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Legal advice is not given here. But I am not a legal professional so I can report, as a layman, that I have read that if you own 10% or more in an S.A., whether or not it is profitable, you are SUPPOSED to file. I can’t find any provision that states the S.A. is exempt just because it is used exclusively to hold property. But you need to ask a professional questions like this. And let me add that I wish anyone well who is able to avoid having their money illegally confiscated by an evil government.
I am of course referring to scouring from the face of the planet the ignorance that supports and encourages religions and the ensuing damage done by religions. I would not ever want to see violence used against anyone for whatever silly belief system they have.
One good thing about Ron Paul and libertarians is that they would never have government sponsored religion as we do here and elsewhere today.Hello again, Zitizzi,
I know little about teak in particular but I have been able to obtain tree plantings free of charge indirectly through the CR government. The local Tico who is caretaker of my property was able to this for me. There must be an official plan in place for such a thing. I did not go with teak, however. The teak tree grows pretty rapidly but it is not the most attractive of trees. It grows straight and tall with few secondary branches and so contributes less than other trees to the canopy.
One of the two partners who sold me my property last year helped me set up my bank account later on. Apparently you are supposed to have an address or electric bill in order to do this. I do not have either since my property has no home on it yet an I am still living in Miami. But he is friends with the bank manager so I was accommodated. There are probably other ways to do this but if you know someone there, perhaps they could help you in the same manner.
Nothing would make me happier than to see all religions and other barbaric practices scoured from the surface of the planet. Barring that, what would you suggest we do? Invade?
We used to burn witches here 250 years ago before our constitution and after, we used hang blacks up until less than 120 years ago. In light of these examples, I don’t see how anyone can throw free speech up as something of great value during those times. The culture dominates with or without it.
Rebaragon,
I have spent too many years in the U.S. listening to outrageous and harmful lies told to us by our media and government about Cuba as well as other topics. i try to guard myself from going too far to the left in defense of the truths I experienced in Cuba.
All I can say in the end is that the majority of Cubans chose their path over the last 50 years and that path has evolved. There are no Stalin gulags except for Guantanamo, no mass executions and no starving masses. We see some of these things elsewhere but not in Cuba.All the other nuances and personal stories are anecdotal at best. I don’t automatically doubt them but the bottom line is that I believe the vast majority of Cubans are content with their socialist revolution.
Un fuerte “PURA VIDA” pa ti, tambien y Viva La revolucion, compai…..
Edited on Nov 16, 2007 09:03
Speech is not completely free anywhere. Public speech has some level of consequence everywhere, including the U.S. And, by the way, while in Cuba, I expressed ideas in direct opposition to some of Cuba’s policies at that time…without any noticed bad consequences. It is polite to discuss politics. It is not polite to rudely insult in Cuba nor anywhere else.
Freedom and free speech are vague concepts that everyone likes to bandy about. Both are over rated and charged with emotions not entirely tied to realities. One’s priorities should be:Eat, clothe yourself and get a roof over your head…then speak and function within the cultural parameters at hand. Political repression of some speech is sometimes just another form of cultural boundry enforcement. Whether the police enforce this repression with an arrest, or the guy you just offended enforces it with a punch in the face, speech has consequences. This is the case in Cuba and elsewhere, even in Costa Rica. We all guard what we say depending on the situation.
Edited on Nov 15, 2007 08:46
Interesting stuff. I am in my late 50’s and I guess what you would call an old dog. New tricks aren’t supposes to be a forte for old dogs but I am anxious to get started in adapting down there. I have some allergies here in Florida…winter allergies. My visits to CR are short and not enough time to see if anything might develop. I have read other posts here about allergies and it seems like a mixed conclusion. Some get worse when they move here, some improve.
Another bit of good news, though…on my last visit in Palmares, I stopped into a pharmacy and bought a prescription type allergy medication without a prescription…and about one third the cost. What a concept! No need to see a doctor for every little thing!
