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Great points as always David… but there are a couple of issues in what you said and didn’t say.
First off… am I to understand that you believe the VA medical system is one which serves those that have served and is something we should be striving to duplicate for the masses??? I think we can open a wonderful discussion about how the VA medical system has FAILED miserably to provide quality caring and timely service to the men and women that have served our country! And if this is the kind of system of care our politicians are now proposing… we should all be VERY CONCERNED! I’ll leave it up to some of our veterans to chime in and tell us if the care they get is what was promised!
You might want to read this article about the “quality” care our veterans are receiving.
http://menshealth.suite101.com/article.cfm/philadelphia_va_hospital_botched_92_treatments
And mind you… this wasn’t a cutting edge medical procedure… it was an accepted, widely performed procedure, that has been around a while!
And as for all the other PROBLEMS that government has running the show right now… all points well taken… but rather than look at those as you have look at it from the other side… the side that tells you that if government has screwed these things up so badly… and at this point doesn’t seem to want to fix them…. WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU ENTRUST THEM TO TAKE ON MORE? You’ve pointed out a number mistakes and problems that government itself has created, and has failed to address…. yet you seem content to give them free rein to now take over health care! That’s not my idea of rewarding someone with a history of success with more important responsibilities!
It’s like lending your car to your junkie cousin after his sixth trip to rehab… after he’s already stolen your jewelery in the past to support his “lifestyle” and has totaled your car before… do you think it’s a good idea or is it because he tells you he’ll have it tuned up and gassed while he’s out?
We need health care reform… but why bother if folks won’t be able to afford to live when SS goes down the tubes? We need health care reform… but why allow Washington with it’s record of creating programs that are not well thought create ANOTHER MONSTER Program at a time they don’t have the ability to fund it? We haven’t solved hunger in the US… it would seem that FEEDING people might be just one of MANY problems that might be a bit more important right now…
Edited on Aug 18, 2009 08:33
David…. While I can understand your point about the need for health care reform I have to wonder about a statement you make….
“…I have little confidence that Congress actually WILL address those problems and in the meantime people are dying and (worse) suffering needlessly.”
So am I to understand that you have no problem with letting the the same folks in Washington that are ignoring the Social Security and Medicare problems now be permitted to create another program destined for disaster to have future politicians ignore it when it goes bad? It make little sense to me that these folks be TRUSTED with any task in creating another massive government program while they are let off the hook for fixing that which needs repair NOW! Let’s fix what’s broken before we take on more challenges… and UNDERSTAND HOW it’s going to be paid for, how it’s going to work, and who’s running the show before we drink the Kool-aid. Or we all might very well be drinking the Kool-aid from which there is no return!
Edited on Aug 17, 2009 20:17
grb1063… The Social Security and Medicare mess seem to have slipped everyone’s mind recently with the rushed push to create another government health care program destined for disaster!!! But they are two ticking time bombs that have the potential to pull the US under! Since the US government has been using the SS trust fund as a piggy bank to fund it’s operation… stuffing the fund with IOUs there really isn’t a “fund” at all… just IOUs… much like a ponzi scheme… and when the contributions are over taken by distributions the poop hits the fan…. much like Bernie Madoff found out! It’s a double whammy… Uncle Sam looses a source of free money…. and at the same time has to come up with the cash to pay off those IOUs… not a pretty picture!
And what are we taking about at the moment in Washington????…. CREATING ANOTHER PROGRAM WE CAN’T FUND, THAT WE DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT WILL SERVE THE PUBLIC OR WORK! It’s like trying to start shooting a major Hollywood motion picture with a $500 billion budget… and all we have is a 10 page outline with no script!!! We all have the best of intentions… some nice ideas… but can we really believe it’s going to work out???
Besides these issues and the others I’ve pointed out… income tax revenues (Personal and Business) are WAY down…. as are SS and Medicare tax collections! If we couldn’t pull this off in the best of economic times what make ANYONE think NOW is the time to pull this off without it dragging this whole country down?
I truly have to believe the folks in Washington are completely out of their minds… and the further they push this agenda and ignore these problems… the smarter they make George W look… who would have ever guessed that when they voted for “change”…. that this would be where we ended up!
Edited on Aug 17, 2009 20:23
Well said David… and you’re right on target… I have taken care of my health insurance needs… as well as my retirement needs so Social Security really isn’t even part of my financial plan… but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about those that ARE relying on it. My point is… Government has a number of other “plans” out there that were created with the best of intentions… and are now a mess in need of repair. Let’s see about addressing those problems before we have a “new” plan thrust on us without the thinking this out. I don’t see anything wrong with going slowly with something this important.
