Liberia, Costa Rica
COSTA RICA NEWS 2012
My apologies for the delay in starting Costa Rica News 2012. We cover the Northern Pacific region of Costa Rica. Part of this newspaper is a reprint of our current news translated into English, and part is our editorial from what we experience here in the Northern Pacific area of Costa Rica. Most people integrate San Jose and the Central Valley with Costa Rica---but they are VERY different places. We are rural people who live simply. My neighbors wake me up when they hook up their ox carts (the symbol of Costa Rica). They in turn rouse the monkeys and the roosters and I know it is time to get up.
2012 is a different time and a different place in the world. In Costa Rica, we find Government stealing packages that are mailed to us. Instead of receiving packages mailed to our Costa Rican mailbox, we receive a notice that we have to drive half way across the country and spend two days accumulating paperwork and paying money. This even applies to local businesses. In the US people see afraid of everything, and are flocking here to look for a new home in a free country.;
Costa Rica News is a product of 1 Dream Getaway, and we do business in the Northern Pacific region of Costa Rica. Basically we listen to what you want and provide it rather than herding you around like cattle on a pre-planned tour. If you wish for a private beach where you can walk for miles without seeing other people---or a five-star resort where you eat/drink whatever/whenever without taking your wallet out of your pocket, we provide that. Basically you tell us what you want and we provide it if we can. We will never take you where your lives or belongings are in danger.
Our news is a reprint of Costa Rica newspapers (in English) combined with our personal editorials. This year, for the first time, we warn our readers NOT to go into Liberia as it has become the same war zone full of thieves and without police protection that San Jose is. We begin by showing you our new airport, which is located next to the old one, and when you arrive you will feel no different than arriving in most US airports. As always, we add the new stuff to the top and keep the old news below it. If you haven't been here, reading our paper will help you learn what Costa Rica is really bout. We're always here to answer your questions by email (info (at) 1dreamgetaway.com or toll-free phone: 813-379-7611.
Please notice that we have a new airport ( LIR ) and have added photos. For those of you who like "progress", you'll be thrilled to see that our airport is like all the others in the States. I personally liked climbing down the steps from the airplane, getting into the car, and going home.
HAPPY EASTER
As our Semana Santa (Easter Week) comes to an end, we find 1 Dream Getaway territory contradicting what we see in International weather forecasts---as we have not had one drop of rain in 2012. With the passing of Easter comes the beginning of 1 Dream Getaway's season, running up to Christmas. Transitos will no longer hide in the bushes to grab Gringo money and the roads/beaches will again be welcoming harbors of the days/nights. You can write to: INFO (AT) 1DREAMGETAWAY.COM to set up your little piece of paradise.
We also sadly report the permanence of our Christmas article below regarding the government of Costa Rica stealing Christmas presents from children. In that article, we show a photograph of a CR post office in the town of Roble. That post office has been converted to a storage area for all packages mailed to Costaricans in the Guanacaste Province. We recounted how a local TV repairman had to pay hundreds of dollars and lose two days of work to receive a circuit board he had purchased online to repair a customer's TV. We recounted a similar story of how we had to work for days and pay hundreds of dollars in ransom to the Costa Rica government to receive light bulbs for our home (which recently became unavailable here). The Roble post office employees were commanded by San Jose to send the items stolen from the mail back to San Jose when the intended recipients were unable/unwilling to pay Government's ransom. One is stricken by the sign at the tellers' windows: NO HAY TIMBRES (We don't have stamps.) If you cannot buy stamps or mail letters, what is the post office there for???
Now we can report that San Jose government does not just rob the mail---but all package services such as UPS and DHL. We tried for months to purchase a sensor for our car. We ordered it both from the CR Dealer (Grupo Q) and a local parts store. After waiting for months we were told it was simply not available. So I found one online. It cost $50, and I paid another $50 for it to be delivered by DHL. Two months later I am told that it is in the DHL office in Liberia (a 2-hour drive from here) and we must drive to Liberia and pay DHL an additional $54 (c27000) to get our sensor. That means that San Jose government is charging us 108% tax and making us drive four hours to get a part for which we prepaid ($50) to be delivered to our home.
Over the years we have reported the decline of San Jose, Costa Rica to the paint where it has become little more than a war zone. Thieves are rarely apprehended and almost-never punished. A wealthy Tica friend had a Mother's Day party in her upscale San Jose home. Thieves tied up all the men, women and children and leisurely spend two hours emptying out the home. The cops laughingly call them the Party Thieves and make no effort to catch them. Now it seems Costa Rica has followed the example of the USA.
