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[quote=”sprite”]…… Right now, there are numerous reports of wealthy and powerful US citizens buying large tracts of land in South America. The Bush family purchased a huge tract of land in Paraguay recently. It was a significant expenditure even for them. Was it just a financial investment? Or are the rats leaving the sinking ship as they have throughout history after they have sucked dry the host nation?[/quote]
Sprite, this is SO LIKE YOU! You throw out some conspiratorial claim without regard to any of the facts surrounding your statement. The information about the Bush family land purchase in Paraguay has been spinning around the press and the internet since 2005-2006 – that is hardly “recently”. The Bush “Hideaway” is very near an even larger piece of land purchased by Sun Myung Moon – maybe they have plans for a joint venture development – maybe a big dude ranch?
We are straying too far from the thread already. Your question about nations hollowed out by the rich would require a long answer with historical references. Suffice to say that most larger nations throughout history have been hollowed at one point in time.
Motives for moving to Costa Rica are as varied as the people doing it, I am sure. And leaving a sinking ship is not the only reason I am doing so. But the original poster of this thread has been facing some frustration on the subject of immigrating to CR as a working individual with a family. I forgot to ask him about his motive(s) for moving to Costa Rica.
“And I suspect that sooner or later, the U.S. government, if allowed to, will begin even harsher restrictions on US citizens leaving the country with any wealth.”
That’s already started… slowly and quite quietly… check out those VISA prepaid cards at your local drug store… the ones you could buy for cash in just about any amount and use anywhere in the world…. guess what folks…. not any more…. only to be used in the US.
They’ve already started limiting or restricting your ability to “take it with you”… check into the rules on transporting silver or gold that YOU OWN AND HAVE A RECEIPT for… it’s getting crazy! But they’ll tell you it’s all in the interest of Anti-terrorism! BULL!
Let’s not even get into the banking rules the IRS is forcing on the rest of the world to track and limit folks (Americans) ability to move their money offshore! It’s been well covered by some of the articles on this site!
History is a funny thing… it plays over and over… the Folks trying to escape Hitler were stopped from bringing their wealth with them… if they were luck enough to escape with their lives they left with the clothes on their backs in many cases… make your conclusions!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]… check out those VISA prepaid cards at your local drug store…[/quote]
What the banks that issue Visa cards restrict is completely up to them. And how precisely would the teeny tiny amounts stored on Visa prepaid cards in any way help the US government’s financial situation? Besides, not all Visa debit cards have that restriction.[quote=”Imxploring”]…the Folks trying to escape Hitler were stopped from bringing their wealth with them…[/quote]
The “Folks trying to escape Hitler” eventually wound up being shoved into gas chambers so I assume you think that’s next eh? So your reasoning is that whatever happened in Nazi Germany is inevitably destined to happen in the United States. Is there possibly a flaw in that logic? Just maybe?When you and sprite have your little meetings do you wear those adorable tin foil hats that keep out the government’s surveillance rays?[/quote]
The issue with the VISA cards is that it controls and limits your ability to take your wealth with you outside the control and oversight of the US government… the same with silver and gold. Don’t think we’re headed for ovens… but then again…there’s updated technology available today! LOL
Come now Steve…. do you truly believe that our very own government isn’t just a tad over zealous in it’s “caring” and “protecting” it’s citizens? Didn’t your boy Barry just have to get up in front of the public and annouce he was rolling back the spying the US government was doing on it’s own citizens in response to the discovery of the extent they were “protecting” us?
Did YOU even know about that when you were dropping those monthly payments from your paycheck to fund his reelection or was that your employer pushing the issue since insurance companies (your industry) would benefit from Obamacare?
Remember Steve…. up until a year ago folks that were claiming that Uncle Sam was spying on his citizens were told to get fitted for tin caps…. after Ed Snowden spoke up… they all became visionaries!
Ignorance is bliss…. so keep smiling my friend keep smiling! 🙂
A little quote from Ben Franklin…..
“They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Words to think about when pondering the extent which the US has gone in “protecting” the citizenry!
A lot of people have been brainwashed into quickly labeling as nut jobs those of us who talk about what is really happening. They won’t even see what hits them AS IT HITS THEM.
Sweikert,
Here is a little factoid for you; more people have been killed by democide (death by government) than any other cause including pandemics and all diseases. It is not paranoid to fear government, any government. It is prudent.
And here is a bit of grammatical logic which seems to have escaped your attention; there is a difference between “possible” and “probable”. While anything is possible, only a limited number of happenings are probable. History is filled with and is defined by conspiracies. The idea that wealthy, powerful individuals might get together to consolidate their wealth and power is not only possible, it is probable. And you are one of the majority of sleeping worker bees who make it possible for the few elites to get their way. Wake up.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”sprite”]more people have been killed by democide (death by government) than any other cause including pandemics and all diseases. .[/quote]
That is proposterous and quite obviously wrong. As we speak there are hundreds of thousands – maybe millions – of people are dying of diseases.Prove it.
You’re telling us that most of the 7 billion people alive today will die as a result of “democide”? Of all of the people you have known that are now dead, what percentage died of “democide”?