The big question is… a year ago we were all talking about the problems with Social Security and Medicare… and how we were going to fix those problems. Ticking timebombs that they are! Have we forgotten them with all the spin about this “new” health care plan? Have the problems with these two OTHER MAJOR GOVERNMENT programs been solved that we’re now looking to create another government program with all the money we’ve freed up?
And how about the financial mess we have with the banking and insurance industries? Or the major industries (automotive and others) that the US government now have on life support using taxpayer money?
Or perhaps we should be talking about the 2 Trillion dollars Uncle Sam created to bail out the players that created this mess… that at some point will need to be paid back?
And let’s not forget the two wars and the flu that we have going on right now!
Health care for everyone is a wonderful idea… but perhaps before we take on another problem… and another bill… we should fix some of the other problems we have going on in the US right now?
It’s not only the ARMS that will be coming home to roost shortly… there’s another bomb waiting in the wings… Commercial Real Estate loans! With money tight… lenders making you jump through hoops… and business down… there’s going to be a BIG implosion in that market, in fact it’s already started. Many big malls and retail centers can’t keep tenants which will make it even harder to refi or to make the payments they have now.
Then there’s all the unemployed people out there that will (or have) run their benefits out and are now not “unemployed”…. the true unemployed number right now is close to 20% when you include those that the government number crunchers seem to think don’t count anymore. This is to say nothing of all the folks just holding on that give up when they exhaust their savings and credit cards trying to ride this mess out!
A short sale or foreclosure might be your only option at this point since the market in California was one of those that was SOOOOO over priced and will be near the rear in the recovery when and if it happens. You may need another lifetime to see it however! It might be best to bail with what you have and make the best of that which you can save!
Scott’s article last year about the coming economic meltdown generated some great discussions… many of us that sided with him were called doomsdayers… now it just seems we were a little bit better informed then most!
Best of luck… I’m sure there are some folks here that are (or have been) in your situation recently that can tell you what they did. I know one fellow in Arenal that bailed from the Nevada market (another major mess) that was in a awful tight spot very similar to yours. He’s a hard worker that had always paid his way in life a self made man that asked for nothing. When things went as bad as they did through no fault of his and he did his best to make it right and got nowhere he finally just gathered up what he could and let the banks deal with the mess. Some folks will no doubt look at this as wrong… but then again the banks and the whole real estate Biz were the one’s making all the money in the great “gold rush” market of the last several years… and the folks buying and living in these homes were paying the freight… and in the end got left with nothing but the shaft!
Edited on Aug 16, 2009 14:44
First off… retirement plans are for the most part protected from court (bankruptcy and foreclosure) action and attachment… you might consult with an attorney to confirm that this isn’t an issue in your particular case. If that is the case “physically” moving the accounts offshore won’t be an issue for you.
As far as Scott’s comments… you might not be able to transfer the “account” itself offshore but you can do so with the assets. Look into a self-directed IRA that provides you with an underlying LLC that would allow you to invest your IRA assets in real estate (domestic and foreign) and a great variety of other investments you wouldn’t normally think of as being available to an IRA.
You are not (yet!) prohibited from using such a structure to effectively move your assets offshore. Pensco is one such company setting up these type plans… and there are others. I don’t have a plan with them nor can I attest to their services. I use another company but I’m sure they’re all much the same, check the fees and cost of each. The rules are complex but simple once you understand the logic and structure of the plans. Having worked for the Treasury/IRS at one time I’m surprised that they have not yet put these type plans on the radar for further review although they’re perfectly legal when executed properly. But there’s always tomorrow.
Do your homework and you’ll find there are a number of ways of protecting what you have and making it work for you! The self-directed IRA might be just what you’re looking for!
Edited on Aug 12, 2009 17:35
SLANDER AND LIBEL might be criminal offenses in Costa Rica…. but then again false promises and larceny are too…. and I’m guessing it would be a much easier case to make that this guy has ripped off quite a few folks… so let the powers that be take their best shot… I’d like to see this guy along with a bunch of these other land promoters tossed in jail for the damage they’ve done!
Well stated…. and SOOOOOO true! One of the reasons that retirees and expats in CR should pay VERY close attention to what’s going on… and leave themselves options! Those of us that keep informed have known this for years.. and as much as we love CR… we know to keep our options open!
