Taking Care..............

"We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it."  -- Dave Barry

Why is everyone so upset about this issue regarding Ron Paul’s attempt to say that it is not the job of government to provide free health care for all?  Where have all these people been since forever?  And, why do people make statements like this:  “My (brother, sister, husband, friend, relative, or whatever) died because he/she/they did not have insurance…..”?  A lack of insurance is NOT going to kill anyone.  I’m sorry, but it just ain’t gonna happen!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do agree that a certain amount of government involvement in health care is a good idea, and the thought of truly universal access to health care is a very attractive, albeit lofty, ideal.  However, all you have to do is look at those nations that have attempted to achieve this, and/or are attempting to do so right now, and you might get an inkling of just what is entailed in pursuit of such a lofty goal.

First, do not throw the Constitution, the Bill Of Rights, or even the Declaration of Independence at me.  They do NOT address this issue.  Never did.  Second, remember the world of the folks who wrote those venerable documents.  Did any government, anywhere have any thoughts of addressing this issue?  No, I don’t think so.  It was indeed the responsibility of the individual, the family, and the community to care for those who needed it.  The only thought given to such an idea was to simply put it under the general heading of charity, and go on about other things.  Granted, a big part of this is simply that people didn’t generally live all that long, anyway, and when they sickened, they usually got better on their own, or died.  It was as simple as that.

Some of the people who might have needed assistance from their family or their community would have included widows, orphans, and those too ill or infirm (such as the aged) to work and support themselves.  There was no welfare office, no food stamp program, and no such thing as Medicaid.

Jump forward to the Twentieth Century.  By that time, government had grown (oh, how it had grown), and had indeed assumed too many of those responsibilities that rightfully should still belong to families, first, then the community at large (sans government entities).  This is part of what makes a nation strong, having a solid family support system.  We all know that, and we all acknowledge that.  Apparently, this has led to too many people who now believe that it is the government’s job to care for them, from cradle to grave.  That is not the way to build a strong nation, folks.  It might well lead to some kind of Orwellian horror, or even to a “Brave New World,” but those are not necessarily such good ideas!

Now, I grew up in the 50’s.  We did have some limited food programs, if you will, in the form of a county agency that dispensed surplus foods.  I recall peanut butter, butter, canned chicken, flour, generally items that would be considered to be mostly staples, and they were packaged in very generic containers.  And, I know that there were such governmental entities as County Health Departments that did things like give us our Polio Vaccination, when it was first developed and made available.*  When someone needed healthcare, first line of defense (and, offense, as well) was mom’s home remedies, that she had learned from her mom.  Then, in a small town, as a last resort, the ill person might be taken to the local doc, and he would be begged to provide some relief.  He was paid if possible, when possible, with whatever of value the people could scrape together.

Larger communities built county hospitals, supported by the tax payers, and yes, this is government involvement in health care.  As far as I know this system still exists in most cities across the nation.  People who are ill, and who do not have a doctor, or the means to pay a doctor, go to the county hospital!  So, where have we got this demand, and this belief that medical care is not available for those who can’t afford it?  Beyond the fact that these community hospitals do exist, and do provide care, we have organizations across the country such as the American Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society, MDA, etc., etc., and on and on.  Those organizations do assist those who cannot pay in seeking appropriate care and treatment!

Very recently, I have seen a video online where a lady reports that her brother died of cancer because he was unemployed and did not have insurance, and she thinks Ron Paul and those others up on that stage with him, are just terrible, cruel, heartless people.  It makes me want to scream.  So what if he had no insurance?  So what if he was unemployed?  How did he let himself get into a position where he was not prepared to seek alternative employment when he lost his last job?  I know that I changed direction more than once during my career, changing jobs (because I got fired) at the age of 56 (older than her brother, by the way), then, again, at 58, and finally, accepting (I was actually recruited for this) my last job at the age of 57.  I then decided to retire at 62 mostly because I was laid off from that last job.  Ultimately, who is to blame for this lady’s brother not being prepared to go out into a new field at 55?  Not me, and certainly not the government!