A bumper sticker says: WHEN GUNS ARE OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE GUNS. The same was true in the 1920's when America passed the PROHIBITION AMENDMENT to its Constitution. Thus in the 1920's, booze was outlawed and only outlaws had booze. Organized groups like the Sicilian Mafia quickly began bootlegging and opening Speakeasies to replace the newly-outlawed nightclubs. By the time Prohibition was removed, so much power was held by the outlaws that they took over Government and private enterprise. For example, bootlegger Joe Kennedy had his son (JFK) made President of the US, and most refuse is now collected by the Mafia with obvious monetary and other advantages.
So now San Jose outlaws have obviously taken key positions in Government. This MUST be true, as no other entity has the power and ability to steal all packages mailed to Costa Rica and turn DHL and UPS into thieves to collect ransoms for the packages they have been paid to deliver. Here is the rest of our local news:
Costa Rica News.
News on
Costa Rica continually updated.
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in Costa Rica!
Inside Politics! |
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APRIL FOOLS
It's no joke that our dry season threatens to be a drought, although San Jose is getting some rain. For Americans bemoaning their gasoline going up from $3.50/gallon, consider our situation where it is going up from $1.50/quart. Government sells gas here, and the absorbitant price should be considered by all anyone renting a car. Filling the tank is a major investment...and going up. Also during "Easter Week", remember that out traffic cops (Transitos) will be hiding in the bushes near all gringo towns and resorts to give you the option of paying a cash bribe or getting a ticket. Here's the rest of our news:
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News.
News on Costa Rica continually updated.
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in Costa Rica!
Inside Politics! |
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MARCH 28
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FEBRUARY 26
The news is not too shocking as we see that money buys power. In the US, Americans will be paying $5/gal. (still cheaper than ours) for fuel until the elections. The resulting Recession will assure the Republican nominee's election as President. He will then approve the Keystone Pipeline, gasoline prices will go to half, and the Recession will be over in early 2013. We thank Francis for sending this U-tube link to a similar scandal here in Costa Rica. Again we remind the world that San Jose is NOT Costa Rica, and the corruption, drug connections, racism, and media control are typical of San Jose----but not 1 Dream Getaway Territory. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gWphldDYYI .
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U.S. tax bill would end foreign income exemption |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
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 The organization noted that Americans living overseas pay taxes to the local government. The organization is campaigning in Congress to reform the tax system to one that is based on residency instead of citizenship. In other words, U.S. citizens who are legitimate overseas residents would not pay U.S. tax on foreign earnings. The Geneva, Switzerland,-based association noted that the citizenship-based taxation by the United States has cause hardships with the new Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. This 2010 measure has caused foreign banks to close accounts held by Americans due to the complexities of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements. Another expat advocacy group that also is targeting the Tax Compliance Act is the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, based in Paris, France. The U.S. rules of the foreign income tax exemption are HERE! An Academic paper posted online by Ryan M. Borgmann gives a concise history of the foreign tax exemption. He notes that U.S. citizens did not pay taxes on overseas earnings until 1953 when Congress put a $20,000-a-year cap on it. Congress tried to eliminate it completely in 1976, he noted. He is a lawyer who did the paper as part of graduate work on taxation at the DePaul University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois. |
Cuidad Colon Tolls Start, Residents Planning Protests
The residents of Santa Ana, Cuidad
Colon and Puriscal are finalizing plans for massive protests that will occur
in the coming days against the opening
of the tolls that went into operations shortly after midnight today
(Saturday).
Antismoking Bill Going Up In Smoke?
The Ley Antitabaco (antismoking law) is still a touch and go following the
failed taking place of the required second and final vote of approval on
Thursday.
Costa Rica's Café Britt To Open in Colombia
Café Britt, the Costa Rican coffee company announced its expansion outside of
Costa Rica with the opening of store in Colombia's
El Dorado airport in Bogota.
High Oil Prices Endangers Costa Rican Economy
The recent hikes in the international oil
markets could endanger Costa Rica's economic goals for 2012, given that
most goals are based on the assumption that prices will hover around us$100
per barrel this year.
ICE To Roll Out 4G This Year
Competition can work wonders as in the case of the recent dismantling of the
telecommunications monopoly held for decades by the state telecom, the
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
MEIC Demands Collateral From Event Organizers
The Ministerio de Economía (MEIC) said on Friday it will require organizers of
public events to provide the public guarantees, this in the face of the
constant cancellations of events and the public left holding the bag, waiting
on refunds.
Union Switch Up Preseason With Trip To Costa Rica
With the start of the 2012 season rapidly approaching,
Philadelphia Union manager Peter Nowak
is ready to see what his guys are made of.
