www.CostaRicaTicas.com

July 2014
There is much discussion about the young people from Central America who are illegally coming to the United States. This is a link to a recent article in the Tico Times written by Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica with a different perspective on this problem and potential solution. It's amazing to me how the perspective when you are close to the problem is so much different that we get through or US television media. This is not politics. It's human decency.
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/07/20/fix ... dium=email

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Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

AMEN!

We so desperately need to stop trying to do major surgery with band aids. It is time for major reform that includes long term policies with lasting effect. Sending K*ds back to their dangerous miserable lives is not the answer!

Implement solutions that mean the poor and disadvantaged victims of "the war on drugs" don't have to........ or want to come to the US. The "war on drugs" was lost a long, long time ago.

Are you proposing that we just open the border to everybody who has had a tough life?

First the "K*ds" will be let in, become citizens or permanent residents, then they will import their whole family and US tax payers can support them.

Maybe then the government can take 80% of my paycheck (instead of the 40% it takes now) to support all these illegals.

Unfortunately, America can't be everybody's white knight. We have enough of our own citizens that are dying of hunger in the streets that need help before we allow a bunch of illegals to enter the US.

Orange, I guess as a Country, the US has to decide whether it prefers to spend its money assisting the countries in Central & South America as opposed to the Middle East and Africa. It seems clear that much of the crime problems in Central & South America are drug gang related. As a result of the US Drug War we are complicit in the problems it has created in the Americas. In the past, they have tried to assist the US in the Drug War, but now feel abandoned by the US government.

Today, China and Russia are beginning to establish financial assistance relationships in Central & South America. Please, let's don't make this a political topic. The Oscar Arias article is significant in that it expresses feelings that the US has abandoned Central America after it helped the US in the Drug War, only to be left with all of the gang problems for which the people in the US now reject these Central American countries. Whether we agree or disagree with Oscar Arias' on this, I think it's important for us to seek first to understand it.

If (When) the US ends the Drug War, what impact will that likely have on the Central and South American countries? Does the US have any responsibility to them?

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Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

Well said - the key to improving life is to make it better for others where they live - not that the USA can be home to the world.

As I see the immigration issue, to me it appears we have 3 options:

*Do as we are currently doing, which is nothing (what politicans have been doing for years)
*Have the National Guard in conjunction with local police start to round up illegals, and send them home (has a bad feel to it - almost 1930's Germany like)
* Put those who came here illegaly on a path to legal residency - with paying taxes plus pennalities high on the list (many here illegaly don't pay taxes)

The vast majority of illegals came here for economic reasons and have been excellent residents - they are not going anywhere - Mitt Romney proved how sometimes stupid otherwise smart people can be when his "Plan for Immigration" included - at the top of the list - them going home and reapplying - you have a better chance of seeing Jesus than that happening......... (Oh - the people in his and the other party are equally ineffective on this subject).

Lenny, your post raised some thoughts:

The responsibility for ones citizens lies with the country in question - make life, better, easier, and they will not want to go elsewhere. We have been - throughout our history - among the most charitable nations ever to inhabit the earth - but the days of open immigration have long passed, and no, not everyone who wants to come here can.

If we solve the oil question - in other words, produce the energy we need domestically through a combination of conventional an non conventional sources - and I really believe we can - we can wave a farewell to the countries of the middle east who want to live in the 600's as well as the jerks in places like Venezuala.

Believe me, we will solve a multitude of political and economic issues by becoming energy independent - we are making strides (Obama has to be careful b/c a strong minority of his support comes from people who would rather ride bicycles and use no power, and eat nuts and grass - true Luddites - along the same lines as the dweeb who was his energy secretary - that dweebish Asian American guy - I forget his name) but need to make giant steps to make it a reality).

No doubt American's are kind hearted and generous. I am proud to be one. But the truth is that we as a country don't do nearly as much for the disadvantage of the world as many other countries. In dollars, sure, we help the most. As a % of GDP, not really.

The saddest truth is our drug policies are at the heart of this particular problem. Our policies have done a lot to cause the problems and not much to solve it.

So, let's clean up our mess and solve our immigration problem at the same time.

