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I don’t understand. There are several people in this forum who make a big deal out of being libertarians. Why do they live or want to live in Costa Rica? The country has a definite socialist leaning. That’s the reason that I want to move down.
Deregulation (non-interference by the government) in America has produced a capitalist system that permits hedge fund managers to rake in more than a million dollars a day while common workers see their jobs steadily become incapable of providing a decent life for them and their families. Do libertarians really believe that anyone actually is worth a million dollars a day? These guys make more during a bathroom break than most people make in a week.
Don’t libertarians think that workers who devote ten, twenty, thirty, even forty years of their lives to a company deserve to keep their pensions and health care instead of having these benefits sold off to further pad the bank accounts of the privileged few?
The gap between rich and poor in America is widening. Libertarians don’t want government to step in and level the playing field. I’ve seen how big business looks after the American worker and I’ll take big government any day. I’ll take the big government of England, Germany, France, Sweden, Canada or any of the other industrialized countries who believe in the worth of the average worker.
Costa Rica is far from an industrialized nation, but it stands up for its working citizens. Witness the socialized health care, the protections for workers who are dismissed from jobs, and the aguinaldo at Christmas.
There are a myriad letters in the forum about all the woes that gringos have trying to deal with the Costa Rica government. So please, you libertarians, explain to me why you want to live in Costa Rica instead of a country that better suits your political leanings.
editer
Edited on Aug 09, 2007 17:42
Most people are paid for the value they bring to the marketplace. Money could be called certificates of performance. Why are you so envious of the rich? Perhaps the libertarians you refer to want to come to Costa Rica to live because they like the beautiful country and not for the government and free healthcare.
I actually do believe that some people are even worth more than a million dollars a day. Why do you care how much someone earns?
Editer,
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said, especially regarding a reason to move to CR. There is a wide array of every political perspective in the expat community, but I will venture a guess that most of us are leaning to the left. Costa Rica has a special appeal to the left not only for its socialized perspective, but also because of its liberal attitude toward the environment.Edited on Aug 10, 2007 05:58
Tell me how a “certificate of performance” in the amount of 250 million dollars is justified for ex-CEO of Home Depot after that company lost so much money under his directorship?
How about the certificates of performance for the U.S.soldiers who died in Iraq? Were those fair amounts?
As with most libertarians, your outlook is too simple and does not take into account all the considerations that MUST be taken in account. If individual people are highly complicated creatures, how much more complicated must be the societies that they create?Edited on Aug 10, 2007 06:28
Edited on Aug 10, 2007 06:29
I, too, tend to side with Editer (hugh surprise, no?) but must point out an omission in his/her message. The retirement pensions and retirement health care benefits to which s/he refers are actually deferred earnings. In their working years, employees earn those future benefits in part by not taking then-current wages. When corporations renig on their earlier promises, they are quite literally stealing. There’s no other word for it.
And others are, of course, welcome to their beliefs, but I also do not believe that anyone’s work is worth a million dollars a year, even with overtime. When you consider the contributions of average employees at Home Depot, General Motors, or whatever corporation you choose to examine, top executives’ pay is grossly disproporationate to value provided even if stock prices rise. Consider, for example, an airline. Which group is most responsible for the daily operations that keep the company in business, the top executives or the flight crews?
The top executives. Obviously you have no experience in big bussiness. If it was not for executive decisions regarding capital and management there would not be any planes for the flight crews to attend… Elementray my dear Watson
Love,
SherlockTsk Tsk, Diego….if what you said were true, then G.W. Bush would have to rank among the most brilliant executives in the world.
Running big business does have some requirements, but it does NOT require big intellect nor extensive education nor any particular talent that the average individual does not possess. Period.He is absoultely one of the most brilliant business executives, not presidents – look how much he has made for the industrial military complex. Your response about running big bussiness does not require big intelect, extensive education or any particular talent is absurd. Tisk tisk to you Sprite..
