Pope Francis, Bolivia's Morales discuss inequality

Pope Francis, Bolivia's Morales discuss inequality | GlobalPost
A short read on at least one area that Francis and Evo agree: the inequality visited upon the poor simply for being poor. Add me to that list as well. Here in Bolivia we have a front row seat to the daily show. Part of the inequality is right here in our semi-rural neighborhood. The same basic services available in town, just a few kilometers away, that we don't have are

1. Continuous access to potable water. Our community well has an output that is seasonally dry.
2. Sewer system. We have a septic tank. Some of our neighbors just run their waste water into the street.
3. Police service. You can find the police in most of Cochabamba & they will come when called. Here just barely outside the urban zone one never sees the police. [Flip side: if there were a serious crime in this neighborhood they perpetrator would probably get lynched.....]
4. Public transportation. Yes, we have passenger vans. The service does not run the same hours (fewer) here than in the city.
5. Domestic gas. There is a growing network of gas delivery by tubing in the city. Go just outside and "nada."
6. Paved streets, or at least cobblestoned streets. 

One does not have to live in the truly rural zones of the country where there is extreme poverty to get a sense of the stark contrast between urban and rural parts of the country.