I know people who were in their fifties at the time that they went to work as clerks in convenience stores after long careers in fields like IT.  My point is that I am well aware that it is hard to find work after about 50 years of age, but there is work out there, if one is willing to consider some alternatives to what one might have been accustomed to doing.  And, it is certainly not the government’s fault if a person lacked the education to pursue other avenues.  Keep in mind that very often, those people who took jobs like this still had no insurance, but they did know that if they were ill, there were free clinics, and there was the county hospital system where they could seek care.  There are always alternatives, and there is always a solution, so please don’t just blame the government, or worse, demand that the government take care of you, unless you’re also able to remember just who the government is!  (Hint:  We are the government.  Remember Junior High Civics?)

So, frankly, imho, Wolf Blitzer asked a loaded question deliberately, and phrased it in such a way as to throw it into the same category as that old one about, “do you still beat your wife?”  And, of course, the others on that stage said nothing, and that is because – even though they are Republicans, with whom I personally disagree – they are right.

Speaking as a Nurse, who has more than thirty years experience, I must say that there is another, and very significant, element important to proper health care.  That element rests with each and every one of us.  Whoever we are, whatever our health, whatever our socio-economic status, we must assume at least fifty per cent of the responsibility for our own care.  I mean that we must do what the doctor tells us to do.  We must share all pertinent medical information with the doctor and his/her staff.  We must strive to do at least minimal things to maintain a healthy condition, such as practice moderation, try to get exercise, try to eat sensibly, and so forth.  I say this because too many times I’ve seen too many people who want to blame the caregiver for a worsening of their condition when it was the patient himself who failed to do what he/she knew to do.

Lest I overlook another factor here, be advised that I am not a supporter of Ron Paul, or any other member of the GOP.  I support the President, first because he is the President, but also because I believe he wants to, and is trying to do the right thing.  My opinions, as expressed herein are strictly my opinions, and are not meant to suggest that they are a reflection of the views of anyone else, no matter what political stripe decorates their back.  I like to think that this is a logical position to take, and that it has nothing to do with politics, because ultimately our health is our responsibility, and caring for it should not require any assistance, interference, or direction from any government.

* County Health Departments did a lot more than that, and I know because I worked in Public Health for ten years, but their accomplishments are not my topic right now.

Who Is In Charge Here, Anyway?

Majority/Minority

"There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some time, make a doctrine of it and defend it with every weapon of communal stupidity." - - Robertson Davies

I was taught as a child that America was founded on a principle that while we’re all equal, we should, as a nation, always strive to do what is best for the majority of the people.  What was the phrase?  Something about “we must do the most good for the most people……..”?  That means, we do not force the majority to do a thing for the benefit of any small minority – ever!  Doesn’t anybody remember this phrase:  “Majority rules!”???  This was, of course, with the understanding that the Constitution does protect the basic rights of any minority at the same time.

So now, someone please tell me why have we allowed ourselves to be taken hostage by all these splinter groups, these minorities of ‘Mothers of left-handed, spastic mutes,” and other wacko idealists?  Why is it that we have allowed the Constitution to be so twisted that it no longer supports the ‘most good for the most people,’ but instead is now interpreted to mean the majority should now acquiesce to every demand made upon it by whatever minority screams and cries the loudest?  Worse, we pay for this with our tax dollars!  (Well, those tax dollars that are not being tossed away on yet another stupid war).

Here’s a revelation for ya:  The ADA is a very bad law.  There, I said it.  Why is it a bad law?  For one thing, it hurt a lot of businesses, especially small ones.  I recall a number of small businesses that had to shut down because they could not afford to provide wheelchair ramps, or rails and other fixtures at their entrances, or in their bathrooms, or even to set aside handicapped parking.  For another, it diverted a lot of tax dollars from being able to help a majority of people with real and pressing needs (you know, like hungry people, homeless people, people with mental illness, and like that; but those are no biggies, right?), to catering to the needs of a very small minority.  That is, frankly, un-American, and just plain dumb.

