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  #21  
Old 03-05-2014, 09:55 AM
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Costa Rica? My brother spent a week there a few years ago and still goes on about how much he loved it, although he did avoid the cities while he was there.

I've been to the Philippines four times. An American can live like a king there with $100 in his pocket. The countryside is beautiful and, for the most part, the people very friendly.

Never been to Costa Rica. But, I imagine that like the PI, it is a poor country and has been for a very long time, maybe forever, I don't know. Poverty carries with it certain problems. Crime, drugs and prostitution often among them.

But, I do know there are lots of reasons a nation can find itself economically challenged. And not all of them relate directly to politics.

Is it really all that realistic to assume that the presence of so(c)ialized healthcare in Costa Rica is the root of the nations economic woes? Do Germany and Canada have the same problems as Costa Rica?

Dave
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  #22  
Old 03-05-2014, 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by piece-itpete View Post
Is it a bargain?

Pete
It's an exit visa, they're not uncommon. Just a bit of paperwork to keep track of the riff raff visiting their country.
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  #23  
Old 03-05-2014, 11:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Wasillaguy View Post
We're still enjoying the favorable jet stream. Record highs last week (48F), supposed to get to 34F today.

I was just in San Jose, Costa Rica, where everyone decorates their homes with bars on every window and door, and concertina wire on the top of every roof and fence.
That is, until you get out in the farm country. Suddenly you see normal looking houses that haven't been turned into little personal prisons.

So it turns out that in a country of about 5 million people, only about 12,000 have permits to own weapons. Who? Why the farmers of course, so they can do farming type stuff where they need weapons. Nice side benefit for them is they also get to live like normal humans. They don't need razor wire and iron bars to lock themselves away every night, cuz the bad guys know they got firearms.

They also got them some socialized medicine. Guide said if you know someone in the government or the military, you can get treatment, but the average Jose' can wait 3 or 4 years for an operation.

No prices on any of the gas stations. Why? Cuz the gov owns the only refinery, and sets the price. Everyone must sell at the same price, no competition. Somewhere around $6 to $6.50 a gallon.

They've been trying to build a highway to the coast for a dozen years now. Still not done, budget busted long ago.

Stayed at a real nice hotel, with absolute squalor all around. Roads are hideous, electric and cable tv wiring strung like crepe paper at a party, and rusty corrugated tin used for roofing, siding, fences, signs, and anything else they can think of.

Runaway inflation- the exchange rate went up in the 3 days I was there.

They couldn't even play a soccer game. Cancelled it before it started due to rioting in the stands.

I wouldn't retire there even if someone else paid for it.

You know you're in a great place when they charge you to leave. $27 U.S. to get out.




The Koch Brothers would not mind an America like that if they could keep all the money they have. I can not talk about Costa Rica but I know about the Philippines because my wife is from there. There is no socialized medicine there I know from first hand experience....I pay for my in-laws health care all the time.

Your state of Alaska is kept afloat by my Federal tax dollars....imagine if Washington DC cut off your state from Medicare, Social Security, Obamacare and federal money in general? You r state would start to look like a very cold Costa Rica.


I find it funny how you conflate socialized medicine with poverty in developing nations.....a spurious correlation.
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  #24  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:04 PM
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Boreas Boreas is offline
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Südtirol (aka Alto Adige) is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable places on the planet. Great food, great wine, beautiful scenery and fantastic skiing and windsurfing. What's not to like? When I lived in Augsburg, my best friend lived in Vicenza. We'd frequently met halfway to ski, windsurf at Lake Garda, or just eat and drink wine. We met there a few times during "Toerggelen" times in the Fall. Good fun, though full of German tourists at that time.
Thanks for the spell check.

At this point, I've lost any hope of things ever improving here in "The Land of the Free". We seem to have reached a tipping point, at every level, of governmental corruption, indifference and lawlessness. I don't see a way back or even a way to halt the decline. A revolution would just be a way for the government to eliminate those of us "surplus to requirements".

I hope I'm wrong but I've decided to start learning Italian.

John
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Last edited by Boreas; 03-05-2014 at 12:09 PM.
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  #25  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:30 PM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Originally Posted by Boreas View Post
Thanks for the spell check.

At this point, I've lost any hope of things ever improving here in "The Land of the Free". We seem to have reached a tipping point, at every level, of governmental corruption, indifference and lawlessness. I don't see a way back or even a way to halt the decline. A revolution would just be a way for the government to eliminate those of us "surplus to requirements".

I hope I'm wrong but I've decided to start learning Italian.

John
One of the advantages of having a linguist for a wife, she speaks Spanish, Italian, Portugese but her Japanese is getting a little rusty. I could always bone up on my French I suppose. Andalusia seems like a nice spot. Of course I still have no end of cousins in the UK. But New Brunswick is a lot closer, or Nova Scotia or the Island
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  #26  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:32 PM
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finnbow finnbow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boreas View Post
Thanks for the spell check.

At this point, I've lost any hope of things ever improving here in "The Land of the Free". We seem to have reached a tipping point, at every level, of governmental corruption, indifference and lawlessness. I don't see a way back or even a way to halt the decline. A revolution would just be a way for the government to eliminate those of us "surplus to requirements".

I hope I'm wrong but I've decided to start learning Italian.

John
If you're hoping to find better governance in Bella Italia, good luck with that. They change governments about as often as I change my underwear. The wine, food, people and sights are awesome though.
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  #27  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:35 PM
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One of the advantages of having a linguist for a wife, she speaks Spanish, Italian, Portugese but her Japanese is getting a little rusty. I could always bone up on my French I suppose. Andalusia seems like a nice spot. Of course I still have no end of cousins in the UK. But New Brunswick is a lot closer, or Nova Scotia or the Island
Andalusia is awesome. Granada, Cordoba and Seville are all terrific with some of the finest historic architecture anywhere. The wine and tapas are pretty good too, as is the flamenco music. I can remember eating Carne de Toro finger sandwiches with red wine outside the bull ring in Seville. Good times.
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  #28  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:36 PM
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Wasillaguy Wasillaguy is offline
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Originally Posted by piece-itpete View Post
Is it a bargain?

Pete
It certainly was. Would have been a bargain at twice the price.
Amusing to hear these advocates of "leveling the playing field" wax poetic of living somewhere they can be the rich, ruling class. Sure, you can go to Costa Rica or the Phillipines and live like a king.... on the backs of the extremely poor. I thought that was the problem here?
I also get a kick out of the people who take advantage of charities to fund their vacations (Houses for Humanity being one). Talked to a couple who came here to Wasilla on donated funds to help build houses, and oh yeah, also included were excursions to tourist spots on the weekends.
I'm thinking with the amount of money they put out in airfare, hotels, excursions, etc. they could have hired locals to build the houses. We have folks who do that here.
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  #29  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:37 PM
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Originally Posted by bobabode View Post
It's an exit visa, they're not uncommon. Just a bit of paperwork to keep track of the riff raff visiting their country.
Israel charged a pretty penny just to walk across the border into Jordan to visit Petra and Wadi Rum. I think it was upwards of $30 apiece. They didn't charge anything to fly out of the country from Ben Gurion airport, however. I think they just resent foreign tourists spending any money in Jordan.
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  #30  
Old 03-05-2014, 12:50 PM
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Dondilion Dondilion is offline
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Originally Posted by Wasillaguy View Post

I wouldn't retire there even if someone else paid for it.

You know you're in a great place when they charge you to leave. $27 U.S. to get out.
Thanks Wasi !

There is a city in Ecuador to which many Americans are retiring. However the leader of Ecuador has an anti-American streak.

Now why would an American retire to such a country?
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