(April 2013)

To provide an alternative perspective, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also lists countries by the amount of money they give as a percentage of their gross national income. The list includes international giving through official channels that qualify as Official Development Assistance, and national charitable giving. This list is as follows:[1]

Luxembourg – 1.00%
Sweden – 0.99%
Norway – 0.93%
Denmark – 0.84%
Netherlands – 0.71%
United Kingdom – 0.56%
Finland – 0.53%
Ireland – 0.48%
Belgium – 0.47%
France- 0.45%
Switzerland – 0.45%
Germany – 0.38%
Australia – 0.36%
Canada – 0.32%
Austria – 0.28%
New Zealand – 0.28%
Portugal – 0.27%
Iceland – 0.22%
United States – 0.19%
Japan – 0.17%
Spain – 0.15%
South Korea – 0.14%
Italy – 0.13%
Greece – 0.13%

I would propose a joint deal with Costa Rica that allows old US citizen mongers to trade our US citizenship to a poor Costa Rican K*D for their CR citizenship. Then allow the monger to (duty-free) import all of his belongings while the poor K*D can import (duty-free) into the US whatever he owns.

Costa Rica can get an influx of older (ready for the grave) wealthier citizens, and get rid of a portion of their welfare role. The US would be in no worse a shape, except that these K*ds would not be ICE's problem, but social services' problem. Then they can get educated, grow up, become Congressmen and continue the great Melting Pot experiment.

WINS ALL 'ROUND!!!

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Lennydo,

Thanks for bringing that article to the board. While not wanting to become a part of a political conversation on the board, I very much like being informed. Getting the perspective of Oscar Arias was very helpful.

Lost

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Run, run Lost Boy, they say to me. Away from all of reality.
San Jose is home to Lost Boys like me and Lost Boys like me are free.
[i]Adapted from Ruth B's Lost Boys[/i]

I agree, it was good - I am a little disappointed that my post did not generate any comments - thought it was well written and raised some important issues - just sayin'

if you don't do something to decisively stop this it will only get worse
the coyotes are reaping a windfall advertising to and then taking the money from the families sending these K*ds
any thoughts about what happens to them on the way through mexico?
if anyone really cared about those K*ds even a little bit the first thing they would do is send back the first wave to stop any further poor decisions by desperate people
guaranteed these K*ds are being raped and exploited as part of the spoils for the unscrupulous coyotes and thieves out there "guiding" them to the border
not to mention starvation, heat and drowning hazards
how hard is that to figure out?

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Dwarf, you are on to something here.
Why does someone want his citizens get a free pass to the US while making it more difficult and expensive for people to relocate to his country? I would likely guess it would be a net gain for any Central American country. I realize that CR and other countries don't want additional deadbeats but the requirements and processes can be streamlined and reformed, we don't want their deadbeats either.
The US sends millions of dollars each year to these countries, much of which never filters down to the citizens who really need it, the powerbrokers and politicos get their cut, which only makes the problem worse.
US dollars can either flow back to corrupt governmental officials or the drug lords, nothing is going to change whether we fund the war on drugs or not. I don't want to see more coke heads and crack heads wondering the streets, the amount of drugs on the street now is bad enough. I am not even factoring in meth and heroin. Marijuana is a whole other discussion.

Even the prez sends RFMs...

Chinga Mexico and their pass-through drug and immigration policies. Viva Costa Rica!i

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" Omit no happy hour that may give furtherance to our expedition."

Good article, thanks for posting it. I am curious about his scholarship idea. Where would these k*ds go to school? I hope he isn't thinking that they would be able to attend college in the U.S. for the numbers he is throwing out. Or is he suggesting the k*ds go to school in the their own country and the U.S. send the money to make that happen. We already know where that money would end up going. Nice idea but I can't see a practical application of it. I agree education is a good way to begin to change the problem but can't see how it can happen without the country of origin giving the education opportunities. We already have student visas to enter the U.S.

I also noticed on the list of countries that China and Russia aren't on there. I guess if those two give up any cash it's not going to be out of the goodness of their own hearts.

The RFM comment was funny though.....

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I aim to misbehave. -Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

Wow, Jawanker, I have not heard "chinga" since I lived in Tucson in the late 70's. Thanks for bringing back some cool memories.