I also recall - vividly - working in a facility that had to install all the handicapped-access gewgaws, only to see them never get used.  Ever!  And, this was a Public Health Clinic!  And, when was the last time you saw a truly handicapped person park in any handicapped spot, anywhere?  For that matter, how often do you drive into a parking lot, and marvel at all the empty spaces right up close to the entrance of Wally World, or the Mall, because apparently all those handicapped folks for whom these spaces were created do not appreciate the effort that has gone into this convenience, or maybe they are staying close to home, because they can’t find a decent paying job (much like everybody else in this economy).  Or, you go into the public bathroom in a restaurant or a movie, or even a store, only to find that there is always one stall empty.  And, that is the handicapped one, right?  This whole sorry scenario is a perfect example of the majority having to give way to a minority.

Take a look at public education.  It has dumbed down over the last thirty or forty years, in response to demands by minorities of every stripe.  You have to provide ‘special education’ programs for every individual who is not quite up to average physically or mentally.  Why?  Who is really helped by these programs, and who is harmed?  As for who is helped, I’ll tell you, in one compound word:  nobody!  Who has been harmed?  All of us, since our young people can no longer compete on any level internationally.  As a result of the dumbing of America, we no longer produce well-educated anything.  It may be true that our young people are perfectly prepared for the world we are leaving them (a world where we no longer make anything except hamburgers) - a world where we no longer provide much of anything of value.  A world where they won’t have to think for themselves, because we are passing along that need, along with our ability to do so, with every new law that takes from the majority and gives to the minority.

This is wrong, and if someone does not realize this, and begin to take steps to reverse this process, you can kiss goodbye any expectation that the U. S. can hope to be a leader in any area.  We may well continue to be a world leader, but we will only lead in the lowest achievement scores, as we become a quiet backwater nation peopled by sheep, who will be little more than a mat for the rest of the world to wipe its collective feet on.

Speaking of education, I remember when a grade of ‘C’ was considered to be average, and an easy acceptance that – at the end of the day – most of us are indeed just that – average.  And, you know what?  There is nothing wrong with being average!  (That makes us, after all, a part of the majority of the people on the face of this earth!)  Sure, we can all strive to do our best, and try to achieve beyond our abilities.  But, that doesn’t mean everyone who makes the effort should automatically be granted some sort of special dispensation just because they made the effort.  That means that those who actually reached that goal, those who demonstrated that they are above average, should receive a better mark for not only their effort, but for their achievement!  (btw, in other words, a ‘B’ was considered to be a good grade).

To further illustrate what I’m talking about here, below is the Mission Statement of a school District where I once worked as a school nurse.  The district in question is the Ysleta Independent School District, located in El Paso, Texas.  They adopted this absurd statement back about ten years ago:

All students who enroll in our schools will graduate from high school, fluent in two or more languages, prepared and inspired to continue their education in a four year college, university or institution of higher education so that they become successful citizens in their community.

When they started flaunting this line of crap I was, to say the least, flabbergasted, amazed, dumbfounded, and left pretty much speechless.  I am over the speechless part by now, however.  What kind of insanity is this?  How can anyone propose that they can take a group of kids, from all walks of life, with all kinds of socio-economic, not to mention cultural differences, and accomplish such a lofty goal?!  They should have skipped all that folderol, and just settled for “successful citizens in their community,” for crying out loud!

Read my lips:  NOT everyone is average!  One minority of us is above average!  Another minority is below average!  That is life, people!  You cannot change reality, no matter what you smoked back in the 60’s!  Not everyone can graduate from high school, and we all know that.  Not everyone can learn a second language, and we all know that!  As for everyone going on to higher education, fahgeddaboudit!  Ain’t gonna happen!  Can’t happen in the real world no way, no how!  Or, to put it more simply:  You can’t fix stupid!  (OK, it is also more expensive than ever to afford a college education, so that lets a whole lot of people out, without even considering their intellectual capacity for higher education).

