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The article up on the home page, “[url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3795.cfm]Why I’m Leaving America[/url]”, hits the nail on the head. I am always pleasantly surprised to find others with whom I share a world view. The author lists the many good reasons for the action and says that he believes he will stand a better chance of survival outside the U.S. territory.
This sounds logical to me. There are bound to be places on the planet where living through world economic collapse will be less painful than at the vortex of the storm.
But he doesn’t say where that might be for him or how he plans to effect and maintain his escape. He states that he may even be underestimating the capacity of the U.S. government for vengeance towards dissidents and deserters.
As I go over my situation and my plans to leave, I am reminded that the devil is always in the details. I try to imagine how world economic collapse will play out in Costa Rica for expats. There is literally a world of change on the way.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]So is there a question here, sprite, or are you just offering advice? Or not?
[/quote]There are several questions. First of all, I would love to know what the details of this guy’s plan are. Where is he going? How will he support himself? What measures will he take to escape the long arm of the government?
The bigger question I have is one I suppose nobody can answer authoritatively; what will happen to expats in Costa Rica after the economic crash? Perhaps some of you do have a plan for this likely scenario. There was an article by George Lundquist here wherein he listed his plan for the crash. But how many do not?
Sprite
you need to get out of the U.S before anything else.
you speak alot of things but yet your in the same situation as you have been for years now.
why would you want to know the article details??
there is a great tool called
GOOGLE that can help you find just about anything if you look.
peoples opinions should not matter since each individual is different
regarding what will happen to Expats in costa rica
again
this depends on the individual.. correct??
I mean if an expat lives here with debt this changes his options
so many variables that again it would be a moot point discussing this aside from the fact you just have nothing to do except waste time on these discussion boards.
stop talking and take action. 🙂
[quote=”sprite”]There are several questions. First of all, I would love to know what the details of this guy’s plan are. Where is he going? How will he support himself? What measures will he take to escape the long arm of the government?[/quote]
There is probably less than 1 chance in 1,000 that whatever he has planned would be applicable to you situation. The best that you could hope for is that he could provide a new direction in your thinking.
What is it that you think “the long arm of the government” is going to do? Force you to return to the U.S.? Take your life’s savings that you have hidden off-shore? I have nothing that the government wants.
We’ve seen a few hard times in our lives but somehow we got through them. I just see no reason to worry about the things that might happen. Life goes on.
[quote=”sprite”]The bigger question I have is one I suppose nobody can answer authoritatively; what will happen to expats in Costa Rica after the economic crash? Perhaps some of you do have a plan for this likely scenario. There was an article by George Lundquist here wherein he listed his plan for the crash. But how many do not? [/quote]
From your posts on this site I see you as someone who lives in fear of what MIGHT happen. As someone who has researched economics, economic history and the effect of decisions made by our congress in its infinite stupidity I can tell you that the U.S. is an amazingly resilient nation.
IF there is an economic crash every nation will be affected not just the U.S. If your notion of total disaster comes true there will be no place to hide from it. I would assume in that case that our SS income will be static or reduced and my very small pension might be eliminated.
When we arrived here we had no cash to speak of but we had no debt and our property was mortgage free. About 1/3 of the property was treeless and we have started planting fruit trees that will offer us something all year long and we have had a vegetable garden, which can produce all year long here, and we’ve had chickens since we arrived.
It isn’t a matter of preparing for the worst but rather doing what we have done all our lives.
We survive
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]What davidd said . . .[/quote]
For those of us that think we can read between (or beyond) the lines, perhaps one of your best posts EVER!
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]So is there a question here, sprite, or are you just offering advice? Or not?
[/quote]Why do we have to have a question. Maybe we just want to post a statement and find out if there are other thoughts, or post a link for the info it holds. Lighten up, Dave 🙂
Hi Waggoner. I think I have an idea about that “long arm”of the government” and I posted it once before.
If you rely in part on social security payments it goes like this:
As a “temporary measure” and as of X date, if you retire out of the US you only get to take 75% of your social security.
Oops – have to make that measure permanent.
Oops – you can only take 50% after Y date.
Oops – sorry have to make the 50% permanent.
So sorry. If you retire out of the US, you don’t take any of your social security.I posted something about this possible government grab a few months ago and someone told me not to mention it again. It might give the government ideas. What do you think, Wagg?
Well, as long as we’re fantasizing about things that no responsible person has even imagined, much less suggested, how about . . .
If you retire outside the U.S. after a certain date, you must spend half your Social Security benefit each month on badminton birdies and half the rest on hairnets?
Or how about if you retire outside the U.S., you can keep your Social Security benefit, but your grandchildren may not attend any public school or university?
Anybody else trippin’?
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]Hi Waggoner. I think I have an idea about that “long arm”of the government” and I posted it once before.
If you rely in part on social security payments it goes like this:
As a “temporary measure” and as of X date, if you retire out of the US you only get to take 75% of your social security.
Oops – have to make that measure permanent.
Oops – you can only take 50% after Y date.
Oops – sorry have to make the 50% permanent.
So sorry. If you retire out of the US, you don’t take any of your social security.I posted something about this possible government grab a few months ago and someone told me not to mention it again. It might give the government ideas. What do you think, Wagg?[/quote]
My life has been full of adverse situations and we always found solutions. With SS under stress I expect we will see some changes such as the freeze in 2009-10 and we have been doing what we can to be as self sufficient as we can be.
I was raised on a farm in the 1950’s and learned to think outside the box when problems occurred and the situation with SS is no different.
We have been preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
Les, I think you’ve misrepresented the 2009-10 Social Security payment amount. SS payments are recalculated each year based upon the computed change in the cost of living. For the previous year, the cost of living did not increase. That’s why there was no increase in 2009, not because it was “frozen”.
Anyone is, of course, welcome to dispute the actual change in the cost of living, but there is a computation built into the law and that’s what Social Security must be based upon.
David – ’09 was my first full year on SS, so I was really paying attention to it. Congress voted themselves a raise that year and the funding language was that their increase would be paid for by the freeze on COL increases for recipients of SS.
I couldn’t believe what I read – i think I may be able to find it.Please do cite a credible source for this, Bill. Remember, coincidence and causation are entirely different.
What you say is very curious since Social Security payments are made from the Social Security Trust Fund and Congressional compensation comes from the entirely separate general fund which pays for most federal government activity. Those are two totally different sources of revenue and two entirely separate accounts.
What’s more, the Social Security Cost of Living adjustment and Congressional pay raises bear no relationship to each other. One can go up while the other goes down (or goes up more).
I’d like to see the legal language that even permits Social Security Trust Fund assets to be used for anything but beneficiary payments and the associated administrative expenses (maybe).
Absent some proof, I think somebody is greatly misrepresenting something.
Enquiring Minds and all that . . .
[quote=”sprite”]The article up on the home page, “[url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/3795.cfm]Why I’m Leaving America[/url]”, hits the nail on the head. I am always pleasantly surprised to find others with whom I share a world view. The author lists the many good reasons for the action and says that he believes he will stand a better chance of survival outside the U.S. territory.
This sounds logical to me. There are bound to be places on the planet where living through world economic collapse will be less painful than at the vortex of the storm.
But he doesn’t say where that might be for him or how he plans to effect and maintain his escape. He states that he may even be underestimating the capacity of the U.S. government for vengeance towards dissidents and deserters.
As I go over my situation and my plans to leave, I am reminded that the devil is always in the details. I try to imagine how world economic collapse will play out in Costa Rica for expats. There is literally a world of change on the way.
[/quote]wish I could leave, wife was ready to go and visit, look at investments, then the earth quake and she is not wanting to go anymore….
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