Comments on: Only 35% of Ticos satisfied with Costa Rican democracy

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 03:03:47 +0000

What’s weird is that someone actually likes this post. Granted, I get the ideological point (the left is more authoritarian than the right) but the grammar, metaphors, and examples are such gibberish that I can’t understand what is being said. I gather e.g. that Chinchilla is supposed to be an example of a right-wing authoritarian, which makes no sense to me, and let’s not ask whether she is an apple or an orange. Whatever.

By: Paradise Fractions

Paradise Fractions — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:49:10 +0000

I couldn’t agree more!

By: Paradise Fractions

Paradise Fractions — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:49:10 +0000

This is no different in the US or any other aristocracy, corporatocracy, faux democracy. The problem here is self-serving politicians. The problem in the US and most other fuax democracies is corporate shills who manipulate that self serving interest have infiltrated every level of government and media. They purchase our politicians to serve them and their profit margins while blowing smoke up our asses with Orwellian doublespeak through their completely dominant media. They care not about the collateral damage, death count, evaporated wealth, inequality, fascist or totalitarian shifts in policy rather they care only about their own aggrandizement and wealth accumulation. To hear that the percentage of people who openly believe that a dictator would be preferable to even a faux democracy has doubled is truly terrifying and needs to be watched very closely. Times are tough and are going to get tougher. These conditions are ripe for demagogues to seize control as we have seen many, many times in the last 100 years alone. Thankfully, in recent modern history, our truly charismatic politicians have been obvious crooks. Watch out when we get a really honest, charismatic candidate. The relative freedom and economic prosperity we have experienced over the last 200 years is an anomaly in human history, not the norm. This anomaly has reached its end and we must proceed with caution if we wish to hold onto any fragment it. Our time is very short and opportunities to act very few. Costa Rica was an anomaly in Central America, to the dismay of the US government. As Noam Chomsky wrote “The one exception to the Central America horror story has been Costa Rica, set firmly on a course of state-guided development by the Jose Figueres coup of 1948, with welfare measures combined with harsh repression of labor, and virtual elimination of the armed forces. The U.S. has always kept a wary eye on this deviation from the regional standards, despite the welcome suppression of labor and the favorable conditions for foreign investors. In the 1980s, U.S. pressures to dismantle the social democratic features and restore the army elicited bitter complaints from Figueres and others who shared his commitments. While Costa Rica continues to stand apart from the region in political and economic development, the signs of what the Central Americanization’ of Costa Rica” are unmistakeable.” Should the talk of dictators gain traction in this country, do not, for a moment, believe that the US government will not do anything in it’s power to support and foster such a shift. Speaking in Santiago, Chile, in March of last year, President Obama called Latin America “a region on the move,” one that is “more important to the prosperity and security of the United States than ever before.” That same logic was used, albeit largely behind closed doors, to justify the US intervention in Central American self-determination in the latter half of the last century. Given the opportunity, there is little doubt that they will do it again.

By: Richard Philps

Richard Philps — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:33:38 +0000

So long as Government and Judicial appoints are only based on who you know and not on merit, the Country will never progress. The true patriots who would “do the Country right”, don’t occupy any of the positions of authority and accordingly no viable decisions are being made, only decisions based on self-interest.

By: gcblues_coolazul

gcblues_coolazul — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:18:37 +0000

the left in every respect in every corner of the world is more authoritarian than the right. to say different is to compare apples and oranges, for example musolini to modern france. comparing govts to their contemporaries shows the left is always more authoritarian. musolini to stalin. fidel, oretega and hugo to chinchilla, and bush, etc.

By: Harlan Wolfe

Harlan Wolfe — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:33:41 +0000

Adding the Internet and expanding other types of media add a lot of information accessible to growing numbers of people. Having more information does not necessarily soothe or comfort citizens. I think that there is a general unrest of government throughout the Western World with the result that citizens, as well as governments, are making adjustments to information and do not really quite know how to handle it. Though disquieting, it is probably a good thing. Governments will slowly become more accountable as they learn that the things that they could do undercover in the past now are more and more exposed to light. I think all of this is a good thing, and I am optimistic.
Globalization presents great challenges to even good governments since, by its nature, some of the population prospers while other persons are left behind, creating unrest. Globalization also brings new populations into a country which presents a whole new set of considerations–some good, some troubling. It’s a great challenge of government to balance things and adapt during these times.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:33:41 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly with Harlan on this one. The culture is changing with the increased availability of technology. There are many impacts this is having on the family structure, which is the basis of the culture. Retaining the beauty of the Costa Rican lifestyle while moving into the technological age is a scary portent to many of those who don’t understand it. I sincerely hope that the two can coexist.

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:19:42 +0000

I just read this in La Nación and think this trend needs to be both watched carefully and investigated more. The main thing we don’t know is whether this reflects a change in political philosophy or simply disgruntlement with Chinchilla and the economy. Chinchilla’s low approval rating rating may drag support for “democracy” down, as also may economic hard times. (The percentage of respondents who favor economic development over democracy also increased.) Another curiosity is that the left seems more open to authoritarianism than the right. But perhaps the sleeper issue is that Ticos may be assessing “democracy” on the basis of experiences in a country that claims to be democratic but doesn’t live up to that claim particularly well. Although risky, I believe Arias was right to call for a rewrite of the constitution, since the present system is probably best characterized in the words of a former US ambassador as a “dysfunctional democracy.”

By: gcblues_coolazul

gcblues_coolazul — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:03:36 +0000

not a single country in the world has an honest government. government is the opposite of honest. the more government, the more dishonesty.

By: Mary Hogan

Mary Hogan — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:03:36 +0000

If Ticos feel they live in a Democracy (rule by majority), it is hardly surprising they are dissatisfied with the status quo–because in actuality CR is an Oligarchy (ruled by a group of powerful few) and that, I affirm, is the reason ONLY 40% believe in CR’s form of “Democracy”–they start on the wrong foot by calling it what it isn’t. Of late, we have seen examples where people have used their dissatisfaction as a tool for revolution–a breaking away from existing gov’t–but haven’t been bold enough to say they opt for Anarchy. But when the present (of Oligarchy) collapses–not if–BEWARE because Anarchy acts as a vacuum, rushing in to fill the void. With Anarchy, one needs to guard life, liberty, and property. Everyone will need guards and there’ll be chaos when laws break down; at which point people will scream for any form of gov’t and Oligarchy will once again rise and the powerful few re-established as rulers. The flaw in Democracy is that the majority is not restrained without Laws (CR has laws but they are meaningless). In a true “political” Republic is ruled by Law and the gov’t role of protecting the rights of people while at the same time, leaving people alone to enjoy life and freedom. We don’t have a Republic in CR because it means gov’t role is about 20%–not the 70-80% that exists here. I think CR wants to takes parts of what it likes and discard parts it does not and throw them into a big pot and hope the political system works. I guess it hasn’t, from the survey and the level of discontent.