[davidd]

this looks like it affects new enrollments.. my spouse and my 3 kids are all covered under my plan which I pay voluntarily.

my wife has to renew her carnet so lets see what happens.. she is tica not expat.

[davidd]

sweikert

I did not post the word [b]”masturbation”[/b] it was [b]”mental masturbation”[/b]

its a totally different meaning but again this is a perfect example of how you like to take things out of context to better serve you

mental masturbation
English[edit]
Noun[edit]
mental masturbation (uncountable)

(slang) Engaging in intellectually stimulating conversation with little or no practical purpose.
(slang) Thought processes that only serve to satisfy oneself.

I am sure it was an innocent mistake 🙂

BTW I awarded you 5 points 🙂

[quote=”sweikert925″]I see that the resident clown has resurfaced. And he must be pleased that he once again has an excuse to post a comment with the word “masturbation” in it, apparently his favorite subject. Why do you suppose that is? Well, maybe it’s best not to delve too deeply into THAT.[/quote]

[davidd]

sweikert

good to see you still engaging in mental masturbation.

what brings me peace is knowing your investment acumen will be hit like many of the other misguided ignorant people..

I find it amusing someone that still relies on a biweekly paycheck whether he produces or plays on internet actually have any money at all. But you keep doing what your doing because by the time you actually retire here if indeed you ever follow thru

this country will be more expensive to live then where you you currently are 🙂

with mug like this I hope you at least speak Spanish mate.:wink::wink:

[img][/img]

[quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”johnnyh”]if one says the world is round, your reply is that it is flat.[/quote]

If someone says the world is round I agree with him or her. If he or she were to say it was flat, I would disagree.

Why do you get to disagree with me but I am not permitted to disagree with you? It takes 2 (or more) to disagree, seems to me. But perhaps you disagree with that.

[quote=”johnnyh”] please, pretty please, do not retire in Costa Rica, as I’m looking forward to retiring there soon.[/quote]

Request denied. A major difference between you and me is that I relish having people with different points of view around, and you, apparently, do not.[/quote]

[davidd]

imxploring

I understand your points and generally agree.. but I think the canal is a great thing for Nicaragua. Its projects like these that can move Nicaragua into a better economic situation in my opinion.

of course there will be issues but looking at panama.. if it was not for the canal.. panama would not be where it is today..

Nicaland has alot of potential.

but you right about the incompetence corruption that flows everywhere..

[quote=”Imxploring”]Come now…. I think everyone is overreacting! The Chinese are staunch environmentalists that have always shown an overwhelming concern for not only the environment but also human rights! Why else in the world would the former president and Noble prize winner Don Oscar establish relations with them! He’s smarter then the rest of us…. and I’m guessing a lot wealthier as well thanks to that move…. seems he might have even shared some of the take with his brother who has dropped off the radar.

Danny and the crew up north sold out the folks of Nicaragua… he could care less about the environment, land rights, or human rights…. it’s all about money and how much he got! But then again the fools in Nicaragua did “elect” their president for life…. and no doubt it will become a dynasty when Danny and his lady pass into the sunset.[/quote]

[davidd]

[size=200]exactly… this is the problem.. NOT creating more ways to tax.. instead of figuring out ways to eliminate this kind of waste..

how can you expect intelligent people to actually throw money away by paying taxes ??

:shock::shock::shock::shock:[/size]

[quote=”aguirrewar”]Memo to Scott:

11 diputados are traveling to France and Spain while Limon is in FLAMES (strike).

each one of the Diputados gets FREE: cell phone, car (gas), viaticos, free food at their cafeteria and other PERKS

more than 700 high ranking Gov. retired employees collect a monthly pension from $5,000 to $10,000

AND one more true story that falls in the BELIEVE IT OR NOT; my wife’s sister is a teacher at “Los Guidos” and makes 2 millones de colones a month or $3,773.00 and she teaches a KINDERGARDEN class from 7:00 to 11:00

warren

[/quote]

[davidd]

[b]
the only person that will be able to retire properly in Costa Rica is sweikert :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
[/b]

[quote=”sueandchris”]I haven’t lived in Costa Rica for nearly two years but was back for a month last January. I was flat shocked at the increase in costs. I am also hearing from friends still living there about rising tax bills AND from folks who are getting residency accompanied by nasty news about what their CAJA will cost. I am now living in Arizona and I can tell you that my monthly costs here are less than they were in Costa Rica when every cost is taken into account. I have purchased a house here so can speak as a homeowner. In my opinion, Costa Rica can no longer be considered as good choice for people with moderate retirement incomes.

