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Second news page |
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| Costa Rica Expertise Ltd http://crexpertise.com E-mail info@crexpertise.com Tel:506-256-8585 Fax:506-256-9393 |
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Readers reply
Raging devaluation predicted if treaty shelved Dear A.M. Costa Rica: Your editorial regarding CAFTA sidestepping a position and just implying that since the argument in Costa Rica seems lost in details few understand is self defeating. Consider: The anti folks with their silly self interests sing the same tune in both the U.S. and Costa Rica. Can both be right? Can it destroy the U.S. and Costa Rica with no winners? Sounds silly to me especially looking at the universal success for all involved in NAFTA except unionism. Clearly CAFTA which is really only a small amount of trade is a negative for only the unions and a very few specific business interests that seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the vast majority of citizens of both countries. The myth of worker protection and help for the poor perpetrated by unions and progressive politics is self evident in every country in the world that they exist. All they have ever insured is high prices for poorly made or delivered products and services. This is against the interests of the vast majority of citizens in every country. 2. Before engaging in the dangerous argument that Costa Rica can wait, please review other countries' attempts to sidestep globalized free trade. Mexico, and Thailand and others have found that the immediate effect is the destruction of their currency. Nothing could be worse for the poor and disenfranchised in Costa Rica than a colon that zooms past 1000 to 1 dollar. Yet that is exactly the effects of protectionism, unionism, and isolationism. Lastly, consider the scathing retort and analysis I sent you refuting yours and Jo's comments about the U.S. presidential election and that I was exactly right, and yours was exactly wrong. What risk do you wish to take with the lives of Costa Ricans by not exposing the certain continued poverty wrought by their current policies of progressive socialist protectionism. Pretending that ICE, INS, and all the alphabet soup public employee rackets have going are assets to the Costa Rican people is a poverty sentence for all Costa Ricans that are not given one of those jobs to be supported by all the other poorer workers in this country. Of course we Gringos can just use dollars and live fine, but it is sad to see Costa Ricans embracing the sad failures perpetrated by the American Left when even a cursory look (remember the U.S.S.R. duh!) exposes the universal failures of socialism you espouse. I honestly would hate to be right twice, somehow, someway Central America should embrace the only real thing that can raise living standards for "the people" The right to work and trade in an unrestrained environment. George Chapogas
Playas del Coco This writer favors renegotiation treaty Dear A.M. Costa Rica: The conclusion of your editorial that the CAFTA treaty should be shelved is a middle-of-the-road approach. It is an improvement over the support you have continuously voiced. I think the treaty must be renegotiated, and I was surprised to learn that our Nobel laureate Arias is said to support this treaty. U.S. treaties are idealized, formulated, double-checked, and seemingly negotiated by expert professionals, who are career people. Just the notion that a bunch of Costa Rican laymen are trying to understand the deceiving intricacies of this treaty makes me shudder. Even if the commission was upgraded with economist and law professors, a written treaty is virtually impossible to negotiate in such a manner that there will actually be a win-win result between a giant and dwarf. Nothing a superpower (although more and more failing in that department) has done and will do is not in its self-interest. American consumerism has always been accomplished on the bent backs of workers in developing nations, and nothing in this treaty is designed to change that selfish policy in any way. The growers should indeed be worried about the lopsidedness of this treaty. You are correct in seeing that there is no way to predict any possible value for the nation of Costa Rica, whose total population is much smaller than any of the major cities of its "partner." It is hoped that the treaty will funnel direct investments to Costa Rica, thus creating jobs and increasing the living standard to eventually, and that is what so many Costa Ricans wish for, to equal that of U.S. citizens. But this is a wish that is fostered by the pictures Hollywood presents. The U.S. has severe, seemingly unsurmountable, problems concerning inequality, prejudice, the increasing gap between rich and poor, ghettos, absence of national insurance, crime, pollution and a general unhappiness that the seeking of security on only the material level will cause, than any Costa Rican would desire if they could see the bigger picture and not only the "glamor" as is presented to them on their glueboxes. Even Costa Rican TV is largely patterned after the entertainment lure that makes their colleagues in the States so successful and devious, while avoiding education, introducing creative solutions and problem-solving, which only allows people to make relevant and free-willed decision, instead of emotionally colored ones. True, Costa Rica wants investors, and the States has them, as is already being demonstrated by the Americanization of Costa Rica. A treaty has a basis by this reasoning. But. But the details must not be just read, but independent studies must be done right here in Costa Rica. This is not being done, while the screaming period over the pros and cons does not do intelligent honor to the complex issues. For instance, technology firms have internal standards and technology transfer regulations to protect their know-how, which in essence is their bread and butter. Local technology standards must be upgrades and linked to that of the investors. In most cases broad links must be created between firms of both nations. CAFTA does not permit that. The reason is to protect American firms, and to keep control on the U.S. side. There are many intricate formulations in this treaty, and wording that persons with a master's degree in English cannot understand. There