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Costaricabill
wow!!!
great points that I was not even aware of. thanks for bringing these up
your right.. sadly.. I have noticed why fish had been on the rise.
you know what is a person to do
you basically have 2 choices
you either get involved in some way to fight the
or you try to opt out as much as you can
aquaponics is a perfect example as I have a friend that has a nice farm and grows his own tilapia, and a few other varieties
where ever you live here is one constant
Government is corrupt
simple
the larger the government the more corrupt
this is why our founding fathers knew.. smaller gov.. limited gov..
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”davidd”]The Chinese are actually smarter when it comes to giving out money
they know that giving $$$ to costa rica directly would likely be misdirected
so they build a stadium instead or donate a bridge, etc
better publicity and also put some Chinese to work so they got a double bang for the buck.
can you imagine how long it would have taken costa rica to build that stadium if the money was given to them directly LOL
the U.S. just throws money at everything. this is how they try to buy loyalty.
and there is also always a price and that usually is never known until in the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/health/research/02infect.html?_r=0
[/quote]
The Chinese also got the fishing rights to fish within 12 miles off of the pacific coast of costa rica – and figure that into your price that “usually is never known until in the future”.
Panama’s fishing limit is 200 miles, Nicaragua is (I believe) 50 miles off of the coast. Costa Rica has huge purse seiner factory ships 12 miles off of the coast!!
Have you noticed what has happened to the availability of – and price of – seafood in Costa Rica over the past 3-4 years??
Have you heard anything about the decrease in the sport fishing industry in Costa Rica over the past few years?
Do you have any idea what the effect on the Costa Rica economy is from allowing the Chinese fishing fleet to operate within 12 miles of our coast?? How many local jobs have been effected – not just the guys willing to hire on as commercial fisherman, but
the guys in the port that unload the bounty,
that transport the bounty,
that clean the bounty,
that sell the bounty,
that prepare the bounty,
that cook the bounty.
that serve the bounty,
those of us that buy the bounty!!the effect is up and down the economy!
How much was your casado con pescado 4 years ago versus the price today? How often does your favorite restaurant have fresh atun today versus 4 years ago, and when they do have it, what is the price difference?
I’m sure the Chinese President enjoyed his coffee in the morning, but I’m sure he enjoyed his shark fin soup and fresh tuna even more in the evening!
Way to go, don oscar![/quote]
Kwhite
How is the infrastructure in Belize with regards to internet.???
All I ask is high speed internet
6 to 12 meg down and at least 2 megs up
consistent and reliable.
and I can run my empire from anywhere.
how the middle class there??? can one blend in middle class and have a few nice things without appearing like a rich american???
this is also important to me.
how is medical???
sounds interesting
[quote=”kwhite1″][quote=”davidd”]The whole thing is pathetic and is disgusting.
but there is really nothing one can do
EXCEPT and this is the big one
pull up the pants sleeve and relocate somewhere else.
For all the expats that took the challenge and traveled the path least taken.
I salute you. 8)8)8)
[/quote]
How’s Belize looking to you now? It’s a tiny spot on a map, not surging in anything, under the radar (except when they knock down a ruin to use as road fill…whoops).
That is what is so very appealing about it down here, you can kinda disappear.[/quote]
Kwhite
well- according to Sweikert everything is hunky dory
and crime is down in Chicago
so we have nothing to worry.:D:D:D
[quote=”kwhite1″][quote=”davidd”]Sweikert
This is a perfect example of topical research.
your asking the wrong questions
the questions you should be asking would allow you to go a bit deeper and then start asking [b]why [/b][size=][/size]
costa rica has been scrambling to artificially PROP up the dollar for the last few years now
so now we have to deal with artificially supporting a fiat currency’s worth as opposed to the free market.
Does this make any sense???
in fact the federal reserve has been doing this for years.. printing more and more dollars into the U.S. economy.
Doomsday predictions 🙂
I don’t know the answers all I can say is I can see clear actions that go contrary to what these idiots in Washington say.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”DavidCMurray”]
The dollar has been very consistent against the colon (my primary concern) for a couple of years or longer.