Much of Cuba’s woes are a direct consequence of the misguided U.S. embargo and they were not better under Batista. Imagine what would transpire in Costa Rica should the U.S. cut off trade and penalize any other party doing business with CR. I suspect the Ticos would also turn out to be tough and would weather the hard times.
Every country I have visited has problems. Few have such a large, powerful enemy so close.At least the Cubans were able to stave off an american invasion. Costa Rica’s southern neighbor was not and thousands of innocent civilians were slaughtered by US troops in Panama.
Fidel is NOT my cause. However,I do respect the Cubans on the Island and their honest and sincere efforts. Say what you want about Fidel, but he managed to keep the meddling gringos out of Cuba’s business for almost half a century. And most Cubans are proud of their revolution and their country today.
The rafters are no different than Mexicans crossing the border except that our government encourages the Cubans by promising them residency if they make it. That more than any other factor is responsible for the deaths at sea of so many.
I didn’t spend my time as a tourist in Cuba. I lived in Habana (near vedado) in a typical Cuban apartment…electricity and water were shut off at times, breakfast consisted of crackers and Cuban coffee, and I rode the “guaguas” (buses) with everybody else. When you are 27 years old, you can put up with anything and I enjoyed immensely my time there.
Cuba is doing OK. They will get through another bad period. Had Fidel and Che NOT arrived 50 years ago, Cuba may have slipped into being just another Yanqui satellite state, producing only baseball players and tourist post cards and more off shore banking opportunities for the wealthy.
I spent time in Cuba many years ago. Be careful of all the anecdotal stories that have been spread by the enemies of what the Cubans tried and are still trying to accomplish. The bigger the lie, the easier it is accepted by people. Firing squads, cruel and unjust imprisonments, a starving Cuban population…. I have heard all those lies from the old Cuban reactionary refugees in Miami and still read such trash in american papers today.
Believe what you want to. I went there and saw for myself and had an eye opening experience. Thirty years ago I saw first hand how lies were disseminated by an american press and how easily and handily the whole country accepted the lies. It just happened again here a few years ago with our latest dirty little war. People never learn.
Cuban refugees come to the states for the same reasons Mexicans and other nationalities do; the lure of money.
Che never got his utopia…..nor did we.Edited on Nov 14, 2007 17:59
Roark, I appreciate different points of view as long as they are rational and well expressed. Nobody but Mr. Oliver can boot you out of here. Don’t be too disappointed if you do not find an army of like minded people on this site.
Regards Che, he is a hero of mine and is in no way similar to Walker. Che took a populist social revolution to South America to help the common people. Walker came to Costa Rica to take real estate, not to improve the lot of the Costa Ricans. One has statues and images of his likeness all over the planet and is revered. The other is only remembered as one more evil that the U.S. has visited upon its neighbors.
I would rather see americans come to Costa Rica more in the spirit of El Che rather than in the spirit of Walker.
I would guess that many of us on this message board who own property in Costa Rica have purchased it under the auspices of a Sociedad Anonima. An S.A. is a company and the property belongs to the S.A. You buy the S.A. and by means of that ownership, you have the property as well.
There are financial benefits and legal protections when buying and owning land under a Sociedad Anonima. It is similar to the principal of incorporating yourself to protect your personal assets. Unfortunately, we live in a world where corporations have superior rights to real people and we are forced sometimes to take shelter inside these legal instruments. Weird, huh?
Uppecity,
I am far from an anarchist, believe me. But that doesn’t mean I am not open to change, and radical change when necessary. Our constitution lists that option plainly. I was emphasizing that point.
I get bored and even irritated with fearful people who seek comfort and safety over progress and the necessary risk that comes with progressive thinking and acting. Nations and individuals only move forward when they get rid of fear and take chances.
By the way, thanks, rebaragon for the Jefferson quotes. I wonder if Jefferson were alive today, would he stay put and fight the good fight against the ignorance of the people and moneyed interests in power or would he sell his Virginia farm and start a new life somewhere else, oh, say, maybe in Costa Rica……:-}
Edited on Nov 14, 2007 04:52
Edited on Nov 14, 2007 05:17