FEBRUARY 13
We have felt a few earthquakes over the last few days. For us, they were like spending a few minutes in a vibrating bed. Here are the details, along with other news for today:
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Sala IV issues split decision in Registro document case |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
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system even though frequent
users had money on deposit. The result of that decision created longer lines at the Registro and required persons seeking documentation to make a personal trip or pay a lawyer. The decision hit hardest those living outside the metro area or away from the regional offices of the Registro. In a significant statement as part of the decision, the constitutional court magistrates said this: “A new right or right of the fourth generation exists which consists in the ability of citizens to access by electronic means the archives, registries and data bases in the power of public entities that ought to be developed in the framework of the information society and the growth of new technologies of information and communication.” The decision said that information that was free in the past should continue that way. But the magistrates noted that the law that set up the Registro specified that charges could be made for some services. As of Sunday night, the Registro had not restarted the online system that is the heart of its digital services. The decision that was made Friday was released the same day in a summary by the Poder Judicial. The full decision still is not available. A.M. Costa Rica explained the digital system in detail last May HERE! |
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Pacific at Dominical continues to shake, rattle and roll
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
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quake was felt all over the
national territory. The 4:57 a.m. quake was in the same area as similar quakes over the weekend. The Red Sismológica Nacional Facebook page had messages from all over the country, but no one reported damages. See our story HERE! |
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Ban on public smoking moves slowly at legislature |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
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imported cigarettes will not
be sold if they do not meet the new requirements. There will also be a ban on all tobacco related advertisements and publicity. This includes a ban on any type of tobacco business sponsorship and the sale of tobacco branding souvenirs or give-aways. Of 35 countries in the Americas, 29 have ratified the treaty, most recently, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Kitts and Nevis, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Argentina, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, and the United States have only signed the treaty, implying they will make good-faith efforts to ratify it and, in the meantime, will not undermine its objectives. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the hemisphere that has neither signed nor ratified the treaty. A.M. Costa Rica published a hemispheric report on the treaty Thursday. In Costa Rica, the proposal has strong support in the health sector. Tobacco companies, of course, oppose it. Among other measures, the treaty calls for higher taxes on tobacco. Quick legislative action is unlikely because lawmakers are engaged in prolonged discussions of President Laura Chinchilla Miranda's major tax increases. |
FEBRUARY 10
If you are reading this as one of the unfortunate families who were illegally thrown out of your American home by the illegal robosigning practices of the big banks, you can take heart in knowing that Corporate Criminals rule the world---not just the US. I'm certain most world citizens slept better after Martha Stuart was taken off the streets and imprisoned. As I understand it, her stock broker advised that she sell a stock before it devalued---and she did. Millions of tax payer dollars were devoted to investigating, charging, convicting and imprisoning her. Shortly after that, BP, Exxon Mobil and other big oil companies were caught throwing parties with hookers and drugs for the MME, the Federal Agency who licenses their drilling activities. As corporate crime is not really criminal, no one was charged with a crime or even lost their jobs. As a result, BP and Halliburton cut corners after writing their own Permit to drill in America's only sea and polluted it with millions of gallons of crude. Then Core X, a chemical banned in the UK, was dumped by the ton into the Gulf of Mexico to cause the oil slicks to sink. Decades will likely pass before we learn what damage that caused. Of course, none of this was criminal but BP set up a superfund and renamed its US gas stations.
Then Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac changed the banking system. Historically when one bought a house, he went to his local bank. After that bank verified the condition and value of the home and the credit worthiness of the borrower, they issued a mortgage using the money from their depositors. Their profit was the difference between the interest rate they paid their depositors and that which they charged their borrowers. Then Freddie and Fannie told the banks: "Give mortgages to everyone for anything. Just send the paperwork to us and we'll pay you all the mortgage money plus a profit." Real estate boomed as banks lent unlimited amounts of money with no risk. Working with the big private banks, Fannie and Freddie turned millions of mortgages into junk bonds. Then AIG insured the bonds to turn junk into AAA-rated stock which sold like wildfire. When the junk bonds began to appear as what they were, the big investors shorted the stocks and made billions more as AIG announced that they could not afford to pay the insurance policies they issued on those junk bonds. Enter Communist China.
