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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, June 1, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 108 | |||||||||
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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-7575 |
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Our readers' opinions
Presidents eroded Constitutionwith their executive orders Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The recent articles about America are understated in the main. Most of the Bush or presidential apologists are not well-read or versed in American historical facts. The truth is that under the last 45 years the United States has had presidents that issued executive orders that have all but eroded the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For those who just like to "babble" go Google in "presidential executive orders" and read and learn before you use your age or overly nationalistic spirit to protect what is no longer a free democracy. Milt Farrow
Titusville, Florida Bush's actions have created a perfect consensus of all Dear A.M. Costa Rica: A remarkable achievement of George Bush has been the creation of an almost perfect consensus among those who think and act on foreign policy issues. From Noam Chomsky on the left to establishment conservatives like Brent Scowcroft and Jim Baker, from Jimmy Carter's hawkish National Security guy, Zbigniew Brzezinski, to anti-war protesters all over the country, whatever their history and politics, they all agree that the Iraq war and its consequences have been a calamity that has alienated old friends and allies and made the U.S.A. weaker and much less secure. All of these activists and pillars of the foreign policy establishment express dismay about the administration's deception, corruption and imperialism, not to mention the use of torture and abandonment of the Geneva Conventions, that has made this once greatly admired nation a pariah in the world. So, while the Iraq War and it's dismal consequences for Afghanistan and the challenges of terrorism have already stamped the Bush presidency as a major historical failure, George Bush has somehow managed to pull off the amazing achievement described above. Way to go, George! Dr. Ed Kornbluh
Nosara He says Bush is causing migration of U.S. citizens Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I read with interest the give and take from both sides of the issue of George Bush as dictator, and it is clear from these responses who voted for whom in the last two elections, if they can be called that. The first out-right stolen — thanks, Jeb — and the second, so full of non counts, rejected ballots and outright fraud in both Ohio and Florida — thanks, Jeb — that they can hardly be called elections. I sparkle at the notion that Bush is no better or worse than the last few presidents? What are they smoking? Do these people ever get off the couch and turn off Fox news? He has done more to ruin the reputation of the U.S. than any other person in history. He has been the slayer of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc., etc. I think that their plan is to screw up so much, on so many issues that we can never find our way out of the rabbit hole. That is why I think that so many Americans are choosing to retire or relocate out of the grasp of this government. And for the others who have no problem with George, why stay, and get the government that you have earned and you truly deserve. Paul Freeman
Los Angeles He has a Tico heart and didn't vote for Bush Dear A.M. Costa Rica: I am a native of the U.S.A. This is my home. It is what I know. I did not read the article that sparked such conversation about Mr. Bush and the feelings of the American people. So I feel that I am at a little bit if a disadvantage. I have had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica every year for the past eight years. I have fallen in LOVE with its beauty. The beaches, mountains and its people, it has all given my heart much joy. I did not vote for Mr. Bush. I feel that he has hurt not only the American people but every person in every corner of the world. Most people of the world hate the president and his government, NOT the people. We have a bumper sticker here on many cars. It reads: 1.22.09 - Bush's last day! It is a very popular sticker!! Most of us are utterly embarrassed by this man we call President. And we all pray for the day he is no longer in office and we can all start to heal the wrong he has done to many people. I have the great fortune to live near many Ticos in New Jersey. Many of them are my best friends. We all joke about my "Tico Heart" and that I am not too much of an "American," and I kinda like that!!! Every time I visit your country, I find more and more beauty. I look forward to many more trips in my lifetime. And one day I hope that I can call Costa Rica my home. So, not ALL of us are bad up here. Just that idiot in the White House and his friends.. May this e-mail find you all in good health and spirits, and your hearts filled with joy! Chris Piehler
New Jersey
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, June 1, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 108 | |||||||||
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| Housing
minister's slum stunt draws attention even in Spain |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Not only the local news media but even El Pais, the national newspaper in Spain, were parties to the publicity stunt by the nation's housing minister. He went and spent a night in a slum dwelling. The minister is Fernando Zumbado of Vivienda y Pobreza. He went to a shack in Lomas del Río in southeast San José Tuesday night. He left his wife behind in her own home. El Pais pictured the minister playing a musical instrument for the five-member Morales family. They make do on some $300 a month. The news story was sent out by the housing ministry as a press release. The idea for the home visit was to call attention to a proposal in the Asamblea Legislativa that would levy a tax on homes valued at more than 100 million colons, about $192,000. The proceeds from the tax are supposed to go to clean up the slums and provide new housing. |