[/quote]Absolutely correct. Since 1996 (the earliest I could get data for) the USD gained against the CRC steadily until 2006 but since then except for 2009-2010 (no doubt due to the financial collapse here in the US) the colon has stayed almost constant against the dollar. See these figures for the exchange rate on January 1st from 1996-2012:
1996-01-01 $1.00=191.76 CRC
1997-01-01 $1.00=219.88 CRC
1998-01-01 $1.00=243.65 CRC
1999-01-01 $1.00=271.42 CRC
2000-01-01 $1.00=297.7 CRC
2001-01-01 $1.00=317.45 CRC
2002-01-01 $1.00=328.07 CRC
2003-01-01 $1.00=367.08 CRC
2004-01-01 $1.00=409.07 CRC
2005-01-01 $1.00=449.29 CRC
2006-01-01 $1.00=495.8 CRC
2007-01-01 $1.00=498.35 CRC
2008-01-01 $1.00=487 CRC
2009-01-01 $1.00=539.88 CRC
2010-01-01 $1.00=546.48 CRC
2011-01-01 $1.00=497.24 CRC
2012-01-01 $1.00=490.47 CRCThe rate fluctuated quite a bit in 2011 and there was a spike on January 1 (what happened on New Years Day?) but since January 2nd of this year the rate has been almost flat:
[i]https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/viewimage.cfm?ImgID=915[/i]
http://www.exchangerates.org.uk/USD-CRC-exchange-rate-history.html
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]
I’ll mark my calendar for January of 2016 and we’ll see if your doomsday scenario pays out.
[/quote]Me too. The frequency of doomsday predictions has been so high that I wonder why anyone pays the slightest attention to them. Apparently there are a lot of people who either never read the story of the boy who cried wolf or don’t get the moral of the story.
[/quote][/quote]Just wait untl the Fed has to stop printing money, I read an article that they can’t stop at the moment, if they did total economic collapse would pretty much be the result. The Fed and IMF are trying to figure out what to do for the very near future.
All this printing and it is given to banks has propelled the NYSE to new highs…..but this too shall correct itself and not in a pretty way I am betting.
Stay in your seats and keep your seat belt on, it’s going to get bumpy kids.[/quote]
The Chinese are actually smarter when it comes to giving out money
they know that giving $$$ to costa rica directly would likely be misdirected
so they build a stadium instead or donate a bridge, etc
better publicity and also put some Chinese to work so they got a double bang for the buck.
can you imagine how long it would have taken costa rica to build that stadium if the money was given to them directly LOL
the U.S. just throws money at everything. this is how they try to buy loyalty.
and there is also always a price and that usually is never known until in the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/health/research/02infect.html?_r=0
hahahah
Sweikert is back ,LOL
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”johnnyh”]
But when was the last time that the Americans built a national stadium for Costa Rica.
[/quote]Well, never. But in the 50 years after 1945 the US has contributed nearly $3 billion in direct foreign aid to Costa Rica, so the US can hardly be accused of stinginess when it comes to aiding CR. It’s true that it hasn’t often resulted in a nice new gleaming edifice that can be used as a photo op backdrop when a head of state comes by to visit.
The US has also sent over 3000 Peace Corps volunteers to CR since 1963 and it seems to me just that alone has made more of a real difference to the lives of CR citizens than a dozen soccer stadiums could ever do.
As to WHY the Chinese built a soccer stadium for a foreign country as a “gift”, it should be pointed out that prior to 2007, Costa Rica recognized the government in Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. In 2007 CR switched its recognition to Beijing and several years later a new Chinese financed soccer stadium opens. I hardly think those 2 things are unconnected.
By the way, CR isn’t the only country that China built a soccer stadium for – Angola and Mozambique also got one. Coincidentally(?), all 3 countries have considerable natural resources. Sudan, Romania and Afghanistan haven’t gotten a stadium from China but its rumored that Afghanistan may have large untapped mineral resources so it may get one yet.
[quote=”johnnyh”]
Have the Americans offered to build the highway to Limon? [/quote]No. But is that statement meant seriously or are you playing devil’s advocate? Given our own crumbling infrastructure why would we be building highways in CR when our own are in such need of repair?
[quote=”johnnyh”]What has the United States done for Costa Rica lately?
[/quote]Well, we did contribute to disaster relief after both the 2009 and 2012 earthquakes. Since the late 90s US aid to CR has declined quite a bit but it hasn’t yet reached zero and there are still Peace Corps volunteers there now. Most Americans according to polls think that given our financial situation we shouldn’t even be spending one dollar on foreign aid to ANYONE. I don’t agree with that but we certainly can’t afford to be as generous as we used to until we get our financial house in order.
[/quote][quote=”VictoriaLST”]Ah, the troll under the bridge. I remember the story, “Three Billie Goats Gruff”.
The goats win, btw.
Not that I want to be called a ‘goat’, but I do live in CR.[/quote]
Victoria
I also remember that story 🙂
First I stand corrected
TROLL in todays internet slang is not what sweikert is doing. below is wikipedia definition
I think Mental Masturbation is the better description. :roll::roll::roll:
Troll (Internet)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about internet slang. For other uses, see Troll (disambiguation).
Page semi-protected
In Internet slang, a troll (/?tro?l/, /?tr?l/) is someone who posts inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[3] The noun troll may also refer to the provocative message itself, as in: “That was an excellent troll you posted.”imxploring
sweikert is a troll OMG this is the first time I have ever used this phrase.
he is baiting you
because he is sitting at home probably in his calvin kleins eating a mcmuffin.
bored to death of his life and he trolls.
constantly debating for the sake of debates
can you imagine this guy actually living here??
