Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I just realized that this part of my posting was accidentally left out:
So I want to thank Charlie for his article and how it spurred me to scrutinize just how my personal, consumer and political actions may have in any way supported such out of control behavior of some of these corporations and politicians. Also to recognize what I’m grateful to have been able to do up until now and to soul search in order to find additional ways I can make better choices which promote more of a collective gain each and every day…Thanks again Charlie…
How can we not be angry? The current and not so current state of affairs in the US is not optimum and what has been going on is certainly infuriating. We all have our calling(s) and Charlie’s may well be to rant about the injustices he observes and he’s done a great job in pointing things out and further documenting them for us; however, this type of action is futile if it does not spark any other action than for us to also rant. We can all bitch and moan until we’re blue in the face, but if we don’t change our behaviors, the behaviors that overtly and covertly support these actions, then what have we accomplished?
Some people state that since the current US president was voted in twice, the people are getting what they deserve. Something to the effect of you reap what you sow, but things aren’t that simple. We have arrogantly believed that politics in the US were beyond the type of corruption we observed in what people like to call ‘third world’ countries. Well, the last two US elections have shown us that it can happen anywhere and frankly, I only know of one world inhabited by humans within our galaxy not three. Even though there is plenty of documentation that the last two elections have not been exactly the will of the people and that beyond that, those that did offer their political support were doing so believing the lies being fed to them, we have been victims of our own arrogance in thinking that corps (political/economic machinery) haven’t been pulling most of the strings for a loooong time and just making us believe that we had some major sort of control with that decision making process.
Our support has been tacitly given to this process by our every day actions. We accept what they feed us in the press (even if we say we don’t believe, we still hope it to be true), we fall prey to the advertising by allowing them to create a feeling of need for stuff that we can all live without and buy into political campaigns of those that promise change. We act and buy as they manipulate us to and then they give us a little room to rant — something that is quickly changing and already dwindling into not much space at all… Who hasn’t found themselves in these positions at some point in time? Hoping is a wonderful thing, but it needs to be followed by our action and in spite of the limited choices we may think we currently have, I think we have a myriad of choices to make each and every day. These choices determine whether we are part of the problem or actively seeking to be part of the solution. In the end, the solution for us may be to bail ship and start our lives elsewhere, but wherever you go, hey, there you are again so if you don’t manage to change the value system that supported this out of control, survival of the fittest type of capitalism in the US, then you will continue to foster this no matter where you happen to land if the political climate there allows for it (and that’s most places these days…).
My first part-time job in CR for Christian Children’s Fund (when most people in the US had no idea where the heck this place was) paid me 5,000 colones per month which was more than the executive secretary made full time in that school and I lived and traveled quite well on that back in 1982. Well, 5,000 colones is not going to take anyone very far these days in CR. My personal homes all sold for 100% more within 3 years of their original purchase and I couldn’t dream of finding anything even remotely similar for the same amount of money or even double those amounts today—only 6 years ago. I can’t say that I complained when I benefited and who of us would? That said, I also think that living doesn’t have to be about the bottom line and we can all make adjustments and choices that actually simplify our lives and also help someone else’s life because how we’ve gotten here has been adhering to the axiom of ‘first me, next me, and if there happens to be anything left over, well, that’s for me too.’ As generous as the American people tend to be during a time of crisis for others, we have still made the need of many (even within the US) invisible. Greed hasn’t been only a corporate or a political sin in the US and it’s been just as devastating for us as individuals as it’s proven to be for the collective soul of a whole country! We have to all think about how we can better choose, not just regarding our personal economies and political choices, but also remembering that within our limited choices, we still have ample room to think about someone other than ourselves and take action in that direction, whether living in the US or anywhere else in the world. Once the center of our universe becomes more about the collectiveness of our actions, then we are choosing an alternate route – otherwise, we can all rant as much as we like yet our ‘American’ way of life will continue to implode, but make no mistake, I have no visions of the multinational corporations imploding, they will be the ‘cockroaches’ of the this nuclear economic debacle and hey, they still have countries like Costa Rica to prey on and manipulate into believing that they just have to think about themselves and everything will be JUST fine…
I have to say that when I hear of people looking to start different types of communities in CR and building alternative type of housing on this site and elsewhere, it does give me hope that there are people that have had enough with the excesses that some (certainly not all people) have become accustomed to in the US…Kudos to those people looking not to transport what doesn’t work from the US to CR. That type of distorted view of progress has been eroding many of CR’s values already and if there is a major invasion of US corps to CR along with their survival of the fittest capitalistic practices, that may be the end of the CR that we all love…but even then, it will be about the choices each person within CR will make..Even if we can only control what we do, living consciously is the biggest control mechanism anyone of us has and every one of us collectively is a lot of conscious choosing…
Thanks for clarifying this Jon, I know that I was told to report my earnings and if they were under the set limits (back then) then, I didn’t have to worry about having to pay taxes based on those amounts. I thought things had changed since 2000, but I guess Uncle Sam still wants to make sure they keep an eye on ALL the earnings each and every citizen makes…Well, they closely watch some more than others since God knows everything the large corps get away with writing off as long as they work within this particular ‘system.’