I was so sad to realize after my trip this year to realize that I can’t live full-time in Costa Rica because of budget realities and other considerations. But Costa Rica will always be the “home of my heart” and I too will return as a visitor whenever I can.

[/quote]

[davidd]

Scott

well said.. actual experience and I have observed the same thing.. here as well as the U.S.

Professional Ticos say exactly that and they come from all walks of life.. doctors, lawyers.. etc.

what is funny is you have people like sweikert that will come and counter with his idealogy that is like someone watching a whole different movie.

I am not an anarchists but I do believe in small limited government.. the way it was intended to be.

😀

[quote=”Scott”]Dysfuncionality, ineptitude, inefficiency, laziness and greed are all part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the employees in every single government office I have ever visited here in Costa Rica and in most other countries I have lived in…

Every professional Tico I know has a very similar attitude which goes something along the lines of:

“Why on earth should I pay a dime of my hard-earned money to a government that habitually wastes hundreds of millions of dollars on screwed up highway contracts and who continually reward themselves with OBSCENE government salaries and pensions?”

It’s difficult to argue with that kind of thinking…

And people wonder why I am an anarchist!

Scott

[/quote]

[davidd]

[quote=”aguirrewar”]Imxploring is right in his comments; this place (CR) is getting more expensive by the hour and the GOV. cannot find another way but to TAX in order to spend.
Our house in Desamparados is 1,200 sq/ft and we pay $1,200.00 to the Muni, on the other hand the house in Tampa, FL is 2,200 sq/ft and only $900.00 in property tax.
Electricity/water is also more over here and also some food articles.
Time to return back to Tampa, so says mi TICA wife.[/quote]

when the time starts to reveal that property taxes are cheaper in the U.S. should people living here take note of this??

or should they ignore this and keep the head buried singing the praises of pura vida???

heck.. you can buy a nicer cheaper house in parts of Florida with no income tax.. and a hell of a better infrastructure than Desamparados.

I have a 1100 square foot place in cape coral florida that I rent out on a canal. costs me $1500 a year.. but the same car that I drive here cost half.. gas half

appliances half.. etc

I am not saying its time to move back to the U.S. YET 🙂

[davidd]

[quote=”bogino”]”[i]Great Place to Visit. Wouldn’t Want to Live There[/i]”…..

Is [b]that[/b] where CR is headed?[/quote]

guys.. this is exactly what I mean with these kinds of observations.

is it negative to observe these kinds of things and comment on them as sweikert previous mentioned..

should we just all say pura vida every time some government incompetent thinks he comes up with a unique idea by creating a tax.. then pats himself on the back for being so genius in his thinking???

the cost of living here surely has to be one of the perks that people look for when they decide to relocate.

I am sure people that retire dont look for places that are the expensive to live..

[davidd]

Imxploring

absolutely

BTW I do agree with nestmans article.. too close to U.S. power to really make a difference long term.

I have been living here full time and built and sold 2 businesses here and raising a family for the past 15 years now

I love costa rica.. but i am not one to keep my head in the sand.. I see things they way they are and not worse or better to keep my powered dry so to speak and make smart decisions.

this is how I have done well without relying working for someone else.

If costa rica keeps heading in the direction that cannot be denied.. then it would only make sense to adjust the plans accordingly.