What about those Yankee’s ???
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”imxploring”]
You pointed to other counties and them not running out of money…. perhaps it’s because of the policies they have in place (as in China) that have created that money and preserved wealth? And do you think the US could ever hope to put those same policies in place now? With the portion of society in the US now feeding off the rest of us nothing short of a complete collapse will see that happening![/quote]I would be absolutely thrilled to see the US adopt policies that are more like Germany’s, Denmark’s or Sweden’s. China, not so much. You do realize that all that wealth that China accumulated was due to a complete control of investment in industry by the central government right? That they stifle all dissent – not only political dissent but cultural and economic? Seems an odd choice for you to hold up as an example to follow.
I guess then your answer to my question “Are Germany, Denmark, Sweden or China running out of money?” is no then. And thus Margaret Thatcher’s comment is demonstrably wrong.[/quote]
imxploring
pay no mind to sweikert925. He participates in this mental masturbation in various forums.
[size=200]ask him about the yankee’s [/size] :lol::lol::lol:
David
PS. you know I know he mentioned working in the private sector but for some reason I cannot help the feeling that he has some sort of government job.
I mean with all the things that have occurred you still have people with this mindset.
[quote=”imxploring”][quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”imxploring”]
Socialism for the benefit of those those currently in need is one thing.
[/quote]Does that mean you have no problems with programs aimed at those “currently in need”? What exactly is your definition of “currently in need”?
[quote=”imxploring”] c.f.
Welfare spending (a truly detrimental form of socialism spending) continues to expand.
[/quote]The only major expansion of social welfare spending over the past 20 years aside from the expansion of Medicaid that is part of the healthcare reform bill was the addition of a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. That was passed by a Republican Congress and pushed by a Republican president. It would have been a lot better if there had been the necessary raise in Medicare taxes to pay for it but instead the Republicans insisted that absolutely no additional funding to pay for it be in the bill. So every dollar paid out in benefits is added to the deficit – which is now being blamed on President Obama.
Prior to that, the welfare reform act of the mid 90s cut back on welfare spending and established a limit on how long someone can get assistance – so that the generational dependency you complain about would be eliminated. You can no longer be on traditional welfare assistance forever. Maybe that escaped your attention. (That change by the way is something I approve of both then and now).
It is true that since 2008 the number of people on SNAP (popularly known as food stamps) has gone up but that’s not because the eligibility rules have been relaxed. It is because 8 million people lost their jobs and had no alternative but to claim benefits if they wanted to feed their families. I wonder how many of them used to complain about the users and takers in society and how shameful it was they they were useless dead weight?
[quote=”imxploring”]
….and has now created a political base that is ever demanding in it’s needs.
[/quote]Studies have shown that some of the very people who benefit from things like food stamps and the Earned Income Tax Credit vote Republican. States with the highest participation in those 2 programs tend to vote Republican. (Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana). If you have a reliable source that shows that they all vote Democrat then please feel free to share it.
[quote=”imxploring”]
These same folks show little concern when expanding their subculture and bringing more children into the world while unable to support even themselves.
[/quote]And yet Republicans are deadset against family planning, sex education, abortion and even, now, contraception. Go figure.
[quote=”imxploring”]
I don’t consider it silly when someone makes a common sense statement stating the obvious that money is a finite object
[/quote]Money is an indicator of wealth and wealth is NOT a finite object. There is only so much to go around at any one given moment but that doesn’t mean it is finite.
Is Germany running out of money? Sweden? Denmark? China?[/quote]
I’m sorry.. you’re right… all is well with the world and it’s current direction. No changes needed. No trouble on the horizon.
Welfare isn’t an ever expanding hole we keep throwing money into with no hope of changing it’s current direction. Social security is in great shape. Medicare is well funded and able to meet the future needs of those that were FORCED to participate and PAY into it just like Social Security. The national debt isn’t a problem…. after all we never have any intention or hope of ever paying it back! It’s just a pretend number.
Wake up my friend…. next you’ll be telling us and pointing to references that Illinois (your home state I believe) doesn’t have the WORSE funded state pension program in the country and is facing a MAJOR issue that will effect all the taxpayers in the Land of Lincoln. But these’s plenty of money out there to fix that…. we just print it up and poof…. our problem is gone….. right? Wealth after all, according to you, is infinite. But where in that belief does the unwillingness of those with wealth to continue to support those that choose not to contibute to the system come into your equation? It’s not a republican or democrat issue. It’s a common sense issue.
Funny you mention China…. perhaps if we imposed the one child policy on folks in the US including those on welfare…. or even better… a NO child policy if you can’t support another mouth to feed we’ll all be better off!