Look up the numbers. Death by government is no small thing.
[quote=”sprite”]While anything is possible, only a limited number of happenings are probable. [/quote]
Precisely. The things you are utterly convinced are probable simply aren’t.[/quote]Prove it.
[quote=”sweikert925″]I suppose I could waste my time pointing you to websites that show statistics for death rates by disease but they would all be compiled by various government bodies (because who else would know that?) and you’d just proclaim “AHA! More Government lies!”[/quote]
Barry and the boys will be sad to see you leave Steve… remind us all why it is that YOU want leave the US?
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]The issue with the VISA cards is that it controls and limits your ability to take your wealth with you outside the control and oversight of the US government… the same with silver and gold.[/quote]
How much of the wealth of US citizens is stored in the form of Visa prepaid debit cards and gold? .00000000001% maybe? Oh, I know. This is another one of those “tip of the iceberg” things I guess.The problem with both of you is that you look at current events and see only the certainty of ever increasing doom and conclude that this is unstoppable. In which case, I have to ask, what possible purpose does it serve to post these dire warnings on this message board? (Do either of you ever consider the possibility that you may be wrong? And since you will no doubt ask the same of me, yes, I could be wrong).
History is definitely something to keep in mind but not just the parts of history where bad things happened. It is a historical fact that the Mongols swept across Central Asia. It COULD happen again! Germany declared war against France. 3 times!! It COULD happen again!
SENSIBLE people know that while there are an infinite number of possible risks out there it does absolutely no good to keep running around warning about this or that one – especially on such flimsy evidence like what you 2 are presenting. And neither of you ever consider all of the possibilities that are equally likely and which are NOT dire threats to humankind. History is not a physical force like gravity or momentum. It is comprised of quadrillions of individual decisions by billions of people every second of every day. I may have a tuna sandwich for lunch today instead of ham – thus altering the course of human history.
I suppose that tin foil hat remark was rude, and for that I apologize. It may be that an inordinate fear of government may be someday diagnosed as a mental impairment – maybe we can call it Obamaphobia. So I suppose I should be kinder to those of you afflicted with it. But man, it really does take a lot of patience to put up with this constant drumbeat of impending doom that we keep reading here.
[quote=”Imxploring”]do you truly believe that our very own government isn’t just a tad over zealous in it’s “caring” and “protecting” it’s citizens?[/quote]
No.It is very illustrative to how hard it is to set policy when, as in this instance, President Obama is being simultaneously criticized on the right for both being too lax and too overzealous in protecting us from harm.
[/quote]Liberty is more often taken from the people in little bites… best they don’t notice until it’s too late… if done all at once at the business end of a gun people have the chance to fight back!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Liberty is more often taken from the people in little bites.[/quote]
In a republic founded on democratic government, liberty isn’t taken from people – it’s bargained away. Every change in government policy that you interpret as a taking of liberty was done as a result of meeting some other goal that people accepted as being worthwhile. You may think a particular bargain is bad, but as I keep pointing out, it is not just your opinion that counts. We all have an opinion and the amalgamation of all those opinions results in whatever bargain is struck.We submit to being searched before boarding an airplane as the cost of not being shot or blown up on that plane. Companies have to comply with environmental laws so that we, the public, can avoid being poisoned by polluted air and water. Money transfer restrictions are in place so that tax cheats (you know how I feel about them) and proprietors of illegal enterprises are dealt with.
Quite a few of the people like you who complain about encroachments of liberty have no problem when it is OTHER people’s liberty that is at issue. So righties think the state is perfectly OK deciding what a woman should do with her ovaries or who should be allowed to marry whom. They have no problem with stop and frisk laws that target people who don’t have the same skin complexion that they do.
And that quote that usually gets trotted out from good old Ben Franklin (which sprite was quick to cite) –
“[i]Those who would give up [b]essential[/b] Liberty, to purchase a little [b]temporary[/b] Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety[/i]”
is woefully misinterpreted. The words “essential” and “temporary” are there for a purpose and that purpose is not decoration. Try switching those 2 words around in that quote above and maybe the light bulb will switch on.
[url=http://www.lawfareblog.com/2011/07/what-ben-franklin-really-said/#.UuD6I7TnbDA]What Ben Franklin Really Said[/url]
[/quote]So tell us Steve…. what did we get in the “bargain” for the NSA spying on us? Seems when people “bargain” both parties need to understand and be aware of what they are giving up in exchange the the benefit they are receiving. Dare I say it took Snowden to make the American people aware of what had been secretly taken from them. And keep in mind as a low level contract employee (Snowden) I’m quite sure we don’t have the full story as to the extent to which the “bargain” has been executed behind our backs.
BTW…. Your source on Franklin’s quote is but one man’s interpretation of what HE thinks Franklin meant based on the historical references he choses to apply to his theory. As with most history it’s often up to the individual to determine the meaning….just as the Supreme court interprets and applies the meaning of the Constitution today.
Just about any quote, much like a poem or work of art, is subject to interpretation…. look at the multiple interpretations applied to the Mona Lisa.
