Romania needs such iconic figures who breed successful outreach strategies
enabling the nation to compete in the European Union and internationally
without simply becoming a wilted plop of resources to be leeched.
Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Ukraine all represent logical markets for
exporting Romanian-made products and Romanian-performed services sold under
Romanian brands of Romanian-owned companies. There’s a ready audience right
across the border just ripe for the taking. Do it.
While I clearly do not subscribe to the completely xenophobic or isolationist
philosophies of Romania’s more, er, colorful political figures, I am
unequivocal in my observation of a huge imbalance between foreign ownership
and Romanian ownership.
The long and painful history of the Romanian peoples should not end with
indentured servitude. Ba nu.
To lighten the mood, I’m hypocritically quite overjoyed to report on my latest
findings in international commerce happenings here in the central economic hub
of Bucureşti, colloquially known as the hot buzzing zona Rahova.
After much longing and despondent searching since prior excursions to the
wilds of Sofia, my intrepid scouring of the busy Sector 5 streets has revealed
someone finally imported the unbelievably fantastic Zagorka lager of Bulgaria
into Romania.
Time to get on the clue train, you hip kiddies. Be the first one on your block
to be super marfa. Ask about it at your local store (just like I incessantly
badgered mine). Amaze your friends with your new-found sophistication by
tipping back a glass of deliciousness.
Noroc!
As if to prove the
point I make below
by Horace
This is not an atypical scene. This kind of blockage, caused by those
Romanians - most of them - who ignore the rules of the road, and drive into
intersections when they have no exit - are seen all over Bucharest, and other
cities every day.
Bucharest's roads are overcrowded; there are simply too many cars. But most
traffic problems are caused by Romanians simply being selfish, stupid,
ignorant, arrogant or - usually - all of the above.
This is not an atypical scene. This kind of blockage, caused by those
Romanians - most of them - who ignore the rules of the road, and drive into
intersections when they have no exit - are seen all over Bucharest, and other
cities every day.
Bucharest's roads are overcrowded; there are simply too many cars. But most
traffic problems are caused by Romanians simply being selfish, stupid,
ignorant, arrogant or - usually - all of the above.
Monday, January 08, 2007 Cretin of the Week
Horace
Time to recognise Bucharest and Romania's biggest cretins with the
introduction of this weekly award (and let's face it - with competition so
stiff, winning should be considered an honour)...
Now, there are a number of reasons why EU membership is good for Romania (and
plenty why it is not). One of the positives (perhaps the most important) is
that the cretinous 'Barons' who run so many of Romania's cities and counties
have had their wings clipped, as EU law renders null and void their petty,
money making local laws designed to do nothing more than line their own
pockets.
Perhaps the most famous of these Barons is the vicious mayor of Constanta, the
gangster Radu Mazare. Mazare is infamous throughout Romania for charging an
entrance fee to Romania's leading seaside resort, Mamaia. He is also known for
his quasi-criminal activities that have enriched him considerably while in
office (most successful Constanta businesses are allegedly required to pay the
mayor tribute in order to avoid tough fiscal checks and other administrative
troubles).
Mazare is not alone in Constanta. The leader of the county council, Nicusor
Daniel Constantinescu, was last year found asleep and drunk at the wheel of
his car (and captured on film by TV news cameras). No action was taken by
local police. One of Constantinescu's money making schemes was an 'ecological'
tax paid by all drivers entering Romania from Bulgaria at border points in
Constanta county. The tax is illegal under EU law, and was therefore dropped
by Constanta County Council on Jan 1st.
 Less
'European' however was another Baron, Lucian Iliescu (pictured), Mayor of
Giurgiu - the main crossing point on the Romania - Bulgaria border. Iliescu
not only imposes an 'ecological' tax on drivers entering Romania, but also a 'transit'
tax on all traffic passing through the border town. At more that €20 for cars
and €35 for lorries the tax is hardly insignificant - especially as it is paid
on entry and exit to and from Romania. Alas for Iliescu however, people are
not stupid. This weekend a revolt by drivers - who blocked the border -
created an international incident which was ended only when a furious Romanian
President, Traian Basescu, called Iliescu and ordered that all traffic be
allowed to pass, without paying a penny. Iliescu - who has vowed to take his
case to court - will need to find another way to pay for his lavish lifestyle.
For now, in honour of his utter greed, stupidity, and wilful ignorance of the
law, he gets our inaugural Cretin of the Week award.
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