Let’s try imposing some of the policies in the countries you mentioned and see how the subculture reacts![/quote]
sweikert925
you know everytime I read one of your posts I realize how great things are back in the U.S.
boy do I envy you 😳
I guess this means your staying put in Chicago???
wonderful news.. :):)
Wise decision on your part and you should be acknowledged for your acumen.
Abrazos ( spanish for hugs)
David
pharg
I agree with your statement
I am mostly pro-U.S., except in governance.
Swiekert you mentioned you were in the private sector.. what exactly is it that you do if you don’t mind me asking???
[quote=”pharg”]
[/quote]
Strangely, a lot of people who continually rant about the horrors of “socialism” seem to have no problem with it – when they are on the [b]receiving[/b] end of some government program or other.[/quote]Washington peabrains don’t seem to realize that Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are forms of socialism [horrors!]
The result has been the abysmal state of health care in the U.S.What is the U.S. ranking of infant mortality on the 1st day of birth? The U.S. shares the same infant mortality rate as Syria, Sri Lanka, Romania, Albania, and Tonga among many others. Some of the countries BETTER than the U.S. are, among many others: Poland, El Salvador, [b]Costa Rica[/b], Serbia, Bulgaria and Bosnia/Herzegovina. The ‘best’: Sweden, Singapore, Estonia, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg.
In terms of maternal health, the U.S. ranks 30 out of 176 (up from 43d in 2006). Number 1? ….Finland.
Compared with six other nations — Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives.
In terms of life expectancy, the U.S. ranks 36.
In overall health care, the U.S. ranks 37 or 38 (just behind [b]Costa Rica[/b] ) out of 190 countries. (#1 is France). But the U.S. is clearly #1 on per capita costs of health care.
This makes the medical profession and all supporting health conglomerates quite proud, and they all got together and sponsored a commemorative hymn. ([b]sing[/b] [b]along!![/b]):lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&gl=US&client=mv-google&v=yVgOl3cETb4I am mostly pro-U.S., except in governance but still would like to see all D.C. politicians converted to recycled carbon. (WAIT! – the resulting carbon dioxide would contribute to global change!)
PEH[/quote]
What exactly is the role of Embassy’s anyway?? I always had this pre indoctrinated vision of somehow the U.S. embassy were to help american in that foreign country in the event something happened.
but like everything else.. does not seem to be true at all
I remember when the president received the Nobel peace prize.. I had to do a double e take and re evaluate exactly what that term actually meant
seems I have to relearn everything http://www.squattypotty.com/successes/ :D:D:D:D
Scott
cmon dude
your baiting me :D:D:D:D
no seriously
this is what the embassy’s do all around the world
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]I used to work with teens who were drug dealers. Talk about money laundering….. When a 13 year old walks into a Nike store in NYC and buys $5,000 worth of clothing with cash, nobody questions it. Money laundering. Its everywhere.[/quote]
yep
now if your accused of whatever.. meaning if the gov wants you they will extradite you.
whether or not the charges are actually true or false is moot.
scary
I think pdnickes already explained it
[b] “the Americanization of the world is underway and if things keep going CR will not be THAT much better than the U.S. in another decade or less. I’ve been visiting CR (and lived there for months at a time) for 25 years and what I see is not good imho. Oh, that’s right, we are not supposed to get political. Okay well I’ll just say that CR is not as attractive to me (and many others) as it once was, due to “changes” in the culture and government and economy. Take your best guess as to the root of those changes.”
[/b]your mentally masturbating again 8)
DEFINITION: Best Answer – Chosen by Asker
Doing useless things to exercise your brain. Engaging in something intellectually stimulating, yet barely practical. E.g. engaging in a debate for its own sake, playing sudoku, solving mathematic problems for the sake of it.
[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”pdsnickles”]
Isn’t International Living one of those sites that’s always pushing one area in which they have a lot of investments, or am I thinking of a different site?
[/quote]No, you’re right, they do push real estate REALLY hard and it’s not just annoying but makes me wonder if the site isn’t just primarily a real estate sales outfit and the other stuff is just window dressing. That said I have come across a lot of helpful information through their site and hey, everyone has to make a buck somehow. Access to their website is free so an occasional sales pitch is to be expected.
What I did find hard to swallow was the nearly daily emails I got from them offering me a lifetime subscription to their magazine. I don’t see why anyone would buy a lifetime subscription to ANYTHING, let alone a magazine whose information will be mostly irrelevant once I’ve made my final decision on where to retire to.
[quote=”pdsnickles”]
Okay well I’ll just say that CR is not as attractive to me (and many others) as it once was, due to “changes” in the culture and government and economy.
[/quote]Could you expand a bit on what those changes are? I understand it’s not as much of a bargain to live in CR as it may once have been, but what are you referring to specifically when you say culture and govenment?[/quote]