[quote=”Imxploring”][quote=”waggoner41″][quote=”cfoutz”]I have been wanting to move to Costa Rica since the ’90s and still have not made it. All I hear about is retiring. I am not ready to retire and still need to make a living but information on this is sparse. I visited last year and really like the Grecia and Atenas areas. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it work?[/quote]
If you can work on-line you can make it work but working here requires that you have a skill that is in demand and can not be filled by a Tico or have a viable business that you can manage but you can not do the labor..[/quote]
You’ll also need a residency status that allows you to stay in Costa Rica while you give it a go. Unless you have a very special skill it’s unlikely you will find a “job” that will allow you to “work” or compete in the CR job market. A business would be a better option…. but be realistic in your expectations of sucess. Small businesses fail all the time. Starting one in a foreign country will make it even more of a challenge. Good Luck on making your dream a reality![/quote]
I will be starting two businesses when I finally get to CR. Do I need residency or in process, to operate my own business? I would be purchasing materials from and providing jobs for Ticos in both ventures.
Thanks
P.S. It seems 90% of the comments here are way off subject[quote=”placitasjohn1″]I will be starting two businesses when I finally get to CR. Do I need residency or in process, to operate my own business? I would be purchasing materials from and providing jobs for Ticos in both ventures.
Thanks
P.S. It seems 90% of the comments here are way off subject[/quote]You will not need either to start a business. Just remember you can’t “work” in the business. And be sure to comply with the rules for whatever status (ie. Tourist) you are in CR under… if not you can count on a competitor or someone upset with you on turning you into immigration.
Best of luck. There are some great article on Scott’s site about folks starting businesses here in CR.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]what did we get in the “bargain” for the NSA spying on us?[/quote]
I should think that was perfectly obvious. Or are you not aware that there are very bad people who are out to harm Americans and who can be possibly be hunted down using the tactics the NSA is employing. 911? Doesn’t ring a bell? No? It was in all the papers.Let me pose a question. If this NSA program was NOT in place and an attack had been launched which COULD have been intercepted before it occurred, would you shrug and say, “Oh well, it was worth that price not to have my phone number and what calls it made stored somewhere for the government to sift through”. Yes or no only please.
[quote=”Imxploring”]As with most history it’s often up to the individual to determine the meaning[/quote]
I don’t see too much leeway in how the words “essential” and “temporary” can be interpreted. Perhaps you can offer some alternative interpretations because they seem pretty clear to me.[/quote]
Spying on 300,000,000 million Americans is NOT a reasonable excuse to track 10,000 (est) terrorist!
Sorry Steve… once again… Uncle Sam could stop 200,000+ unnecessary deaths in the US per year on the smoking issue… but chooses not to…. why? Oh… I forgot…. because the government takes in HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars on cigarette taxes!
So the whole NSA issue is to protect us from terrorism… but the US government has no problem with COUNTLESS CONFIRMED deaths, illness, and disabilities each year…. as long as it generates a cash flow in tax revenues!
So with such great advantages in the bargain…. why did it take a whistle blower to let the public know what was taken from them?
Seems some of our allies…. those are the good guys on our side not looking to do us harm…. were quite upset with Uncle Sam snooping on them…. wonder why? Perhaps they feel as I do… but who knows!
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”Imxploring”]Spying on 300,000,000 million Americans is NOT a reasonable excuse to track 10,000 (est) terrorist![/quote]
How many terrorists [b]would[/b] we have to track for that to be worth it? Seems to me 1 is the correct number, if that 1 truly a posed danger to innocent people.So your answer apparently to my question above then, is “Yes, it worth the additional risk to our lives to prevent the NSA from snooping”.
[quote=”Imxploring”]Uncle Sam could stop 200,000+ unnecessary deaths in the US per year on the smoking issue…[/quote]
“Uncle Sam could stop…” – OK, how exactly?So you’re concerned about the government encroaching on liberty – except for smokers right to ingest whatever they want. (Note: I am NOT a smoker and never have been). The government should step in and ban tobacco? Aren’t you the guy who was arguing just a few hours ago about how government was taking our liberties? Let’s ban fattening foods too then, and order car makers to make cars that never go more than 55mph. Think of the lives that would be saved!
[/quote]The answer was No… the cost of liberty is NOT worth the results. Have we been advised of ONE plot stopped as a result of spying on 300,000,000 Americans? Whoops… that must be another secret.
Lots of folks are addicted to cocaine and crack… perhaps Uncle Sam can partner with the Columbian cartels. Just imagine the tax income! My example shows government PROFITING at the expense and detriment of the public you think they’re protecting. In fact making a HUGE profit with CONFIRMED harm to the public.
Smoking is an addiction… one that KILLS… but yet the government you’re defending PARTNERS with the producers. In fact Uncle Sam is the majority partner… he gets the majority of the income. (Not a smoker… never have been)
A carton of smokes at the duty free is $24. In NY the same carton goes for $120… all added tax!
Of course Uncle Sam doesn’t want to ban smoking…. if he did they’d have to shut down government in a month!
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