is a purpose for such distorting language. The person not understanding tends to believe that the concept discussed is over their head and that the writer must know better. Treaties that cannot be spelled out in simple language must remain suspect. I have heard the argument that there is a price to be paid for a small country to be allowed to play in the big league and to receive investments accordingly. But the treaty does not guarantee investments. Not at all, while the many other restrictions and adhesion contracts will still be in effect. Treaties have been shown clearly not be the main factor for foreign investors to supply monies. They are more an U.S. government regulatory tool to protect American companies and their trademarks and copyrights, as well as their patents and technology transfers. For more information on this go the United Nations studies on Trade and Development. There is a long history to learn from, and the call for shelving this CAFTA treaty is very appropriate. Do not just shelf it for some time, but learn from the other treaties and formulate and propose one from a Costa Rican perspective of actual requirements and wholistic relevance. Oliver Duex
Nuevo Arenal, We're in doghouse Note to the Editor! Regarding letter: Whistling cat has some mechanical help You big dummy! Mimi is not a cat, she is a dog. Where did your idea of a Puss in Boots come from? Please at your earliest, print a correction and send her your apology before she finds out that she has been referred to as a pussy. In addition, I don't think it would hurt to send a little something in the way of a forgive me gift . . . any chew toy I'm sure would be appreciated, just made sure it is catnip less. Jerry Thorman
Santa Barbara, Heredia |
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with the observations of Dr. Lenny Karpman Click HERE! |
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 Neurosurgery nurses wear ribbons of
mourning
Calderón Guardia: The aftermath |
 A body is removed from hospital
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| Two cousins meet for
the first time seeking their uncle, a fire victim |
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 Both cousins check the list of patients
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Marta Soto Arguedas was looking for her uncle. And so was Mauricio Monge. It turns out the uncle for both was a 55-year-old Tres Rios man, Rodolfo Arguedas. The older Arguedas had the ill fortune to be in the neurosurgical ward Tuesday night. He had been suffering from a brain tumor. He was one of the fire victims. The cousins met for the first time in their lives Tuesday morning while searching a list for the whereabouts of their uncle. Officials had posted lists of patients who had been moved to other hospitals |
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| Heredia woman becomes yet another family violence statistic |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An Heredia woman died Tuesday and became the 17th victim of family violence this year, said police. She was identified as María de Los Angeles Morales López, 53. Her presumed killer, a 48-year-old man with the last names of Ureña Umaña, has been taken to the Hospital de Heredia under guard. He was found near the woman's body in a semi-conscious state. He had knife wounds to the neck and arms, said police. The woman was found with multiple knife wounds in the chest, said police. The death took place in La |
Esperanza de Heredia,
which is near
the tourist center Tica Linda, said police. In another case of family violence Tuesday a man held his two brothers hostage in a bar in Vásquez de Coronado until police convinced him to surrender. The man who was arrested has been identified by the last names of Méndez Rodríguez. The two brothers, Geovany and Yesenia with the same last name, were being held at knifepoint. The Fuerza Pública credited its psychological unit with making contact with the man. |
| No change in pre-trial conditions for former president
Rodríguez |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Former president Miguel Ángel Rodríguez has lost an appeal of his house arrest. The Tribunal de Juicio del II Circuito Judicial de San José confirmed a ruling by a penal judge that Rodríguez should remain under house arrest until Oct. 14. The appeals tribunal also rejected a request by the Fiscalía de Delitos Económicos to put the former president back in jail. Rodríguez is under house arrest after posting a bond of more than $500,000. He got out of prison in March to spend the rest of his |
pre-trial period in his
Escazú home. The ex-president had been in la Reforma since returning voluntarily from the United States in October where he was forced to resign as general secretary of the Organization of American States. Rodríguez is being investigated for possible participation in the bribery scandal involving Alcatel, the French telecommunications firm, and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad stemming from a cellular telephone contract while he was president. The tribunal decision was confirmed by the press office of the Poder Judicial. |
| RACSA provides a link to check the speed of an Internet
connection |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Radiográfica Costarricense S.A., the Internet provider known as RACSA, wants you to check out the speed of your computer connection. The company is getting a little more user friendly now that its big brother, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, has gone into the residential Internet business via the telephone lines. RACSA distributed a link this week that will connect computer users to a free service that evaluates their connection. The Internet has been running slowly lately and |
problems with RACSA's
computers have been blamed. However, a company spokesman said that any user who finds a connection speed slower than what he or she is paying for should contact the company's technical support department. Telephone dial-up connections should be at least 50 kilobytes per second (kbps), said the company. Cable connections through local television companies should be at least 128 kbps incoming and 64 kbps outgoing and perhaps more depending on the speed for which the user has contracted. The link for checking the speed is HERE! |
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