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Of course it seems unfair but the rate at which people are paid must be consistent with the wages of the country/area. Just because builder A will make X does’nt mean they have to pay workers twice what the normal wage would be. If everyone followed this course Intel, Avis, Walmart etc. would have to pay employees much, much more than they do as well the same would be true of hotels that charge $160-$500 dollars a night. What you express is a nice sentiment but makes no sense…Paying workers fairly/treating them well based on local standards is what needs to be considered.
Lotus
Seems like I opened a can of worms here. All I was trying to do was disagree and reply to a previous post where someone was giving advice to another – they foolishly stated that Jaco was not a good investment. Anyway, you make some good points. I’ll be in Playa Hermosa for a week next Sat. 5/5. Lets paddle out one morning in front of Backyard. We can discuss further in-between waves…when you bring any capital base to an area you increase the standard of all that it affects.treating someone fairly means you take it upon yourself to improve the economy of said area, not exploit it for it’s “standards”.holding someone down for A profit is sad. maybe someone will show up and teach them more than just how to bow.
I don’t think anyone was saying Jaco wasn’t a good “investment” Hooven… the point that the “cost” of that investment and the effect it was having on the area and the people. Are you planning on living in Jaco at some point or is it just an “investment”?
Living! & it was a supposed to be a reply to a previous note. I clicked on “post new message” instead of “reply”. Good conversation though. Don’t worry Imxploring, your points are well taken & I wish nothing but the best for the Costa Rican people and will continue to treat them with tons of respect. The number one reason that brought me back to Costa Rica is the warmness of the Ticos and the amount of friends I made during a short visit a long time ago.
Hey Hooven…. that makes two of us! I know we can’t stop some of the runaway growth… but if half the folks investing in CR care about our tico friends we’ll see a CR that we can all enjoy for a long time! The current problems are a wake up… my hope is Oscar takes it to heart and addresses these problems… even if it slows growth a bit.
Best Of luck…
I have no problem at all with slower growth…when we bought our little piece of the pie I had no idea central pacific real estate was going to go out of control. It will be interesting to see a few years out if this is all speculation or it is a sustainable “boom” and the folks buying will actually hold onto there property? Or will there be a glut of condos with no buyers out there…
Wspeed: I am all for fairness and would love to see the Ticos making more money, but I don’t agree with your economic model. They are benefiting from all the work available, there is no “capital base” just a lot of speculating. Perhaps these developers could pay out some nice bonuses to the workers as the projects close. Also keep in mind that most(if not all) of these developments are financed by gringos but built by Tico owned construction companies. All the Ticos I have met in Play Hermosa(and Nicas) are pretty happy about all the work and maybe if there is real and sustainable growth there wages will rise. I admit I feel a bit funny paying a maid or gardner $250- $300 per month for full time work…what would you do? Would you pay them more simply because as a Gringo you can afford to and $2 dollars an hour by our standards is a slave wage? I know that I am very generous when there and have often given away stuff like a “boom box” to our maid(a months salary) and have been pretty generous tipping those who have helped us out along the way. As a New Yorker(and Real Estate Broker) I am use to “throwing” a little bit of money around. As I was told on many occasions that “tip” I just gave was what the guy makes in two days….that makes me feel a wee bit strange as well. I think we agree though we certainly don’t want to be exploiting people or others to.
Edited on Apr 29, 2007 19:09
4 new national birds reside in Jaco alone. the skycrane.that alone tells me the capital is here. I don’t know how to reply to the tico co, ownership other than to say they may have learned from the american that no middle class keeps him and his money safe.
I would never feel A wee bit strange lending life to anyone. after all when we improve the lives of those below us we have A place to look for the help we will one day need.and they may be eye level when we look.God bless the working man. cause at 20 A day no-one else is.As Einstein said “It’s all relative”, you can not compare apples to mangos. A constuction “boom” does not make an entire economy, I really fail to see your point other than sentimentalism. Perhaps these Ticos will still be smiling and living the Pura Vida life long after this boom comes and goes and I doubt they need(or want) your sympathy. These are educated, inteligent people and are certainly benefiting from all the construction and new tourism, Esteban seems to have made this point very well. This so called “boom” is not even a year old yet…what do you expect to happen?
I just contacted my developer (& it’s a big one) to confirm some facts that I wanted to post earlier.
1. At a recent charity event the Jaco locals were asked for a pulse check about the “development”. Almost all of them agreed that it was great for the community and the future of their children.
2. There is a LARGE % of Ticos investing in the Condo “boom” in Jaco. The wealth of the Costa Rican upper class was highly underestimated in this thread.
3. A large % of these “$20 a day jobs” are made up of Nico’s not Tico’s. Apparently, these jobs in Jaco are saving people from starving to death in Nicaragua. Btw, $20 a day is not accurate either.
I think all the intentions were good BUT it might be a good idea for everyone to get some facts together instead of constantly speculating on this site.
I think the real danger is the uncontrol growth in Jaco (and other areas of Costa Rica) and the long term impact it will have on the social, economic, and enviornmental issues we’ve all been talking about in this forum.
Growth is good.. it creates jobs and wealth when properly control. We’re starting to see the effects of the growth CR has been enjoying… and it’s not like these issues haven’t been raised before. Scott posted some information about the current electrical issues… they were forcasted years ago… and the water and sewage issues are well documented as well.
Time will be the real judge of how well the growth in CR has been managed… but by that time however… the changes needed to repair the damage done to the country and the people will cost MUCH more than the efforts to head off the problems before they occur.
We see the goverment trying a $150 million “fix” for the current electrical issues… and that’s a DROP IN THE BUCKET! It’s time for the central goverment to take a more active role in addressing Costa Rica’s future. The efforts of the past were wonderful…(Wind/Solar/Hydro) but those moves are now being over shadowed by the current needs (and future needs) of Costa Rica’s growth.
Edited on Apr 30, 2007 14:13
I am A floridian. I watched it go down the tubes when all the nasty people showed up with this grand idea that things were gonna be better.they came they saw I suffered. before I left I was making less money putting in more hours(and I’m talkin within 5 years) and every customer talked with an accent,northern.
funny the resemblance.
oh, the 20.00 A day job,don’t believe all you hear. ride A bus to oratina and talk to the guy with sawdust on him or concrete on 3 yr. old boots,yea, I asked him why his boots were all tied up and re-stitched instaed of getting new ones. you don’t want to know the answer. and ask the developer to show you where his workers live when they are here working.can you say real big tin can on dirt floors?take the main street through Jaco and cross the little bridge, look to the right. or on the other end one block in from the beach.come on, how can A human do that to another, then lie to you about it. don’t contact them follow the workers home. talk to them at the beach while they are relaxing after A 12 hr. day.these things I do.Edited on Apr 30, 2007 15:57
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