I once thought about it seriously but I would not buy land in Mexico. They have a different system down there and, generally speaking, gringos are vulnerable to every surprise scam you can think of. Their ‘justice’ system doesn’t exist. Corruption rules. Mexican investments should be considered expendable. The government does not even run the country anymore. They cannot make Mexico even mediocre again.
And that used to be the entire mess of it. Crooks, bad construction, charges and fees that never end and Napoleonic Law as your only back-up. Yours would be a loss waiting to happen. Throw in the cartels and growing daily corruption and Mexico has lost all it’s credibility for the ex-pats community and most of the potential for it’s citizens. That’s why so many try to leave.
Costa Rica saw all that coming some time ago and promised better. And they delivered. Costa Rica is more and more popular and their economy, as viewed through their real estate market, was healthy last time I looked. But healthy means RISING PRICES and the whole idea of being an ex-pat is finding a cheaper (and warmer) place to live. Costa Rica started to get out of reach.
………and so Panama came on the radar. And Panama delivered the promise, too. Ex-pats in Panama were pleased. Things are good there. And, of course, good means RISING PRICES but it is still ‘reasonable’. Panama is almost doable. I think. Maybe.
But you know me…..going further feels better.
It is fun to watch small economies change and morph and bring with that change all their different cultural and social influences. But, sadly, once you let loose the pigs of capitalism, the greed of corruption, the so-called market forces (often driven by ex-pats themselves) the differences become less and less, and the new place starts to look like the old places.
But here is the point of the blog: it seems that the MOTHER of all things capitalistic is beginning to lose her international appeal, too. We’ve all seen it. First went the ideals. Then went the basic ethics. Then came the deep corruption. The US is losing ground not only on Covid-19, but everywhere BECAUSE they are now too corrupt, inept and they have ‘lost their moral way’. Politics, health, defense, banking, civilized discourse, justice, equality, purpose, morality…..all failing.
You can see it if you look. You can see the rot. And, for a Canuck, one of the first inklings that there is something rotten in the sun is the view from our snowbirds. They are staying away in droves. The Sunbelt was NOT full of snow-birders this winter and you can be sure they will stay away next winter as well. But, it is not just in the nano-example of ‘the second home market’ we see rot, it is in so many things ‘Merican as well. Hell, I don’t even look at American-made cars anymore. And so much of made-in-America is not as good as the label once promised, much of that ‘made-in-USA’ is a lie, anyway. They assemble Chinese-made parts and claim it is made in America.
Of course, if looking for clues and subtleties is not your thing, you only have to see who they voted in as their ‘leader’. What kind of social cancer is it that produces tumours like Trump?
Put succinctly, ‘they really do have to make America great again’. But I do not think the recipe-to-follow is the one they have been using for so long. “Let’s rig everything, cheat everyone and appoint a celebrity, preferably rich, to make our decisions.” That recipe just made things much worse. ‘Mericans have to get that ugly, corrupt, capitalistic beast tamed before greatness can have a hope. And tamed means ‘equality’, ethics, morality, order, rule-of-law and a drained swamp. ‘Mericans really need to purge their system. They are starting to look like Mexico.
Our Off the Grid Home 
David > Hammer > Nail > HIT
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ALL too and sadly TRUE.
It is most unfortunate for those ‘good’ folk down there. There still is some. Many even, tho they are vastly overwhelmed by the zombies that you have written of here, the cancer/tumour formers, the followers of Honey Boo Boo, and the gross Orange Git. America was once Great. Truly. But that time HAS Passed. Sadly.
Nicely put David.
I hope you and SS are very well.
.
Take good care. David.
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Yeah. Sometimes the truth is refreshing but, in this case, it is just sad. So many GREAT folks down there. Millions. Some might even err in their politics and vote GOP but still, they are GREAT people to know as friends and neighbours. But that dichotomy cannot be maintained. Lines are being drawn. sides are being chosen. They are gonna have to learn to cooperate and ‘do the right thing’ again real quick or a civil war will loom. When (if) that happens, I might be heading south of Panama. Tasmania is almost far enough…..