Lotus, on Article 61 of CR’s migratory law it states that you can seek (doesn’t guarantee) permanent residency if you have a Costa Rican family member who is your spouse, child, parent or sibling who is single.
http://www.migracion.go.cr/Leyes%20Migratorias/index.htmlAccording to US: Birth of child to Two U.S. Citizen Parents:
http://sanjose.usembassy.gov/consfaq.html
“A child born to two U.S. citizen parents abroad acquires citizenship at birth, so long as either parent had a residence in the United States or its possessions sometime before the birth. There is no specifically required length of physical presence.”The question remains as to whether a child born to 2 foreign parents in CR would be considered a Costa Rican citizen or a have access to dual citizenship which both CR & US don’t promote, but acknowledge & allow…Since you would be provided with a CR birth certificate for any child born in CR, it would appear that this child would be considered CR…Best to check w/attorney to make sure and consider any pertinent details…
Like I said before, there is a wide range of prices and this hotel I mentioned is truly not pricey compared to some I’ve seen at the beaches and even the Marriott in the Central Valley area that has raised it’s original prices by quite a bit since they first built the place. This stay was a B’day gift to me from my daughter who knew I would be staying nearby helping a mission and wanted to pamper me for a few days. They only had one night available and so that’s what she paid for, but as it turned out, I had dinner there with friends one night yet I didn’t end up spending the night in the room since I continued to stay with friends and then my friend G and I had breakfast there the next morning. The hotel was beautiful and close to the mission and the nearest “reasonably” priced hotels were in Turrialba city which was just too far away from where I wanted to be.
You’re right, you don’t need to pay high prices to have a good time. Just a few years ago I stayed in Playa Chiquita, Limon for $5/day (no kidding) and had lots of fun. Even this time my stay in Puerto Viejo was less than half the price of the Turrialba hotel and next to Salsa Brava so who could ask for anything more. The economic surge of the past few years allowed for the price increases which is why I was wondering if the economic downturn in the US will spur the hotels to rething their pricing…
I’m glad to see that the ICT is being pro-active regarding this new economic climate. I also think that some hotels may have to reconsider their prices in order to attract more tourists. I just came back from Turrialba which certainly is a beautiful countryside area of CR, the place had a beautiful view of the Turrialba Volcano and was near Guayabo National Monument, but not necessarily a tourist hotspot and I stayed at a hacienda hotel that cost over $150/night for a standard room (and checked into another hacienda type hotel that charged over $350/night). The hotel was lovely, with amazing views and their food was magnificent for sure; however, when I showed the pics to some NY friends they thought the place was beautiful, but that the rate was high. When I reminded them that NY rates are much, much higher they reminded me that other areas of Latin America have rates that are much, much less. The good news is that Costa Rica has many beautiful hotels, in many wonderful areas and the range in room rates offered does vary, but the trend has been to become more and more expensive in the last few years and I wonder if that will change now or if they will just gear their offer to Europe & Asia where money concerns may not be so prevalent…I guess time will tell…
You typically pay your taxes either at the Municipality or deposit the monies in their bank account and fax them over a copy of your deposit. Since you’re already going to be there, I suggest you pay the taxes in person and get your Paid Receipt. Every municipality is different and you will need to give yourself some time to get thru the process. In Barva de Heredia it always meant waiting in a few lines, but the wait was not astronomical either.
I do believe Playas del Coco are part of the Municipality of Carrillo and this is the part of their website regarding real estate transactions/taxes http://www.municarrillo.go.cr/catastro.html.
You can also reach them at : (506) 688-8039 // 688-8639 // 688-8543 // 688-5968 // 688-5969 // 688-5970
Located at: 200 mts Norte del Parque Central de Filadelfia, Carrillo, Gte,Costa Rica
Mailing Address: 5-5050 Filadelfia Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Their banking info:
(send copy of your paid receipt via fax to: 506-688-7060 and they will send you a receipt via fax)
Checking account or as is known in CR as Cuenta Corriente:
Municipalidad de Carrillo
Banco Nacional de C.R #1945-5 agencia 026
Banco de Costa Rica #3978-0 agencia 225You’re very funny and that’s wonderful because a good sense of humor is imperative in life, especially when thinking about building a house in another country…Seriously, I think many of us would actually be interested to follow your progress on this project. Balinese houses are certainly not typical for CR and it might help others follow suit. Please keep us informed.
I would suggest you contact the Engineers and Arquitect Association of CR to have your question fully answered and avoid nasty little suprises after you’ve started the process [http://www.cfia.or.cr/ Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos]. Their email is: usuario@cfia.or.cr and telephone number 506-202-3900. They are located next to the CR Indoor Club in Curridabat. Also, reach out to the municipality you’re thinking of moving into to start getting acquainted with their building process.