What’s worse, I distinctly recall, at that very same YISD, there was either a written or tacit policy that said all students were to achieve passing grades of 80 % or higher in all subjects!  No such thing as pass or fail.  There was no room for failure, even for those dummies who always do, and we all know there are more than one or two of them in any given group of students!  That was a totally unreasonable expectation!

What’s worse, what we have achieved is to cheapen the efforts of those few who are exceptionally gifted, those few who can and do better than the rest of us.  How can they avoid adopting an attitude of “why try to do well, if that dummy over there is going to get a mark nearly as good as mine, and he/she won’t even have to try to earn it?”  Doesn’t anybody remember when grades in school were earned?

I have preached along these lines before:  maybe, just maybe, progress is not always achieved by changing everything that we do, and the way in which we do everything.  Maybe progress should be measured by a demonstration that we can continue to produce a certain percentage of overachievers, while overall consistently producing a good crop of average achievers.  You know, that sort of status quo worked for several generations, long enough for us to show the world what a real leader is and can be.  But, someone started messing with our system, back in the 70’s and 80’s, and now, we are not a world leader, nor are we showing the rest of the world our heels, because they are overtaking us, easily.  And, guess what?  Those other countries are not necessarily using totally new methods, but some of those same methods that used to work for us.

And, now we come back to another growing minority, one that wouldn’t even exist if not for certain exceptional folks having done some exceptional things.  This is not an easy pill for some folks to swallow, but here it is:  Due to major advances in scientific research and Medicine, people are living longer overall, and, at the same time, there are fewer birth defects, and many crippling diseases have been effectively eradicated.  Because of the lower percentage of birth defects and the eradication of so many childhood diseases, we now have fewer crippled children growing up in our midst.  However, also due to advances in Medicine and Science, we also now have babies born prematurely who survive where a short fifty years ago, they would not have had much chance for survival.  Unfortunately, a portion of those who survive their premature births are left with crippling conditions.  So, we have a two-edged sword at work here.

Our very advances have created a new class, if you will, of handicapped people, and a new and slightly different minority.  I remember going to school with kids who had contracted Polio, and this left them with different levels of physical handicap.  But, today, for those who are paying attention, you will not see many mildly handicapped kids, but kids who are in need of special equipment, like motorized wheelchairs, and computerized vocoder devices that speak for them.  And, just in case you think I’ve overlooked another phenomenon of scientific progress, let me acknowledge that today we also have significant numbers of kids growing up with conditions that did not even exist a few short generations ago.  I’m talking about kids with severe allergies (in part to things that did not exist a few short generations ago) and food sensitivities (celiac disease, et al).  Some of these kids would not have survived infancy, let alone childhood, just a few generations ago. 

A significant adjustment in the world around them has been made, and is being made, for this minority.  And, a lot of that adjustment is being made under new laws that did not exist fifty years ago, and at tax payer expense.  I am not offering any specific conclusion beyond this simple observation:  that this minority does exist, and that their existence is impacting what others (who outnumber them) have to do to accommodate them.

So, where are we headed?  All I can offer is this thought.  So many things in the world seem to occur like the movement of a pendulum.  Super strict morals swings to rather liberal morals, or attitudes towards science or religion swing from acceptance to rejection, in patterns, much like the swing of a pendulum.  Maybe this current trend of the majority catering to minorities, like the sickening demands for political correctness, will gradually swing back the other way, and the majority can once again resume their role in leadership while worrying less about how they speak to that role.

For Sale: Price Reduced - 2 Bed/2 Bath Home - Price Reduced

Own your own little piece of Paradise

     

  The nearly new (move-in was late August of 2009) 2 bed, 2 bath cement block home sits on a secluded plot (2166 sq meters, or about ½ acre) on a very quiet road that actually runs all the way down to the water's edge of beautiful Lake Arenal.  (The water is just 500 meters from the front door).