The 61-year-old minister is a former
United Nations official. Spending a night with the people is a traditional political maneuver, be the bed in a Harlem, N.Y., slum or on an Iowa farm. Zumbado's visit was not without controversy. The Movimiento Libertario said in a news release that while he was visiting the Morales family, the board of the Banco Hipotecario de la Vivienda raised salaries of high officials some 55 percent. The bank was set up to provide mortgages at reasonable rates to Costa Ricans. The Libertarios also said that 77 percent of the expenses of the bank are administrative and that publicity expenses have gone up five times. The criticism was sent out under the name of Luis Antonio Barrantes, the party's leader in the assembly. The paty generally opposes new taxes. |
| Investigators
issue a sudden alert over Internet scamsters |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Judicial Investigating Organization is trying to alert citizens to an increase in fraud attempts using the Internet. The crooks are using fake pages bearing the names of local national banks in an effort to steal PIN numbers and passwords. The tricks are nothing new for people who have been using the Internet for awhile, but for many Costa Ricans the Internet and the scams, called phishing, are new. |
The Judicial Investigating
Organization noted that crooks can make near
perfect copies of bank Web pages. They do this simply by copying the display code and the various graphics. Then they send e-mails trying to get people to come to the fake Web pages. Or they seek to have recipients put sensitive data in a return e-mail. The Judicial Investigating Organization did not say why officials issued a sudden alert. Customers of both Banco de Costa Rica and Banco Nacional have been targeted by scammers over the last two months. |
| 911
service says that news of an outage Saturday night was a misconception |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The 911 emergency service is having problems with internal connections with firemen and the Cruz Roja, so the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad will be working Saturday night to eliminate the bug. News of the computer work generated the rumor that the 911 service would be out of commission Saturday from 9 |
p.m. on. Saturday is a big night for
911 when workers direct ambulances
and others to bar fights, stabbings and other unpleasantness. Germán Wendell, the chief of the system, said that 911 would never go out of service. As for the Cuerpo de Bomberos and Cruz Roja, any computer problems can be circumvented by making radio calls to the appropriate agency, he said. |
| Absent the Three Bears, Goldilocks still seeks perfection |
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| Goldilocks has nothing
on me.
It is difficult for me to declare anything “just right.”
Some of my best friends have told me that I am very critical.
Others have told me that I am opinionated. Usually they are people who
have different opinions. But if things can be improved, I am
quick to note it, so I was happy to be a part of a focus group this
past week. My understanding of a focus group is a number of people brought together because they have an interest in common and whose opinions are being sought by a leader with the same interest. In this case our group consisted of people who had an interest in assisted-living communities. The leader was a charming and patient Tica, who was the spokesperson for a company interested in building and operating such a community. Yes, the interest in assisted-living/adult communities continues. In a sense we all were describing the ideal assisted living community. We all agreed that successful communities would comprise of several levels of assistance for people needing and wanting different levels of help in simplifying or easing the chores of life to those who need ongoing medical attention. We agreed upon other basics, too, like small apartments with plenty of sunlight, and preferably a view. Good healthy food, well-prepared and communal areas for social interaction were high on our list of what we considered important. We also discussed ideal costs, taking into account that there are two (at least) types of expats who come here: those with plenty of money and those who are living, for the most part, on modest fixed incomes. We all fit the second category. We didn’t think the well off would have a need for such a community, but it has come to my attention since then that these are also the people who may come with their aging parent(s) and are looking for a suitable home for them. There is such a person here. A woman who suffered a stroke and needs care. She was in a home in the States but ran away. I have been told that her children, who are comfortably off, explored Costa Rica for a place for her. Residencial José Pujol Martí they found to be the best. |
We also discussed location and agreed that there should be easy access to some hospital and convenient transportation. My own opinion is (of course) that closer to the city rather than isolated in the country is better. Retired people have time and the inclination to visit museums, enjoy musical and theatrical events and some of the amenities that only big cities have. However, there are others who want to be away from the negative aspects of city living as long as there is good transportation. This particular company is planning to build on a beautiful site closer to Atenas than to San José, and from the interest they took in our ideas and opinions, they seemed like a group determined, as much as possible to follow through with making their community fit the needs of people like ourselves. All in all it was a very pleasant morning for all of us. I mean, who doesn’t like to give his opinion and have it listened to? Then we were guests for lunch at the Palma Hotel in Sabana Norte. They serve one of the best buffet lunches I have tried in Costa Rica. I usually avoid buffets but I had no fault to find with any of the four courses they served. I also would like it to be known that if there are any other focus groups on any topic that it might be construed that I know something about, I am available. My code name is Goldilocks. Jo’s book, “Butterfly in the City: A Good Life in Costa Rica,” is available at the 7th Street Book Store, Lehmann’s and Liberia Internacional. Or contact Jostuart@amcostarica.com. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, June 1, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 108 | |||||||||