For all of their lives, Americans, their children, grand children, etc. will work most of their lives just to send monthly checks to Communist China---who loaned $trillions (an average of $44,000 for every man, woman and child in America) to the ten banks who now hold 77% of the world's wealth and who pay $billions in annual bonuses to the criminals who committed these crimes. You know this, so why is it in Costa Rica News? Here's my story:
Costa Rica recognizes two banks: Banco Nacional and Banco Costarica. No Government agency is trusted to collect money for Government services, so when a payment is due, Government gives you an account number and demands that you wait in line for hours (or sometimes days) to deposit money in that account in one of the two banks. You then return to the Government agency with your proof-of-payment. There are many banks in Costa Rica, but none of them can accept these Government payments or transfer them to Banco Nacional or Banco Costarica. 1 Dream Getaway is a small company without the resources to have people spending their lives waiting in line at Banco Nacional or Banco Costa Rica to make deposits or withdrawals. We were thrilled to have Banco Cuscatlán open a beautiful new branch in Villareal near our home/office, and immediately opened an account with them. Banking was a breeze as we could leave our office. drive to Banco Cuscatlán, do our banking, and be back within the hour.--- That is until three years ago when we went to the bank to find an empty building and a paper sign on the door saying: CLOSED FOREVER. Their website disappeared.
Our Banco Cuscatlán credit card and checks remain in our safe. Then six months ago we received a letter saying that Cuscatlán had been purchased by Citibank, and they had our money. All we had to do was call "the number below" to arrange collecting our money. We called constantly for months with no answer, and yesterday drove to Liberia to sit in the beautiful new Citibank lobby. After waiting two hours for the four bankers to wait on three customers, we were summoned to the office of the DIRECTOR OF SALES, who immediately asked if I remembered her. She had been my banker at Cuscatlán. I presented my letter from Citibank and asked for my money. She jumped on the phone and computer for a half hour---then announced that Citibank had confiscated our money, as the "account was inactive for three years!" Again, no crime was committed and Citibank profited by purchasing Cuscatlán and simply keeping all of their depositors' money. Welcome to the new world!
In other Costa Rica News, our local Fiesta, which is always in August, is going on right now. Costa Rica has several companies which travel the country setting up grand stands, booths and dance halls for a week of bull-riding, kiddie rides and drinking. These massive wood structures are then dismantled and trucked to the next town for the next fiesta. Our road, which has been a mine field for a year, was nicely-repaired for the fiesta. Here's the rest of what is going on today:
Costa Rica Legislators Remove Tax
Exemption For Environment Friendly Vehicles
Although initially the Ley de Tránsito (Traffic
Act) is currently being discussed in the Legislative Assembly intended to
exempt clean technology
vehicles and hybrids, vehicles that
combine traditional fuels and clean technologies, legislators are pulling a
reversal.
Costa Rica Tax Lottery Jackpot Will Be ¢3 million
And the winner is? All taxpayers. For using your debit or credit card to make
purchases in Costa Rica can be like winning the jackpot, as the Ministerio de
Hacienda, offers lottery prizes to Costa Ricans for their use of plastic
instead of cash at retail stores and
the taxman gets to collect on the sales tax.
Costa Rica's New Traffic Police Chief Positive Despite
Lack Of Resources
Diego Herrera is the new chief of the Policia de Tránsito and though his
intentions are good, he does have many obstacles in his path to developing a
top notch police force, topping the list is the small quantity of traffic
officials.
4.000 Drivers In Costa Rica Back To Driving School
Drivers you lost their license due to the loss points related to infractions
will have to take the new driver education
courses that start in March.
Ticos Preparing for World Cup Qualifying
Though the third round of World Cup
Qualifying is four months away, Costa Rica is already preparing for what
promises to be a difficult Group B challenge. With opposition in the form of
Mexico, El Salvador and Guyana, the Ticos are leaving nothing to chance.
Black Market Cigarettes Proliferate in San Jose
Buying a cigarrillo (cigarette in Spanish) is very easy in San José and all
types of brands, including Mexican, Chinese and others, for the streets have
all types and from all destinations. And that is worrisome for the country's
legislators.
Costa Ricans Get Creative With Personalized License
Plates
New plates only with consonant letters,
no vowels permitted
Since last month the Registro Nacional has been delivering alphanumeric
license plates for vehicles. The new
plates, according to the registro, are more secure and harder to counterfeit
than the older plates that will continue in circulation for the next couple of
years.
¢1.000 For Each Km of Tax Service?
Boarding a taxi in Costa Rica costs you today ¢570 colones for the first
kilometre and for each additional kilometre, however, a group of taxi
operators want the rate update to take account the rising costs of every
aspect of operating a taxicab.
FEBRUARY 9
We thank Francis for sending us this photo of our newest Costa Rican Highway. It proves, without comment, the intelligence and attention to details by the Costa Rican government in San Jose.
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire service reports
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File photo by Andy Carvin
Carlos Arredondo at a Jan. 27, 2007
Iraq war protest in Washington D.C. |
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