Sometimes it’s best just to let sleeping dogs lie… the article might make some folks run out and file forms XXXX and follow up form XXXX… but that just puts you on the radar! And that’s a VERY dangerous place to be!
While I have no problem doing the right thing… I think big brother is just getting a bit too interested in what I’m doing… and mind you I’m not doing anything illegal! Perhaps if they spent a little more time looking into the Madoffs and Stanfords of the world before they manage to steal BILLIONS they’ve impress me… but for now I’m happy flying under the radar in my little world.
I seem to remember that A.M. Costa Rica ran some stories questioning the legal documents (not in Spanish as required), sales pressure, and lack of infrastructure relating to Paragon… soon after came the letter from W.G. with the threats of legal action, lies, promises, and assorted threats…. and presto…. they were a PAYING advertiser on the site! And all was right with the world… they were untouched for the next 2 or 3 years!
As much as I enjoy reading their daily site… it sure looked like they sold out to me! But then again most folks have very short-term memories and perhaps they figure if they now start writing articles touting how they “protected” investors it will somehow make folks forget the truth!
Typical media… spoon feed the masses and hope they don’t think too much!
Edited on Aug 02, 2009 21:36
Great point… but following that same logic… if a doctor can be sued for making a good faith mistake… and losses his shirt… or is hit with crazy insurance rates…. who would want to be a doctor?
David… do a quick yahoo search using “doctor charged in patients death”…. as I just did… it came back with 18,500,000 replies… I got through the first few pages which will provide you with MANY more than the “single” case you asked for. You can check and you’ll find that most were not only charged criminally but where the subject of civil suits as well!
A tort is defined as…. “A person who suffers legal damages may be able to use tort law to receive compensation from someone who is legally responsible, or liable, for those injuries. Generally speaking, tort law defines what constitutes a legal injury and establishes the circumstances under which one person may be held liable for another’s injury. Torts cover intentional acts and accidents.”
Since “accidents” just don’t happen and can be considered criminal in nature should the culpable mental state be one that is defined in state law both criminal and civil penalties are applicable. Most modern criminal codes define the culpable mental states in specific terms such as acting intentionally, purposefully, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently.
So as you can see… there is nothing stopping doctors from being hit criminally as well as civil… the shame is most folks don’t seek criminal justice… it doesn’t provide a pay day…. where as the civil suit is better than the lottery… NO TAXES!
Justice is much sweeter when there is a big money award attached… lawyers will always seek “justice” which lines their pockets rather than taking a dangerous doctor out of the field.
David… no personal injury / malpractice attorney goes to a judge with a case… you want your claim in front of a jury of folks too stupid to get out of jury duty… folks that think the $28 per day serving on a jury is good money! Juries are known to give away the store… so much so that PI/MP lawyers seek folks they figure are more likely to make a big award because they don’t work for their money themselves…. and defense lawyers that attempt to have cases heard in courts where folks know the value of a dollar! How many times have you seen some HUGH award reduced by the trail judge as be excessive? That tells you something!
While I’m sure there are many case with merit there are MANY more that are nothing but an alternate lottery win that requires a lawyer… why do juries award folks big money for smoking injuries when they been putting the warning on the packs for as long as I can remember? It’s wonderful that juries want to stick it to the big boys… but in the end it’s you and I that pay! And as we’ve found with the health care issue… it’s a BIG problem.
If these claims are for reckless acts by doctors that result in death or injury shouldn’t we be trying them in criminal court as both acts constitute punishable offenses under EVERY state’s penal code rather than a lottery win for the folks looking for a big payday?
The system is broken… lawyers are at the root of the system…
Poor Oscar… he should have given me a call first! He placed himself in the middle of this and was in a no win situation. Win and you’ve become Hugo’s negotiator for Socialist Dictatorships… lose and you’re a failure and an American Capitalist puppet running low on oil!
For a Nobel prize winner he sure doesn’t look that smart now… but then again wasn’t he also the guy redirecting government funds secretly to other politicians to buy political favor when he first got elected? It’s pretty bad when Hugo says your actions were “undignified” of a Latin American president. That’s like Jeffrey Dahmer calling you an animal because you eat meat! LOL
Now his “failure” to resolve the Honduran situation has placed him at odds with Hugo and the black gold! Perhaps he can ask his new friends from China if they can make up the difference!
Poor Oscar…. can’t say some of us didn’t see it coming!!
Edited on Jul 28, 2009 16:19
