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INSIDECOSTARICA.COM
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COSTA RICA NEWS
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Monday 20
December 2010 |
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A Costa
Rican
Wish
List for
Santa!
By John Holtz*
Dear
Santa
Claus,
First, I
want to
thank
you for
all the
beautiful
memories
and the
wonderful
work you
and the
other
elves
have
done
since I
can
remember
and long
before.
Now my
wish
list to
you!
Santa,
can you
get MOPT
the $4
billion
it needs
to bring
the road
and
bridges
in good
working
order?
While
promised,
at last
blush,
the
money is
not
there
and work
is not
going to
be
started
which is
badly
needed
all over
the
country
resulting
from 30
years of
gross
neglect.
Next,
can you
get the
Nicaraguans
out of
our
country
soon
before
this
thing
escalates
from the
Google
Maps
invasion
into a
multi-country
shoot
out?
This is
not good
for our
public
relations.
I mean
if
suddenly
there
were a
Costa
Rican
protest
over the
incursion,
that
would
make
global
news,
maybe
even
WikiLeaks
(Joking
with you
Santa),
but it
could
put a
damper
on
tourism.
And
Santa,
what can
you do
about
the
value of
the
dollar?
A simple
pizza is
now more
than
$10.00,
a coffee
$1,31
and no
refill.
Holy
cow! I
saw a
fully
cooked
turkey
at Auto
Mercado
and it
was
˘62.000
colones
or about
US
$125.25
by
today’s
exchange
rate.
That´s
little
pricey
for a
dead
bird,
don´t
you
think? A
leg of
pork,
about
$75.00.
In other
countries
I could
buy the
whole
pig for
that
price.
Bling,
bling go
the
Christmas
bells
and they
are the
sound of
the cash
register.
Santa,
the
Costa
Rican
government
said,
“….come
on
down!”
and so
did the
retirees
with
promises
of all
those
benefits
and
healthcare,
reasonable
costs of
living,
no
import
taxes on
cars and
furniture….all
that
makes
for a
wonderful
place to
live.
They
took it
all
back.
Now, the
expatriate
is only
tolerated,
not
welcomed
at all
and the
only
incentive
to live
here is
the
weather.
So many,
even the
Costa
Rican
government
is
losing
cost
effective
income
because
the US
dollar
is soooo
undervalued.
This is
a
priority
“wish”
because
we are
losing
jobs, we
are
losing
companies,
we are
racking
up a big
ass
(Sorry
for that
word
Santa)
deficit
and even
some
tourists
on a
budget
are
saying,
“No way
San
Jose!”
Speaking
of
weather,
Santa we
could
use some
relief
on that
level as
well.
If you
are not
too busy
tending
to toys
and kids
around
the
world,
maybe
you
could
give us
less
rain
next
year?
The
roads,
bridges,
rivers,
dams
were all
built
with
1977
plans
using
1960
standards
and,
well you
know the
rest.
Everything
from
crops to
people
have
been
lost in
2010
because
of the
inferior
infrastructure.
Santa, I
need to
ask you
a big
favor,
really
big!
Right
now we
have a
21% +
rate of
poverty
and for
Costa
Rica
that
translates
to
sleeping
under
bridges
and on
the
streets.
Believe
it or
not,
some
world
class
slums in
Costa
Rica are
identified
as
middle
class.
And our
crack
economists
have
said
that in
2011
employment
will
drop off
by
another
2%. In
2010 we
have
lost
Conair,
a part
of Dole,
a part
of
Intel,
Levis/Dockers,
and a
part of
United
Fruit
but
gained a
bunch of
fast
food
franchises
who
offer
“McJobs”
to
people
who
belong
to the
most
educated
country
in Latin
America.
Can you
bring a
way out
of
poverty
for all
(Okay
“some”)
of these
people?
We
cannot
seem to
do it
ourselves.
While I
am at it
Santa,
and
remember
this is
a wish
list,
what can
you do
about
the
massive
corruption
and
crime in
Costa
Rica
which
is, in
my
humble
opinion,
out of
control?
How do
you make
dishonest,
honest?
That´s
why you
are
Santa
and we
are not.
Even our
Nobel
Laureate
and last
president
is
coming
under
suspicion.
Did you
know
that for
about
$160
prisoners,
felons,
can buy
special
privileges,
and for
roughly
$5, 000
to
$10,000
they can
get a
full
pardon?
Just ask
the
warden
and
prison
guards.
Last
week two
hit men
killed a
guy for
$2,800.
Even a
lousy
drivers
license
for
lousy
drivers
can be
purchased
as they
marched
off the
director
of that
division
a week
or so
ago for
manufacturing
fake
licenses
at $200
+ each.
Hell
(Again
sorry
Santa
for the
language),
we have
one
ex-president
convicted
of
corruption,
one on
trial
for
corruption
and one
living
in self
imposed
exile in
fear of
a
corruption
trial.
We have
11
mayors
of our
cities
either
convicted
criminals,
under
investigation
or
accused
of
misappropriation
of
funds.
That´s a
lot,
don´t
you
think?
Santa,
this is
the tip
of that
proverbial
iceberg.
I do not
expect
miracles,
or maybe
“yes”,
but
street
crime is
horrible.
Any
chance
of
bringing
a sense
of
ethics
and
honesty
to our
little
country?
Maybe
start at
the top
of the
social
pyramid
and
finally
the
trickledown
theory
could
prevail?
“Do you
think?”
Finally,
Santa,
despite
warning
after
warning,
the drug
cartels
are
here.
“Yes,”
in
living
color
just
like
Canal 6.
And,
this has
been in
the
press in
both the
United
States
and
parts of
Europe
and that
takes a
toll on
investment,
real
estate,
and
tourism
not to
mention
our
lives.
Costa
Rica and
the rest
of the
world
now
admit
that our
country
is the
warehouse
and
launder
mat of
drugs
and drug
money.
In
specific,
the
cartel
of
Sinaloa.
Living
here, we
have
suspected
this,
but
until
now, not
by name
and
title.
International
press of
this
will put
a knife
into
foreign
investment
and
tourism
in a New
York
minute.
Santa,
is there
any way
to get
these
evil
bastards
(Another
apology)
out of
Costa
Rica? We
have
judges
and
police
up to
there
(you
know
where)
working
with
drug
trafficking
not to
mention
the poor
who
labor 12
hours a
day to
feed a
family
of four
and are
suddenly
given
the
temptation
of
making
five
times
that
income
for one
little
drug run
that
turns
into a
full
time
job.
Santa,
we need
a
comprehensive
but not
intrusive
fiscal
tax
plan.
“Yup,”
we gotta
pay our
share of
taxes
but not
create a
US
structure
that is
the
single
largest
direct
and
indirect
employer
of that
country.
Maybe
some
simple
things
like a
15%
capital
gains
tax and
an
increase
in sales
tax from
13% to
15%.
Nothing
too
difficult
to
manage
because
we are
not so
good at
implementation.
Dear
Santa,
these
are my
wishes
and I
understand
if you
bring me
a bag of
coal
instead
or maybe
a little
chocolate
would
get your
message
across.
We need
to take
care of
this
business
and not
ask you
or
anyone
else.
Still,
your
milk and
sugar
free
cookies
will be
waiting.
Your
friend,
John
*John
Holtz is
the
Executive
Director
of the
Center
for the
Studies
of
Modern
Management
www.modernmanagement.org
and can
be
reached
at:
[email protected].
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