There are presently no neighbors between this home and the Lake.  There is a heavily wooded, deep gully on one side, with a little stream at the bottom.  This ensures a nearly constant, fresh breeze.  Water is paid through the end of the year, and currently is only about $72.00 per year, with no meter.  The water is cold, and crystal clear, with nothing added.  There are two septic systems (aguas negras, for toilets, and gray water, for washer, showers, and sinks).

The house will sell with Kenmore washer and electric dryer, Whirlpool Gas Range,

 Maytag refrigerator, and a 2005 Suzuki (pictured below) Grand Vitara, XL7, with current Marchamo and Riteve.  Also included will be one queen size bed, with frame and one King size bed, with frame.  Additional furnishings are negotiable, including wall-mounted Samsung Plasma TV, Sharp Surround Sound system, and small appliances, including Sharp Microwave. 

Part of the Living Area is pictured above.

Ceiling fans are installed in both bedrooms, and in the living area, plus two more are on the front porch, which is completely screened.  Also included on the front porch is a round concrete table, with three concrete benches, covered with ceramic tile.

 Front of the house features a recently completed and oversized carport, and there is an enclosed (screen, metal, and wooden bars) garage cum workshop attached to the back of the house.

This is the workshop/bodega, at the back of the house. The car is no longer parked there.

One dusk to dawn yard light is attached to the back garage, and motion sensors are mounted at opposite corners of the dwelling itself, plus another on the new carport.  The floors throughout the house, and also in the garage and on the front porch are ceramic tile: 

Solid wood doors, and beautiful wooden kitchen cabinets are featured.  Windows are all protected with iron bars.  The ceilings throughout are high, with beautifully stained wooden beams.

 Asking price is $215,000.00 cash only, but financing may be obtained, in part or in whole, through Gap Investors (http://www.gapinvestors.com/  - - - Talk to Glenn Tellier)  Contact Blog owner, John (grumblesfmarenal@aol.com), for more information, and/or more photos.

We have met the enemy, and we're done for...........

Well, we’ve formally been introduced to the real CCSS (commonly known as the Caja), and cannot say anything very positive about it.  Now, we had heard all the stories, but up to this point in time (more than two years living here, and nearly that long as members of this system), had not actually experienced for ourselves this particular aspect of the system.

Here’s the background:  Blanca and I have been going to the local clinic on a regular basis, seeing the doctor every six months or so, mostly to keep up with our prescription medications.  Some time ago, Blanca noticed an abnormal growth on her right wrist, and asked the doctor (that was there on that particular day) about it.  That doctor didn’t really say anything, so she let it be.  On a more recent routine visit, a different doctor asked her about it, wanting to know how long she has had it, and even commented that something should have been done about it many months ago, when it was first mentioned to that other doctor.

This doctor she saw on the recent visit gave her an order for an urgent x-ray of the wrist, and we drove down to Cañas, to the Caja hospital there, and they did the x-ray.  The x-ray department gave Blanca the films, and she brought them back to the local clinic, waited to see the doctor again, and he then gave her an urgent referral to see an Orthopedist.  Any referral of this nature (to see a specialist) means a trip to Liberia, unless it is a very serious problem, then it means a trip to San Jose.  We had already been through this process when I was referred for an eye problem, so we made plans to go to the Caja hospital in Liberia at our first opportunity.

This is where is begins to get just a bit weird…………you see, in order to even request an appointment with one of the specialty clinics in Liberia, one has to go in person (which for us means a drive of two hours, one way).  There is simply no way to call and request an appointment, or to go online to do this.  Don’t ask why.  No one knows why.  So, we had to wait until near the end of the month, because we did not have enough money to take such a trip earlier.

We drove up there on Wednesday, July 27.  I might mention that we did have some other business to take care of that day in Liberia, but the first thing we did was go right to the Caja hospital, and find the Orthopedic Clinic.  They first told Blanca that their first available appointment would not be until July 29.  That is July 29 of 2012!  But, since she was not in their system (never having been seen at that hospital before), she had to go to medical records and get her basic info (the standard CCSS info) entered into their system.  Never mind that There are less than five million people in this country and that not all of them are members of the Caja, and that one computer system should be able to handle all of them, nationwide.  This is Costa Rica.