GO Diego….right on. I never before called myself a libritarian always a Republican butnow finally realize Lib. move here because they have finally realized the Cows will not move so vote either main stream and it is a waste of time…Vote Lib. and you know that will never fly with all the cows still firmly in place. Give me what I have paid for (actually just a few percent of what I have paid for) send it to me here in C.R. It will be far too long before we will ever see the Cows move
Terry CookAbsurd is the belief that there is some magically efficient and fair reward system at play in the world and that most of the U.S. CEO’s have special abilities that make them worth the billions of dollars they are paid. It is similar to the unreasonable and illogical belief that a deity is rewarding good people and punishing bad people consistently.
GWB is “… one of the most brilliant business executives…” I don’t think so…
Somebody that’s responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent people is typically called a MASS MURDERER or a GENOCIDAL MANIAC.
Even with connections that few of us have, every business GWB has been personally involved with has been a failure:
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“But the story of Bush’s career in oil, which began following his graduation from Harvard Business School in the summer of 1975 and ended when he sold out to Harken and headed for Washington, is mostly about his failure to succeed, despite the sterling connections his lineage and Ivy League education brought him.
In fact, Bush lost money for most of his well-connected investors. At the same time, the management fees and other expenses he collected from them kept him in business and enabled him to buy oil reserves for his company’s own account, including the reserves that eventually attracted Harken’s attention.
Three times during his years in Midland, Bush was saved from financial trouble or stagnation by the appearance of new partners or financial angels who gave him a fresh start. “
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“Although the law requires prompt disclosure of what are called insider sales, or sales by senior executives, Mr Bush did not inform the securities and exchange commission (SEC), the US market regulator, until 34 weeks later. So technically Mr Bush was at fault.”
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“President Bush borrowed money from oil company Harken Energy Corp. while he was a member of its board, a practice he condemned this week as part of his plan to curb corporate abuse and fraud, the White House acknowledged Thursday.”
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“When President Bush sold more than 200,000 shares in Harken Energy Corp. in June 1990, he said he did not know the company was in bad financial shape. But memos from the company show in great detail that he was apprised of how badly the company’s fortunes were failing before he sold his stock — and that he was warned by company lawyers against selling stock based on insider information.”
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1. President George W. Bush did indeed have material non-public knowledge of adverse financial conditions at Harken Energy Co. prior to the sale of his Harken stock and therefore violated 15 U.S.C. § 78u-1 , insider trading of securities based upon material non-public information.
2. The Securities and Exchange Commission was indeed aware of Bush’s insider trading violation and chose to stand down.
3. While serving on the Board of Directors at Harken Energy Company, George W. Bush’s performance, motives and ethics were no different than those of the corporate executives and officers of Enron, Worldcom or any other national corporation being criticized by Bush for doing what he did.
4. The Aloha Petroleum sale was an act of fraud and Bush was in a position to know it and prevent it.
5. George W. Bush sought business dealings with people strongly connected to and involved with BCCI, the empire of fraud and crime.
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Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com“The buyout not only rescued Bush financially but gave him the collateral for an investment a few years later in the Texas Rangers baseball team that eventually made him a millionaire.”
I am not defending Bush as a president but what about the aforementioned quote from the article you cited and Haliburton Corp???
GEE, Scott why don´t you tell us how your really feel? Congrats on puting this in such great words…All of us wish we had your tallent for calling a Bush a Bush.
Great STuff and thanksç
Terry CookI am reminded of the incredibly skinny, chain-smoking Canadian man I met about seven years ago in Costa Rica…
He appeared to be epitome of the successful businessman, he spoke about big deals and drove a fancy car, claimed to live in the penthouse suite of a local quite luxurious hotel and did seminars for people looking to protect their assets offshore. I had been invited as the guest speaker to one of the seminars.
To most people he appeared to be successful…
Turns out that he made his money by bilking 50 or so investors out of their money so while he “appeared” to be successful, he was in fact a lying, cheating and thieving scumbag.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com
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