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| From a hotel owner: 'At this time we have a deposit and all looks good!! Thank you for your help, and I must say your paper is impressive, and I had no idea you had such a circulation around the world. Received many inquiries for our hotel for that reason.' She used our classifieds! |
| Doubling
of U.S. immigration fees provokes controversy |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
President George Bush says a primary goal of immigration reform is to bring millions of illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and provide a path to legal residency and eventual U.S. citizenship. But while the president champions such reform, the United States is set to implement the largest-ever boost in fees charged to those applying for residency and citizenship. Advocates for immigrants say the administration is sending mixed messages to an often fearful and vulnerable community. For newcomers, both legal and undocumented, the cost of pursuing the American dream is about to go up. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is doubling, and in some cases tripling, its fees. Beginning July 30, the charge for adults seeking residency will exceed $1,000. The fee for citizenship will be nearly $600. Some say the higher fees undermine Bush's stated goals on immigration. "To come up with $1,000 per family member to obtain permanent residence — it is going to keep a lot of people in the shadows for a very long time," says Crystal Williams, a deputy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Ms. Williams says the new fees constitute an enormous financial hurdle that will force countless poorer immigrants to delay applications — and may lead some to give up entirely. But officials at the Citizenship and Immigration Service point out that the agency receives no federal funds to process applications. Costs are covered entirely by fees charged. They say unless those fees reflect actual costs, services would have to be cut back and waiting times for applicants would increase. "We realize that anytime we increase the fees that there is a burden there," said spokesman Chris Bentley. "There is pain that is caused along the way. However, to be able to remain a world class service provider, to be able to get the services and benefits in a timely manner to the people who |
deserve them, we simply
need the resources to be able to make that happen." Bentley added that refugees and asylum-seekers will remain exempt from charge, and some fees can be reduced for residency and citizenship applicants facing dire economic hardship. But if the Citizenship and Immigration Service is constrained by its dependence on fees for operating costs, then it is time to change the system, according to Donald Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. "Citizenship is a national good. It is important for our country. And so we think that to fix the system, to reduce backlogs and improve technology, there needs to be appropriated monies [federal funds] for this. It needs to go beyond the fee-based system," he said. Some in Congress counter that it would be wrong to shift the financial burden to U.S. taxpayers. U.S. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, said the new fees are still far lower than what illegal immigrants typically pay smugglers to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. "We are seeing coyote fees go up to $1,500 to $2,500 per person," he said. "I do not see any fees levied by USCIS that were that high. So if it is cheaper to have access to becoming a citizen than it is to be transported to the United States, then, no, I do not think those fees are too high by comparison." Immigration officials also defend the fee system, saying it provides spending flexibility, since revenues go up in proportion to any rise in applications. They say previous fee hikes have not resulted in drastic reductions in applications for residency or citizenship. Immigrant advocates counter that the current fee hike is far greater than any previous increase. They also note studies showing the percentage of eligible immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship dropping in recent decades. Opinions vary as to the cause, but immigrant advocates say making it more expensive for immigrants to pursue legal status or citizenship can only serve as a further deterrent. |
| Referendum
proposed by Chávez opponent to decide license status for RCTV |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
A leading opponent of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has called for a referendum on the government's closure of Radio Caracas Television. The opponent, former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, said a referendum should decide whether the opposition-aligned network should be put back on the air. He said President Chávez is attempting to control the media in Venezuela. The government shut down the station Sunday, sparking |
mass
protests. Police have arrested more than 180 people, mostly university
students and minors, for allegedly violent acts during the protests.
Rosales has called for their release. The Chávez government refused to renew the licence of RCTV, accusing it of violating broadcasting laws. The government replaced the network with a new state-funded channel, Venezuelan Social Television. On Monday, Venezuelan officials said they were investigating another television channel, Globovision, alleging it had encouraged an attempt on the president's life. Globovision officials have rejected the allegations. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, June 1, 2007, Vol. 7, No. 108 | ||||||
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