By the time she returned to the Ortho Clinic from medical records, the first available appointment had already changed to July 30.  That’s 2012, by the way.  Every effort to point out to the young lady at the reception for that clinic that the referral said urgent was met with what can only be described as complete and total indifference.

So, here we are.  My wife has something – a great big lump – growing on the outside edge of her wrist.  And, there is not much we can do about it.  Our best option would likely be to seek an appointment with a specialist – maybe in Guanacaste, but more likely in San Jose, as a private patient.  Then, if she needs to have some sort of procedure done, we would have to pay out of our own pocket and use a private hospital.  Now, I grant you that this would be much less expensive than doing this in the States, but that is not really my point here.  My point is that the government of Costa Rica, in all its wisdom, has made it a requirement for legal residence that all residents pay into the social security system, at least for health care.  So, obviously, I am now left with one glaring question:  why ask us to pay for something that cannot deliver that for which I am paying?!

The local (Costa Rican) news has been filled with reports of the crisis in their health care system for months now.  It is underfunded, overstaffed, rife with corruption at every level (as is most everything in this government), and basically not doing the job for which it was created.  So, let me ask my main question once again?  Anyone want to buy a little 2 bedroom house, with an absolutely gorgeous Lake view?

Didn’t see this coming……(Part II of II)

“We’re gonna boogie back to Texas, eight beats to the mile” – from the song, Boogie Back to Texas, by Ray Benson & Asleep At The Wheel

- - - -
NOTE:  This was written some months ago, but since nothing has ever been forthcoming from either ICE or the Tico Times, all of it still holds true.
- - - - - - -

Regarding the January bill for electricity, a breakdown of the bill showed a total of 1,489 Kwh used, from 01/01 to 02/01, with meter readings of 013514 – before, to 015003 – after, and included taxes of ₡10, 994.80.  To be fair, I had discovered a problem during January with the electric water heater that I repaired towards the end of the month.  (I had to replace the pressure relief valve, because it was stuck in an open position, causing the heater to be constantly heating).  I had hoped that this problem would have proven to be the cause for such a sudden jump in one month’s usage.  I no longer see that as even close to possible.  As an update, our bill for the month of February (paid on April 1) was only ₡12,000.00, so we thought whatever problem had occurred had now been fixed, and that the huge amount was simply a reader error.  Wrong!  Checking online in late April, the new bill, for the month of March, had jumped back up to ₡205,000.00 again!  We went back to ICE, and then had to wait for any further action from them, until after Holy Week, and ultimately, even longer.  That was because the administrator of the local ICE office took an extra two weeks of vacation, so we ended up waiting until the week of May 9.  This is because no one in this God-forsaken backwater is willing to ever accept any responsibility for any damn thing!  That means, that when the boss is out, there is no one to step up in his place.  And, of course, even he, upon his return, is not willing or able to do anything that doesn’t strictly follow whatever interpretation of the rules that he understands.

So, putting this unfortunate mess together with all the other problems we have been having here in paradise, this question has arisen:  Anybody want to buy a beautiful view?

As of 05/23/2011:  I had been walking up to the light meter once a day for the previous 40 days, noting the reading, and then putting it down on a list that I have created on the PC.  I have also totaled up all of our bills from the first month we moved into this house, and compiled monthly usage, in KwH, and amount paid out for those twenty months.  We have been charged for using an average of 773.1 KwH per month, or 25.77 KwH  per day.  Over the 40 days of my direct monitoring, our use is averaging only 16.3 KwH per day, which would be a total of only 489 KwH in thirty days, well below what we have been paying all along.  We are doing nothing different over these last 40 days than we had done over the previous twenty months, in terms of electrical usage here in the house.  Granted, there have been times when we ran the air conditioner (a wall unit) for short periods, but we are not currently using that, and haven’t for some time.  Other than that, the fridge is plugged in all day and all night, we use the washer and the dryer as needed, we use various ceiling fans, and so on……..oh, we are now turning off the water heater for all but about one hour a day.

