by Runaway Slave | Nov 5, 2008 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon, Travel
WARNING: PG13 RATED COLUMN, MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN OR PRUDISH BUSYBODIES. The school is a single room concrete block building up in the hills behind Santa Ana in Costa Rica. It’s poorly lit and cheaply furnished in the Costa Rican style. I spend four...
by Runaway Slave | Oct 11, 2007 | Costa Rica, Debt, Economics, Essays & Articles, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Much of Costa Rica’s appeal for Americans is that living expenses here are supposedly a lot lower than in the U.S. When our income ended after the top of the real estate bubble in 2005, we moved here thinking we’d save a bundle. While it is true that some...
by Runaway Slave | Aug 15, 2007 | Costa Rica, Education, Essays & Articles, Hope, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Gabrielle is 11 years old. She’s four and a half feet tall and doesn’t weigh much more than a couple sacks of groceries. Her black hair shines in the dim light of the dingy classroom as she nervously twirls it in the fingers of her right hand. Her eyes are almost...
by Runaway Slave | Aug 8, 2007 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
When we moved to Costa Rica a year and a half ago, the prison-like façades that faced the streets of San Jose appalled us. Steel security bars and razor tape are everywhere. We were delighted that our first house was safe enough in the middle of a large coffee...
by Runaway Slave | Aug 5, 2007 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Government, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Roman Catholicism is the official government religion here in Costa Rica, although the Ticos don’t seem to care what your religion is. Having an official religion appears to provide the Costa Ricans a sensible and wonderfully tolerant attitude toward sin. Perhaps it’s...
by Runaway Slave | Jul 13, 2007 | Costa Rica, Libertarian Curmudgeon
This guy sells woven plastic shopping bags from a cart at the farmer’s market in Hatillo (aht-eee-joe). I bought one and he graciously allowed me to take his picture. A woman who was watching us came over as I took the shot and told him he was going to be on the...
by Runaway Slave | Jun 26, 2007 | Bubble, Costa Rica, Economics, Essays & Articles, Gold, Inflation, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Asset bubbles are the result of easy credit and a natural human desire to get something for nothing. The long-term increase in all prices and the occasional price explosion for certain assets occurs primarily because there is no standard for the unit we use to measure...
by Runaway Slave | May 31, 2007 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Guns & Gun Control, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Though Costa Rica is often called the Switzerland of Central America, there are precious few similarities in the defense strategies of the rifle bearing Swiss and the demilitarized Ticos. Costa Rica’s president, Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, is proud there are...
