Category Archives: Editorial

Never does the phrase “you get what you pay for” apply more strongly than in seeking medical care in Costa Rica. A medical tourist who looks only to price, is bound to have troubles. Some of them can be very … Continue reading →

The basic rule of democracy is what is called heretransparency. The public has to know what is going on. The Laura Chinchilla administration has been big on public relations in an effort to obscure the facts from the public. But that … Continue reading →

Is it any wonder theft goes under reported in Costa Rica? Last year, people we know who own and operate a small hotel in Cahuita on the Caribbean coast were physically attacked in their beds by thieves who broke into their house … Continue reading →

This newspaper does not share the deep concern shown by others because the legislature tried to sack a sitting magistrate. Politics aside, the Corte Suprema de Justicia is the top judicial agency. The magistrates are responsible for the conduct of … Continue reading →

The unusual way that Costa Ricans appraise property is coming to haunt expats who own dwellings here. At a time when some properties are selling at give-away prices, the finance ministry has set new assessment values based on the rising … Continue reading →

Pardon us if we feel that the Costa Rican government is leaning on the expats here. First there was the immigration law, new in 2010. Lawmakers said that those on tourist visas could renew them by just paying $100. That … Continue reading →

We take no joy in reporting the demise of The Tico Times print edition. Print is great, but to create a print product is expensive these days. We also liked hot metal and flipping nickels with the large backshop crew … Continue reading →

President Laura Chinchilla has before her a bill that would authorize theft. She may sign it. This is the exemption from an earlier law that protected the rights of authors and publishers. Before her is  N° 17342 that was passed … Continue reading →

People who are given preventive detention in Costa Rica enter into a sort of “twilight zone” where they are set apart from society in more ways than one. The penitentiary system is working outside the law, severe human rights violations … Continue reading →

This is another presidential election year in the United States, and plenty of expats here have opinions on who should win. The choice is between the incumbent, Barack Obama, and the Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, although a reader wrote Wednesday … Continue reading →

Paul Watson, the aggressive conservationist, is being asked to accept Costa Rica justice and return here to face allegations that he attempted to sink a Costa Rican fishing boat in Guatemalan waters. Watson is being assured by high government officials … Continue reading →

Regarding the Hazeltine criminal libel case. I have followed this case for quite sometime and I think there is some fundamental issues that really need to be addressed here other than the fact that the events read more like a Laurel and … Continue reading →

The collaboration between Costa Rica’s immigration police and the non-profit organization Fundación Rehab in recent raids of San Jose nightclubs with reputations for prostitution, chiefly Hotel Del Rey and Key Largo, was a misguided response to a serious problem. No, … Continue reading →

Costa Rica’s Environmental Laws have teeth! I retired from a career in environmental protection in Florida to move here to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica where the environment is a source of pleasure and appreciation for me and many … Continue reading →

The tax scandals of the last two weeks have shown major flaws in the Costa Rican legal framework. The former finance minister got in trouble for not updating the value of some real estate holdings. Elsewhere in the country many … Continue reading →

When President Laura Chinchilla says her fiscal plan will tax those who have for the benefit of those who do not, she appears to be a bit disingenuous. The president’s tax plan takes from the rich for the same reason … Continue reading →

I feel compelled to write to you about the time my family and I spent recently in Costa Rica. This past Christmas and New Year’s my husband and I and our three children (ages 13-20) lived two weeks of joy, … Continue reading →

Most workers at the U.S. Embassy in Pavas don’t like to be questioned about their actions. They have made some blunders, but unlike most U.S. government employees, they do not have to account to anyone outside the closed embassy world. … Continue reading →