When ICE’s meter reader reported his monthly reading, as of May 02, his total usage for the month of April came in at 591, also well under the average we have been paying all this time.  Since my daily recording did not begin until April 14, I also believe that this in and of itself is pretty conclusive proof that consumption prior to my securing of the meter box and prior to my now daily meter reading was indeed above our current average.  Not to mention, that I have to conclude that our real consumption was always below the amount that was being billed to us.

Now, to further clarify matters (or, maybe muddy the waters; I don’t know), you should know how our electricity gets to our house.  When we paid our contractor to run electric, water and phone to our property, back in late 2008, it was with the understanding that the lines would run underground, and for lights and phone, they would come from our neighbor’s property.  To affect the electric hook up, our contractor had to place our meter on a pole on our neighbor’s property.  This means that what we paid for, and were presented with, was one metal box (paid for by us) with two meters in it.  Our line runs from our meter, straight underground.  The metal box has two doors that meet in the middle.  What we realized in April is that those doors had been open for months, as long as we could remember.  We never opened those doors, and it never occurred to me to place any particular significance on the fact that those doors were wide open, and had been that way since I don’t know when.

So, I am facing one logical (to me) conclusion here:  somehow we have been over billed by at least $100.00 per month, give or take, for the last twenty months (yeah, that’s about two grand).  I have no idea of whether that is because somehow our electricity has just disappeared into thin air, somewhere between the neighbor’s property, and our house, or someone has been ‘borrowing’ our electricity (our meter does sit on someone else’s land, out of sight of our house, so the ‘borrower’ could easily hook on right at the meter), or maybe ICE’s meter reader has a way to affect the output of our meter.????  I don’t know………have no clue……….

We have met several times with the ‘coordinator’ of the local office, and other than trying to pin the blame on something in our house that is using too much juice, his only concern is how are we going to pay this outrageous bill.  We have talked to him until we are blue in the face, trying to get across that it is not possible that we have used this much juice, trying to get across that it is simply unconscionable for him to expect us to pay for electricity we never used, and that the amount is simply too much for folks on a pension.  I suppose that what is most frustrating about his response is that he appears to be agreeable to our face, stating that he understands what we are saying, but ultimately, he has made absolutely no effort to accommodate us, or to appease us, or to help us.

We even went to see the main guy in nearby Tilaran, at the suggestion of our Priest.  That guy only referred us to the controloria (not sure what the English language/gringo version of this would be, but it’s for complaints and resolution of same) of ICE, who - he says - will give us satisfaction.  So, we called them on May 9 or 10, and tried to give them the whole story.  They said that they would investigate and have a response for us within ten days……………………

The morning after our visit to Tilaran, the ‘coordinator’ of the local office showed up at our house, before we even finished breakfast, along with a tech (who waited for him in the official company truck; he was obviously serving as driver, as per my earlier impressions of this fine organization – see my Blog entry of Wednesday, January 5, 2011, titled:  The Spy Who Came For Dinner (and never left), or The Men From I. C. E).  He told us that he couldn’t sleep the night before for worrying about our situation, and he offered us all sorts of verbal reassurances that he would try to help to resolve our situation.  He wanted to see the water heater, and tried – as do they all – to focus our attention on something within the house being some sort of energy hog.  We both pretty much gave it to him with both barrels, but ultimately had no idea what he thought he was going to do.  He did say that he looked at the meter (I doubt it) and found it to be just fine, with no signs of any sort of tampering.  He tried to say that maybe there is some sort of ‘artifact’ that is intermittently using up too much energy.  I, of course, countered by showing him my printout of the daily meter readings, with their new and much lower average daily use as compared to all the many months since we moved in here.  I offered my opinion that there are probably not even any businesses around here that consume as much energy as we have been billed for over these months.