You might also find info helpful regarding building in general:
http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-real-estate/building-a-home.html
Besides searching on the WeLoveCostaRica site.Hmm, Guaro sours–never heard of them…Where I’ll hopefully be staying this summer is more of a chicha type of place (lol)…Pura Vida and best of luck!
Edited on Jan 24, 2008 07:38
I have owned two houses which have not been in gated communities in different provinces of Costa Rica and have been able to enjoy prolonged stays in other parts of the country without nothing more than a bicycle being stolen from my yard. Now I guess part of that may be luck, but I also think that a good part of that was that wherever I have lived, I have tried to get to know my neighbors and this has meant that we have all watched over each other. Sometimes we had paid guards and sometimes not, but our concern for each other was more effective than local security guards who sometimes were questionable at their jobs and might be the ones tipping off the burglars. Of course, this meant that at 2 AM when a thieve jumped my backyard wall to steal my friend’s expensive bicycle and I ran out after the burglar in my PJ’s and with my Alaskan Malamute in tow, that I received quite a teasing from my neighbor friends the next morning about my attire, but it also confirmed what I thought to be true, my neighbors were watching, I wasn’t alone and they would have come to help if necessary. It’s when you’re in very remote areas and there aren’t any visible neighbors that I worry most about finding trustworthy caretakers for property and some sort of personal safety device other than luck. This has also worked for me in Jersey where I never lock my doors…People can be your friends and your allies or you can choose to keep to yourself and then they will do the same. Costa Rica is full of lovely, smart and funny people…I hope you choose to get to know your neighbors more, it can be rewarding in more ways than one. I always prefer to be friendly with the neighbors than to alienate them. it’s more fun and can also end up being more helpful…
Alfred, I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard this either! Part of the issue is that this gentleman thought he was safe being in a very remote part of CR, but that may have been what helped people take off with the stuff without being seeing by the little public there is in that area. Apparently he left someone “watching” over his home. Well, I don’t know what this supposed caretaker has said to the homeowner, but the only watching he did was watch the thieves come and go – LOL to us, but I’m sure not so funny to this poor homeowner!
I mean what is he supposed to do if he sees one of his windows or his roof on someone else’s home in the town down below? Anyway, welding the bolts and nuts sounds wise right about now…
Well Mark, I wouldn’t be so sure. I just heard of a whole house being stolen in an extremely remote and quiet area of Turrialba. The gentleman built a decent size house awhile back and just came back to find it basically missing and is now staying at my friend’s house quite a bit further down the mountain until his living arrangements can be clarified. I had heard of items being stolen from homes that were left alone for prolonged periods of time, but never heard of a whole house being taken apart until now…The Balinese esthetic is quite beautiful and I wish you the best of luck with your project, but I guess this is a warning that we should not leave any home unattended for too long of a time in CR…
Your friend should probably seek an accountant in CR that is familiar w/US tax laws and can clarify if there are limits on earnings since she only made $20K. There are some recommended on this site. As far as origin of income, I was told that it didn’t matter where my salary came from, the US tax laws want to make sure that any US Citizen that earns income, in or outside of the US, must declare it in their annual tax returns.
Then they must have fixed it a bit since I was last there during Easter week of 2003 because during that trip they let pedestrians walk first (including people walking their bikes and motorcycles across) and then it was 1 car or truck at a time…As for me, until the word ‘scary’ stops being used to describe that bridge, I will take a lovely boat ride from Manzanillo and feel great watching nearby dolphins instead of stressing about where I’m to put my next step :). Thanks for the info.
Yes, that’s the one I’m referring to and I don’t think it’s fit for vehicles either as I’ve seen them move planks along for a car to drive on thru, but nonetheless, they use it. Pedestrians also have a separate side area of the bridge that is not so bad until about 2/3 of the way into the bridge when you have no choice but to walk on that bridge full of gaps. There is definitely foot traffic on that bridge…I’ve been in swamps up to my neck in water and with Cayman nearby and didn’t feel as scared as when I had to walk on that bridge and will forever be grateful for a wonderful local man that saw my distress and walked over from the Panama border to hold my hand and make me laugh to make my bridge adventure a success…Whenever they do fix that bridge (which I understand never gets fixed because CR and Panama are always arguing about who should fix it), that trip will be a beautiful one that can take you thru the town of Bribri and you can always visit the Bribri Indigenous Reservation in CR on your journey to Bocas. As for me, I prefer a boat ride from Manzanillo to Bocas any day just to avoid that most peculiar structure they still call a bridge… 🙂
Have they fixed the bridge that links CR to Panama yet or does it still have gaping holes? Last time I passed thru we had to help a guy that was loosing his motorcycle thru one of those holes. That is really the most stressful part of that trip and I wouldn’t suggest driving thru it yourself, that’s best left to those that have grown accustomed to this most peculiar bridge. You can always get a taxi on the other side of the bridge that will take you to catch a boat to Bocas del Toro or to one of the other islands.