I am not saying puerto rico is the answer I was just making an observation that its interesting to see there are still semi intelligent people in government positions trying to lure people to relocate there.

and we have Costa Rica that actually does the opposite

I just saw on the news here that the president wants to create a new tax income.. besides wanting to tax its costa rica citizens GLOBALLY..

why not.. sounds like a good idea.. right sweikert this way you can sleep well enough at night knowing that your not the only one that is getting screwed. :roll::roll::roll:

[quote=”Imxploring”][quote=”sweikert925″]Am I the only one struck by the contradiction in constant negative comments about Costa Rica posted by some on a message board called…..WeLoveCostaRica.com?[/quote]

Why not take a vote and see how many folks think things are getting better in CR…. and while you’re at it add a “The US is headed in the right direction” poll….might be quite surprising.

When discussing any issue…. There’s always going to be the good and the bad![/quote]

[davidd]

[quote=”Dazu”]Well-written, informative article. Thanks for sharing this, and for the subsequent link to the Arenal Gardeners page on Facebook.[/quote]

I am up to my eyeballs with these little bastards showing up everywhere..

then I have these little birds that poop on the car all day.. and they like to have fights with themselves using the side mirrors..
its to the point

I am not interested in working with nature I just want solutions :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

[davidd]

a little extreme but to each his own 🙂

[quote=”johnnyh”]I can understand your frustration. I still live in Southern California and I get calls on my land line from an outfit called “Cardholder Services” that at first called me once a week and now it’s almost daily. I don’t have caller ID on my land line, as I think caller ID is a scam from the telephone companies, but I do have it free on my Sprint cell phone. I think it’s a scam from the telephone companies because you have to pay for it, and most of the calls were private or the numbers were not shown from the caller.
Anyways, check cardholders services on the web and you’ll see what I mean. So now when they call I play along or even call them “hijos de p*t* if they have a latin accent or I use the “n” word when I notice an ethnic gal. I have asked them to remove me from their call list but since they use what is called “robo calls” I still get the calls. It’s interesting because they can’t get a word edgewise by me, they get a lung full from me! I’m bilingual, so I can use the filthiest of both Spanish and English curse words. I think I’m almost to the point of enjoying their calls. LOL! One black chick responded by saying I was a redneck and I said that might be, but you’re still a “n r.”[/quote]

[davidd]

[quote=”colleen.1″]Is anyone else receiving “Private’ calls on a daily basis. Frustratingly, because the called are listed as quote ‘private’ on our cellphone it is impossible to know who the caller is, or return the call. When answered these ‘private’ calls generally hang up. Any antidote/suggestions as to how to stop these type of calls?[/quote]

Collen

the way I handle this is I have a voice mail that pretty much states.. “sorry I missed your call I am unavailable at the moment but will return your call A.S.A.P. if this call is from a private number I do not answer private numbers calls. you can text me your number and I will call you back”

something like this

[davidd]

Banks are a great place to park your money “NOT” 🙂

[davidd]

Bret

no the $653000 threshold is for making the expat list.. if your worth more than that you make the list public..

if you make less.. you don’t make that list

so even though it states 2000 people renouced citizenship.. its more like 50,000

lets hear from sweikert on this?? I guess all people that want to renounce their citizenship.. are all crooks and tax dodgers.. or even worse un patriotic

[quote=”brett”][quote=”davidd”]When a country has to penalize citizens from leaving instead of finding ways to find out why they are leaving.. then you know it is time to leave. Part of the issue is that it is not 2000 that gave up US citizenship in 2013 it was more than 50,000 only the 2,000 counted had net worth of over 653K and had to pay a monster exit tax. Germany just before WW2 charged Jews 90% tax on current wealth and estimated earnings had they stated 1 more year. USA is headed in this direction… in past 5 years we have gone from $0.00 to $453 and now to over 2K plus the amount of exit tax has increased along the way. Literally NO other country in modern times has this amount of exit tax except the USA and Germany back in the late 1930’s.. Recall USA for the past 100 years was the place everyone wanted to live… amazing how quickly things change

does anyone know how much it cost to renounce costa rican citizenship.. just curious :)[/quote]

Sad to see where the US is going. Question: you mentioned 653K, is that a new exit penalty threshold?
I had thought it was 2m from my readings.
Brett[/quote]

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