As a homeowner in Honduras (La Ceiba, Caribbean coast), I can confirm that you are absolutely right. The government of Honduras allows stealing to be the national pass time — in exchange for doing little or nothing to help create an opportunity society.
The Honduran people would love to work. Unfortunately, their government is run by the rich who could care less what the people want or don’t want — as long as they don’t want the rich people’s money.
The rich power brokers in Honduras could turn the economy around in a heartbeat — if they would undertake a genuine initiative to attract foreign investment. But, why bother, when they already have the wealth and power?
Having a flourishing middle-class would lessen the power of the elites, and also reduce their effective wealth.
The elites want servants and concubines, not competitors.
Thats actually the model the worlds elite are trying to spread. The rich and powerful have everything and the individuals have no rights and no power.