www.CostaRicaTicas.com

As published in Inside Costa Rica this morning. I think most will be surprised where Costa Rica places.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Canada is to stupid of a country to catch onto corruption

Sorry...I'm just not drinking this "koolaid". This study, like many studies on these things, just reeks of manipulation. It would be interesting to know what "impirical" data these ratings are based on.

I have lived and done business in 3 Latin countries now...Mexico, CR and Panama. Of the three...I saw so much corruption in CR it made my head spin. The Mexicans and Panamanians could learn a thing or two from the Ticos. If only how to manipulate the data about their levels of corruption

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

It is hard to believe that CR could get a good score.

BKTUNA
I am never going home

There's really no corruption in CR, except every cop and goverment official. Police and civil service employee corruption must've been excluded from this ranking. In that case, they should've gotten a 100. What other type of corruption is there?

Ratings were done by the World Bank. Perhaps you can help us understand what there motive would be to manipulate the rankings TMan.

You left out the 4th Latin country you lived in. I seem to recall a post, of yours, recently that you lived 4 years in Miami

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

For starters...
Corrupt courts (can you say "purchase a verdict"?)
Corrupt lawyers (BIGGEST problem I had there)
Corrupt immigration (working hand in hand with the above lawyers)
Corrupt realtors (with no license required)
Corrupt accountants (best financial statements you can pay for)
VERY corrupt customs and duty offices (just hang out for a day in Limon to see best practices)
Corrupt auto import system (protected for a very few local auto dealers), Corrupt auto inspections system (they have a multi million $ private contract company...with rich history of payoffs to get cars and trucks "certified" for the road. We've all seen them chugging and spilling their smoke everywhere downtown)
AND the everyday corrupt taxis overcharging, phone/cable installers on take...on and on

I just laugh at this study. 3 out of 4 living ex presidents are or were in jail for millions of dollars of corrupt money. A friend of mine met two times with former President Pacheco (who has some pretty heavy corruption allegations against him also) who said "my hands are tied in fixing all this corruption because the cancer is in the layers of corrupt middle managers who survive from administration to administration. It is impossible to change this culture of bribes at the middle management level".

In real estate...the biggest headache they have in the national registry is having 25% more land registered than is available within the sovereign boundaries of the country. And then, the values registered there for each sale are normally less than 10% the true transaction value...so everyone can "scate" on taxes.

Sure, this happens throughout Latin America...but in my experience CR is one of the worst historically.

So whoever performed this study...I beg to differ.

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

ID...actually...I COULD shed some light on why the World Bank would be interested in manipulating the rankings. They have been working a long time WITH the CR government in order to issue loans for various development projects within the country. I also believe the World Bank has its own independent agenda on MANY things in the world...and money manipulates and corrupts. They easily give money to greasy governmental controls. It amazes me sometimes to see who and for what they lend money. A study of the history and methods of the World Bank would be a whole other interesting story to pursue. But, lets get back to pu*sy which really makes OUR CR world go around.

And yes...Miami has its share of corruption at many levels...from real estate permits, customs, et al. And our USA government in my opinion has legalized many forms of "corruption" for legislators only...but thats also another subject for another time.

My main problem is these misleading "studies". I believe most of them are very manipulated for many scandelous reasons. The world is full of government manipulation of the masses...and these studies are one of the tools. As my grandaddy used to tell me...the most dangerous lies are those that are 90% true...

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

Isn't that by definition their purpose for existing? There are very few, if any, developing countries whose governments are not working on various projects being financed by the World Bank. Is it your contention that each and everyone of them has had there corruption numbers manipulated?

I certainly do not hold these numbers to be absolute but I hardly think your anecdotal information is sufficient to cause the study to be ridiculed and tossed aside.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I dont know about ALL countries. But I do stand by my views on Costa Rica per the study. If I was more interested, I guess I would go find and read the study itself...but to read this media coverage of the study...well...I stand by my experiences and statements. I dont believe people should come to Costa Rica for business or otherwise believing that it is one of the least corrupt countries. A FALSE sense of security is the most dangerous kind.

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

Maybe they did a poll and the CR resdients who responded do not think of it as corruption just the natural way of life here

BKTUNA
I am never going home

Good Idea TMan. Do not let the idea of doing some research, that might shed some light on the subject, get in the way of your closed mind on the subject.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I have taken a first look at this study, and it's quite interesting. I plan to go back some more, but on first take the rankings seem quite logical, considering some of the sources. Among the sources:

The Heritage Foundation.
Political Economic Risk Consultancy
Global Competitiveness Report
Business Enterprise Environment Survey
Business Environment Risk Intelligence
Global Insight Global Risk Service & Business Condition and Risk Indicators
Global Competitiveness Report
Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom
Merchant International Group Gray Area Dynamics
Political Economic Risk Consultancy
Institute for Management and Development World Competitiveness Yearbook

This is not the all inclusive list, but anybody can notice a pattern here. It's mainly about how friendly to FOREIGN BUSINESS a country is. The World Bank is not some bunch of do-gooders who want to give money away to poor countries. They have a definite agenda. This is not a political forum so I won't belabour the point, but one must always consider the source.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

The Heritage Foundation

A conservative think tank that is at the forefront of the pro-globalization perspective.

That was all I needed to see when I googled The Heritage Foundation.

Hmmm...Theocons, Neocons oh hell this is gonna get political, I'll stop now Admin

The United states is a 93 in " combating international corruption"?
I guess they overlooked the whole halliburton-cheney thing , the Carlyle group, election fraud ect.
Let me guess- the group commissioning the study was based out of New york or London.