President of Costa Rica: US not to blame for past, present or future ills confronting Latin America

In short, the King of Spain appointed the Governor of Mexico based on the size of his bribe; there was every expectation that the Governor would become rich by doing the same thing to the next layer of officials, and the process repeated

And as you said, nothing changed when the Mestizos and their native born Spaniard overlords took over. It was just a new set of oppressors who wanted to keep the loot for themselves.

I don't think you can compare it to the U.S. yet. It's true that possibly you could say we just have a more sophisticated version of their corruption, but I can sincerely say that the cops I know and grew up with in Arizona are a million times better than the thugs with guns just across the border in Nogales.

The politicians in the U.S. are a different story. But then, they do have to worry about U.S. police, who are chomping at the bit to bury their butts....at least in most places, we'll forget about New York, Chicago and L.A.

But all of that can and will change as Mexicans flood into the U.S. and agitate for the vote and other entitlements. Eventually, Mexican politicians emerge from them - already have in California, and Los Angeles especially - and will institute the same sick "system" of intimidation and extortion. Any police who try to stop it will be accused of "racism", which has to have the Mexicans laughing their butts off - all they need to stop the Gringos dead in their tracks is a silly little word.

This year, 4 million children of illegal aliens will be born in the United States. Mexico has no such problem....the Americans have not flooded into their country against their will. So their culture and nation will endure, but not ours, which is being colonized by them.

Makes you wonder which culture really is the strongest.

Just a small word of caution. I worked in Costa Rica for 5 yrs. Had a business there in a Free Zone.

You are right that the people are warm and lovely. But the government is quasi socialist and the infrastructure is dreadful. The cost of living is higher than Panama, the unions are more powerful than in the US and can and do shut the place down to protest, and the petty corruption to get anything done ( like phone lines, cable TV set ups ) is tiresome.

I know plenty of Americans who retired there and have now decided to leave because the crime is getting worse. It is a major land route for drugs coming up from Columbia. Car jackings are commonplace, not for ransom as in Mexico but for your car!

All in all I suggest you rent a place before you buy and actually live there and immerse yourself in the daily life. You will find that below the surface it is a very poor country. The people Americans meet on tourist or investment trips are the well to do professionals that have been selling their poorer countryman's labor and property to stay ahead of the pack.

On the plus side is the climate and the natural beauty. But that wears thin every time the water goes out or the electricity fails. In our case, in Alajuela, that was a monthly occurrence. All that glitters is not gold.

Just a tip to a fellow FReeper to be cautious before you invest your money and relocate your life.

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