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I used to visit Cuba some thirty years ago and was impressed with the people and the government. The Cubans are an intelligent and industrious people and their government reflects those qualities.

Salvador has recently chosen a socialst governement and I am glad that the US is presently disinclined and perhaps unable to meddle in that poor country’s affairs as it has done in the past. Here are some interviews with Salvadorenos after the election.

http://democracyinamericas.org/elections-el-salvador

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Wrong hemisphere for Costa Rican interests, wouldn’t you think?

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Costa Rica is as not subject to the constant pressure of corrupting corporate money as the US…so far. There may be corruption in the CR government but at least socialism’s stated goal is to benefit the citizens.

Capitalism’s stated goal is the creation of wealth with no implied fair distribution of that wealth. The free market is supposed to take care of that. In other words, the fox is left to guard the chicken coop.

I think you’ll have little to get used to as far as Costa Rican socialism. You will have other more difficult hurddles to get over such as language and culture. I meet and talk with Ticos who fiercely defend the entitlements that socialsm gurantees them.

Don’t disparage socialism so much. A socialist country practically owns Uncle Sam’s a** right now. We better hope the Socialist Chinese don;t one day dump all our dollars on the open market.

Edited on Mar 20, 2009 09:22

Edited on Mar 20, 2009 09:25

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Scott,
You live in a semi socialist country and are content with that. I think I can assume that you accept a certain level of socialism. I agree with that. This means a regulated economy. Socialsts believe the economy should be regulated and bent to serve the people. Capitalists believe people should be bent to serve the economy.

I don’t see room for compromise here. Eventually we will have to choose between these two opposing forces. The root of all of the problems that the Costa Rican government has between itself and its people might be traced back to this conflict. Ownership of large companies creates the probability of corruption of government. Ownership of the public interests, the commons, is even more corruptive and disruptive. Libertarians and capitalists desire privatization of everything and a shrunken government. Let’s hope current events bury these ideologies for good.

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I doubt anyone here really knew what was going to happen and when. Having a vague clue that things would not go well indefinitely is not he same as making a life decision based on predicitions of what was precisely likely to happen.

I am a stock trader. One thing I have learned learned in this business is that there is a huge difference between saying you believe something and acting on those beliefs. If anyone here believes with certitude that we are headed for a world wide crisis involving the destruction of currencies and the ensuing food and fuel shortages with the attending rioting and total breakdown of societies, then you would be acting right now in order to get your butt high up in the mountains where you would be building stores of food.

In the meantime, it is entertaining to discuss the possibilities and probablities without ever lifting a finger in reaction. For those of us who are fortunate enough to not be embroiled in the worst of this crisis, it is also easy to pat ourselves on the backs as wise people who mad decisions early on that saved our bacon. I won;t do that, thjough. My bacon was saved by pure chance..and nobody’s bacon is eternally safe anyway form what I believe might be coming at us.

Edited on Mar 11, 2009 08:58

Edited on Mar 11, 2009 08:59

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Ask Scott what he thinks about “how low the market can go”. He once remarked that people have no idea how low it can go.

Technical indicators suggest it could drop quite a bit more. If the market leads the economy by six months, we are looking at double digit unemployment by fall. True and actual unemployment in the States is 14.7 percent right now, not the 8.1 official number. If this doubles in size, as it very well could, actual unemployment will exceed 25%. The Great Depression had a similar number and it took a decade and a war to get out of that mess. And some say this could be worse. I hate to keep going back to the canned tuna argument, but ……..

Edited on Mar 10, 2009 03:57

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How anyone using fundamental analysis, technical analysis or both could ever predict what the market will do years in advance is beyond me. I have a hard enough time predicting what the market will do in the next ten seconds, let alone the next ten years. The technique of buy and hold is not my idea of a smart way to grow capital and yet, millions of Americans bought into that.

It still all boils down to market timing and the only way to have success doing that is to be actively, knowledgeably and intensively involved. Otherwise, put your bucks into a safe bank with the FED guaranatee…and even then, keep a good stock of canned tuna.I have NO IDEA how safe CR banking is. I only have a small account in a CR bank. I am being told to seriously be concerned about the survival of the U.S. banking system even if it IS nationalized. And what good would 11% earnings be on ANY currency if the world currency market turns to “basura”.

Edited on Mar 09, 2009 09:04

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This morning, Asian stock markets are crashing. A similar reaction is expected from the markets on this side of the planet. What do you do with any money you have? I would think preservation of capital would be more urgent than increasing capital at this momnent in time.

Obama is saying at this moment “Don’t panic”. If the captain of the Titanic is advising you not to panic when the ship is tilting forward at a 45 degree angle, I would suggest you ignore that advice. Instead of calmly trying to look for your money’s worth in the voyage by seeking a free drink at the bar, knock down anyone in your path to the nearest life boat,

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THAT was funny, IMXPL….Still chuckling…

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Governments may be another form of organized crime, but god is just another form of Santa Klaus for adults. Of the two, governments have a better chance of coming through with the goods.

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If all you are looking for is production of great wealth, that is easy to do when you are unconcerned with the welfare of the people you propose to govern. That is exactly what capitalism does. It produces great wealth…for a few. The trick is to fool the workers into believing they also can have great wealth…the American Dream. Of course, the American Dream is a lie, a tool to keep people in line. The REAL function of government is the welfare of the citizenry. Markets and economies should serve the people, not vice versa as is in th US.

The rumour right now is that the US government may decide to take over the banks this week end. Wall Street is shrieking and the markets have plunged below their November lows. If this happens, and who knows, it would be the 2nd shoe dropping. We are seeing the merciful end of free market capitalism at last.

Edited on Feb 20, 2009 09:38

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I agree with David. I learned many years ago in Ohio of all places, by simply associating with the Cuban community there. College courses in Spanish helped a little but face to face, especially in a social context, is the fastest way to learn.

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I apply my style of morality to economics when I say capitalism is evil. I am attacking a system. What I do NOT do, as grifz does, is apply a superfluous morality to victims of that system or to those that have “worked” the system to their benefit.

I am always suspicious of finger pointing at individuals from a supposed higher moral position. It’s too easy for a well fed man to condemn a starving man for taking a piece of bread without paying for it.

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Must have been a bit of work for you mounting that high horse. I am sure a lot of americans would love to be able to afford your hubris and high morality, but the system has robbed them blind.

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Grifz, I have never done such a thing but I would not slight anyone who has. You obviously haven’t a clue as to how things have been set up to work.

Rightly or wrongly, the system is set up to benefit those who are willing to take risks. A bank loan on a house is absolutely no different than an investment in a mutual fund or stock in that both are a risk of capital for the purpose of increasing that capital. Period. The rules of both investments are spelled out clearly in contracts. The risk in loaning money for a house is clearly understood by most banks. If it is not understood, and a loss is incurred, the bank has made an error in judgement. Nobody stole money from that bank at gun point or by fraud.

The borrower also has taken a risk when he puts a down payment forward. The house and the downpayment are forfieted to the bank if the borrower decides to walk or has to walk away. These are the legal terms of the contract. The rules of the game.

Secured contractual debt takes the place of moral obligation. If your parents lend you money, you are morally obliged to pay them back. If you invest in stocks, and the stocks drop in price, nobody owes you any of your lost invesment.Do you think the comnpanies who have lost value are scum because they will not pay you back? Please define why a mortgagee who walks away from his house is scum. What law has he broken? Whom has he harmed?

Edited on Feb 19, 2009 13:43

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