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Almost… 🙁😖☹😳🤯
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You’re a little behind the times when it comes to Mexico. A lot has changed when it comes to land ownership. The last time I was there, I had an interesting chat with a Gringo guy from a small town we were in. He helped the town officials put together a development plan and then started helping them develop it! Now, it’s just you, your lawyer and the Bank! No third party national as a partner! I asked him ( in the early part of 2018) how sales were going for a new condo development. He said sales were up all over the place, and mostly by Americans! He said they were all looking for a place to hide!
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Napoleonic law does not serve Gringos well. Or the poor. Cartels are tolerant but not welcoming. They just like the money. The cops and Federales are still ‘just another gang’. And the government is impotent. All that – at a very small level’ – was good enough to endure for a couple of months in the winter. ALMOST part of the charm. Today? Not so much. I have friends in Mexico. We read the Mexico News Daily. I have even been there within the last few years…..and I will not likely go back. It is NOT fear. Gringos go unscathed mostly (a little corruption every day can be tolerated) but the state is failing. It is coming in on itself. My condemnation of Mexico is NOT made on my own behalf. The people are being royally screwed and that bodes ill for the future of Mexico.
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I agree with you, your blog makes some very powerful points. Now you might find this next comment to be off on a tangent. I think many of the issues you point out are in part a result of a societal lack of cohesion within many communities. In North America it appears that decision making inevitably becomes a completion of personal values. Without these memes of completions which categorize and demean, thus making common goals and common purposes extremely difficult to enact. Case in point, part of democratic government is a group of elected MPs and unelected media individuals taking the role of “The Opposition.” Add to this mixture the lack of consent to rules espoused on social media via vitriol and undermining. Sweden, a more socially cohesive society did not impose a lockdown. Some minor suggestions were made regarding social distancing, hand washing, etc but were left to the well developed Swedish sense of personal responsibility. We have individuals in North America claiming that their constitutional rights are being violated by the C 19 virus fighting counter measures. Many jurisdictions are enforcing these restrictions with law enforcement officers. Why? Such measures are not needed in Sweden because of personal responsibility and the understanding of the need for the co-operation of all. Sweden thinks of its self as a mature democracy.
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The irony to almost everything I say, is that I can argue for the opposite just as easily. I’d kill myself in Sweden. I know that it is a great ‘societal system’ being practised by basically good people and a relatively wise government. But, for me, I am too much of a rule-breaker. Germany, too, is exceptionally organized, clean, safe and ‘doing the right thing’ but, to achieve that, everyone obeys ALL the rules. They are great…..to visit….but I do not want to live there. Too constraining. Too rule-bound. NO criticism of THEM, tho. The world needs more of that if they are to continue living in cities. The grid demands obedience….and paying your bills on time. I just cannot live like that anymore. I just can’t. I’d rather live in a cave in Tasmania.
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I surmise you are an anarchist in spirit and perhaps in many aspects of your life but where it matters you are as straight as an arrow. You follow the societal expectations for the most part and are unfailingly a very good friend. You are not a socially inept curmudgeon nor are you a living in a cave hermit type. You like your creature comforts. Why do you want to be a contrarian? If it’s differentiation you want then the sky is the limit. But, but why? Many of the things that you might reject are seen by others as predictable and welcomed. I know many persons who are staggering from one calamity to the next. I do not see you in that frame.
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No, I am not staggering from one disaster to the next although Murphy is a familiar companion. I get my share. But I confess that the allure of contradiction is basically the lure of learning, curiosity and spirited give and take in a social exchange. My Jewish friends claim that in any group of five Jews, there are eight opinions. And I understand that and appreciate that. In fact, like when we were at university, we were encouraged to find a contrary but valid position on most things. I enjoyed that. Still do. When I wrote my arbitrator’s exam (law), the professor gave me 90-something percent. But he said, “I do not agree with any of your judgments (awards) but the decisions were well reasoned and laid out. I had to give you points when you answered everything WRONG!” Of course, I said, “Well, now…maybe I was NOT wrong and you HAVE been all these years!”
“Get out while I am still respecting your opinions!”
Yes. Guilty as charged. I am a contrarian. And I suppose another reason is that a contrarian gets to pick and choose…”Hmmmm, do I wanna go along with the herd or do I wanna strike out on my own?” That’s choice. I like that, too.
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