Bike paths are expensive,
bicycle fan calculates

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Regarding your article on proposed bike paths Wednesday, while this initiative is great, obviously neither the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes nor your reporter is very good at math.

"The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes has announced plans to encourage the public use of bicycles among commuters and students, likely stemming from concerns over increased gas prices.

"A ministry release outlined the proposed construction of up to 167 kilometers (more than 100 miles) of bike paths ...

"The proposed bike path initiative could amount to $100,000 per kilometer, according to the release. Officials are seeking a $1 million grant from the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo and $1 million more from the World Bank, although initial money will come from the local budget."

Doing the simple math, 167 kms. at $100,000 means they need $16.7 mil. Since no public works project ever comes in under budget, they'll probably need more. Asking for $2 mil means that this is designed to fail.

I'm an avid cyclist. And that is one of the reasons I spend less and less time there. I've cycled in over 60 countries and, in my opinion, Costa Rican roads are some of the worst in the world for cyclists

Reader says he's suspicious
of motives of casino rules

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Consistent with a general suspicion I have of governments' motives and a disdain for excessive government intervention in our personal lives, commonly known in non-conformity circles as the government's "Protecting us from ourselves" policies, I am dumbfounded at the recent government decree putting limitations on the operating hours for casinos in the country, reducing them from 24 hours to 12, more precisely from 6 p.m.. to 6 a.m.

The government wanted eight hours, but in a negotiated deal with the casino owners, 12 was the agreed on number. The decree is not only senseless and ineffective, but has the aroma of something Shakespearean: "Rotten in Denmark."

Let me say right up front I am not a gambler —  never have been, don't plan to be one- — and the number of times I have being in a casino can be counted on your fingers, each time out of curiosity, nor do I have a financial interest in casinos, so don't accuse me of being a mouthpiece for casino owners with what I am about to say.

The government's pretext for limiting casino operating hours is the obligation it has to us citizens to help us fight against our illness of  "ludomanía," that's compulsive gambling translated to plain English —  by reducing the harmful effects it produces on the out-of-control gambler and those who depend on him or her.

Please note the emptiness of that pretext. If there was a real concern about such things, the government would eliminate casinos all together, as well as bars. Compulsive drinking is a bigger problem than gambling. But they don't, they want to reduce the time you can be "compulsive" to 12 hours.

I would think you could be pretty compulsive in that time, so it's hard to see just how this decree is to have an effect. Knowing how governments operate, it would not be outside of reason that another decree is to follow, which will limit bets to 100 colones max. With that, casino owners pack up and move on.

In an industry —  it's more than just a business — that gives jobs of all kinds to thousands of Ticos, captures a lot of tourist dollars, plus is a significant contributor to government coffers, all of which are good for the economy, something doesn't make sense about this decree that in no way will reduce the number of ludomaniácos.

Could it be that some government insider(s) wants to pick up the crumbs of that sweet tasting pie when the foreigners are gone?

Bill against spanking
called crazy by reader

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

I read an article the other day in The Tico Times regarding a bill that was introduced in the Legislature banning spanking of children in Costa Rica. According to the article Arias is expected to sign this into law this year. How crazy is that?

Besides the obvious observation that this bill will be impossible to enforce, with the crime prevalent there, i.e.: stealing, armed robberies, and burglaries, how is this supposed to alleviate children becoming young criminals?

If parents can't discipine their children there, Costa Rica's high crime rate will only become worse (if that's possible).

Your newspaper needs to have a more active role in voicing opinions (via editorials) other than articles regarding criminal activities taking place there. 

Or is that not possible in Pura Vida?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although The Tico Times, a local weekly, may have just found out about the anti-spanking bill, we have written about it extensively and pointed out that there are really no penalties in the measure. Our first report, a humorous look, was in September 2003. Like most politicians, the Costa Rican legislature likes to pass bills that sound good but have little effect.