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INSIDECOSTARICA.COM
| COSTA RICA
NEWS |
Monday 08 August 2011 |
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Costa
Rica:
Love
It
Or
Leave
It?
By
John
R.
Holtz*
I´ve
heard
this
battle
cry
of
sorts
during
most
of
the
Richard
Nixon
and
Lyndon
Johnson
years
referring
to
critics
of
the
Vietnam
War
when
a
nation
was
in
pain
and
turmoil
which
demanded
change
and
the
withdraw
from
an
un-
winnable
war
(1965
–
1975)
and
that
took
some
60,000
lives
of
young
Americans.
Never
did
I
think
nor
did
the
thought
cross
my
mind
that
the
same,
infantile,
phrase
would
also
be
applied
in
Costa
Rica;
but
it
is
to
expats
who
complain.
Sadly,
too
many
commentators
on
“Inside
Costa
Rica”
and
other
English
speaking
news
outlets
have
used
or
alluded
to
the
“love
it
or
leave
it”
theme
targeting
those
Expats
and
perpetual
tourists
who
have
openly
expressed
dissatisfaction
and
discontent
with
the
Republic
of
Costa
Rica
and
those
who
simply
feel
sucker
punched
by
slick
marketing,
the
heavy
promotion
of
“Pura
Vida”
and
a
false
image
of
tranquility
which
conflicts
with
reality.
Sure
they
could
have
done
more
research
before
buying
in,
but
we
are
not
a
country
of
data
nor
are
we a
country
of
transparency.
The
word
“clarity”
is
rarely
used
in
any
conversation
or
newscast.
(2+2
rarely
comes
up
4)
It
is
sort
of
like
selling
fake
winning
lottery
tickets
to
seniors
who
need
the
money.
They
buy
in
at
any
price
and
send
that
insurance
money
directly
to
the
fraudsters.
Many,
but
many
expats
still
love
living
in
Costa
Rica,
but
they
might
not
love
the
country
itself
and
wish
to
effect
change.
Some
have
lost
a
lot
of
money
and
are
losing
more,
have
been
robbed,
live
in
fear,
they
sleep
with
guns
by
their
side,
but
stay
here
to
try
to
improve
what
clearly
needs
improving.
Little
of
which
is
advertised
and
that
which
is,
gets
bushed
over
in
broad
strokes.
It
can
be
overwhelming,
especially
for
seniors,
to
live
a
life
based
on
caveat-emptor
and
now
be
faced
with
having
their
pension
income
taxed.
In
addition,
Expats
pay
more
for
services
and
commodities
than
locals,
and
they
are
ignored
by a
fractionalized
government,
perhaps
as
dysfunctional
as
the
US
Congress.
Some
stay
because
economics
will
not
permit
them
to
leave
and
others
because
they
want
to
contribute
to
making
this
a
better
place
while
others
simply
enjoy
living
in
Costa
Rica
for
what
is
being
offered,
especially
the
wealthy.
Those
who
express
themselves
openly
should
not
be
castigated
for
publicly
raising
negative
issues
but
rather
applauded.
The
“love
it
or
leave
it”
whine
is
only
a
sign
of
surrender
and
is
usually
followed
by
the
muttering
of
“Whatever”.
How
do
you
feel
about
the
following?
*San
Jose
is
the
most
expensive
city
in
Central
America?
*Our
car
prices
are
the
most
expensive
in
Central
America
yet
we
have
the
worst
roads?
(Toyota
Yaris
in
Panamá
$15,700,
Nicaragua
$18,100
Costa
Rica
$23,600)
*Tourism
is
up
4%
but
profit
is
down
1%
for
hotels
resulting
from
the
cost
of
operations
and
devaluation
of
the
USD
and
also
facing
a
tax
hike?
*That
the
USD
rarely
hits
retail
500
colones
and
stays
there
while
Campbell
soup
is
imported
with
inflated
local
currency
and
it
might
cost
$2.30
a
can.
Why
is
that?
*Gasoline
has
been
up
around
$5.50/gallon
to
$6.00/gallon
because
our
refinery
is
old,
never
been
repaired
and
totally
unworkable
so
we
import
the
finished
product.
(The
skeleton
of a
refinery
still
exists.)
*Traffic
fines
+ ad
on
fees
are
still
upwards
of
$400
to
$600,
more
than
a
month´s
salary
for
most
workers
and
there
are
102,000
appeals
that
have
inundated
the
court
system
and
will
for
years
to
come.
That
does
not
seem
very
functional.
*Government
corruption
goes
all
the
way
to
the
top.
Possibly
even
under
doña
Laura
who
paid
her
brother
$500,000
to
film
the
election
campaign
not
to
mention
two
convicted
presidents
and
one
in
self
imposed
exile.
*84%
of
our
public
hospitals
have
been
declared
in
disrepair
by
the
Ministry
of
Public
Health.
Get
loans
from
the
IMF
or
BCIE
specifically
to
repair
them.
*Spontaneous
and
Laissez-faire
management
supported
by
entrenched
bureaucracy
needs
to
be
replaced
with
a
strategic
plan,
a
line
item
business
plan
and
accountability?
*I
don´t
even
want
to
touch
on
crime,
the
judicial
system,
traffic
and
infrastructure
*Will
Costa
Rica
ever
again
wake
up
and
understand
that
global
competition
for
the
tourist
dollar
is
strong
and
getting
stronger
and
we
are
falling
behind
mostly
because
we
have
failed
to
keep
up
with
the
times
and
over
estimated
the
market
which
is
finding
our
country
expensive,
unsafe
and
dirty,
except
for
the
wealthy
who
stay
at
all
inclusive
resorts
such
as
the
Four
Seasons
Papagayo.
Summary:
Many
expats
have
so
much
invested
in
this
country
that
they
cannot
just
pull
up
stakes
and
move
on.
And
while
the
“Inside
Costa
Rica”
comment
section
might
be
little
more
than
cathartic;
that
still
makes
it
valuable,
especially
if
the
comments
are
constructive.
We
are
small
in
size
so
we
can
see
and
most
of
all
we
can
feel
that
which
is
good
and
that
which
is
not.
We
do
feel
each
stone
tossed
into
the
lake
and
all
its
endless
ripples.
I
say
Expats
are
special
people
who
live
here,
in
their
adopted
country
because,
for
one
reason
or
another,
they
made
a
choice
to
deliberately
live
in
Costa
Rica.
Tourism,
investment
and
retirement
are
not
just
businesses
but
rather
life
changing
choices
and
Costa
Rica
has
lost
sight
of
that
value.
*John
Holtz
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
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Source
Apdo. 2133-1000, San José, Costa
Rica
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9642
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