As of May 23, we received a visit early in the morning from a technician from ICE, who wanted to deliver a letter from Mario, that coordinator at the local ICE office.  We refused delivery, although I did manage to make a copy of the letter.  Essentially, he repeats again that the meter is OK, is well secured (my bad; I was the one who secured the damn thing, back on April 14, remember?  And, incidentally, he knows that fact, because we told him.  As a matter of fact, I asked him repeatedly both in his office, and at our house, why had his meter reader never reported that the meter was not secured, and/or why his meter reader had not secured the meter, but he never once answered me).  His letter also noted that we have a lot of appliances and devices in our house that (obviously) use a lot of electricity.  Apparently, taking a twist on the famous Latin quote (OK, I think it was originally expressed in French by DesCarte as "Je pense, donc ju suis), “cogito, ergo sum,” he has concluded that these things exist, therefore we must be using them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Again, all he wanted is for us to pay the frickin’ bill.  So, we did, borrowing the money from a friend.

I have contacted the Tico Times, hoping that they might be interested in doing an article about this situation, and one of their staff writers is apparently gathering information, but so far…….nada………no response has been received from the Controloria; the letter from Mario is dated May 16, by the way, even though he didn’t try to get it delivered until May 23.  As of August 7, today, there has still been nothing from The Tico Times.

So, here we are.  No longer waiting on tenterhooks for something over which we have absolutely no control; we did wait for ICE to do something, but obviously they have another cash cow here (new math in Costa Rica:  Gringo = $$$).  We find ourselves becoming more and more suspicious of everybody, every day.  We feel that we are no longer able to trust anyone around us – not our neighbors, not our supposed Tico friends, definitely not anyone in any ‘official’ position with ICE.  Our dream of the Pura Vida is pretty much gone, and we will indeed gladly sell out and go back to Texas, if we can just find someone who is better able to cope with all this than we have proven to be.

Didn't See This Coming (Not so soon, anyway!)

Rule No. 1:  Never lose money.

Rule No. 2:  Never forget rule No. 1.  ~ Warren Buffet

NOTE:  This was written some months ago, and has already appeared at Top 10 Costa Rica.  Things have not changed since I wrote it, and ICE has never responded to our complaints, nor have the folks at Tico Times ever followed through, despite numerous emails to the editor and the assigned reporter.

(Part I of II)

When we started the process of applying for residence here in Cost Rica as pensionados, one of the provisions with which we had to comply was to show proof of a monthly income (pension) of at least Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00).  We were able to do this, and that fact alone helped us to be well on the way to legal residence by the time it became necessary for us to actually move here (check back on old posts on my blog to see the sequence of events).

We knew, as does anyone anticipating retirement, that one day we would be faced with the reality of an ever rising cost of living, while our income remained at whatever level it began.  That is what is meant by the term, ‘fixed income.’  The sad fact of life that we have now had to face is that it already appears that the rising cost has started much sooner than anticipated, and in a place where we thought we would be somewhat protected – Cost Rica.  You see, when we started that process, the cost of living was pretty reasonable here.  But, sadly, that is no longer the case.

One of the things we used to brag about to friends and family back in the states, and one of the major factors in our belief that the cost of living was reasonable here was that – for many years – electricity was cheap here.  Guess what?  Not only is it no longer cheap, but the cost of electricity was already too high by the time we arrived here in late April of 2009.  Worse, it continues to climb and there is no rational explanation for this.

The reality is that Ticos still do not make much money themselves.  The reality is that every business of any size that I have ever seen in this country employs way too many workers.  The reality is that I have yet to observe any truly efficient organization in operation in this country.  The reality is that Costa Rica brags to the world about its ‘soon-to-be-reached-goal’ of carbon neutrality, while blithely overusing pesticides and herbicides at a truly staggering rate.  The reality is that Costa Rica – despite truly draconian laws to regulate these things – allows a multitude of over-polluting vehicles to ply its very bad roads, highways, streets, and byways.  The reality is that everything costs too much here!

First, did you know that nationwide there is a 13% sales tax in place?  On each and every single item purchased across the entire nation!  I’ll bet you that is just about the highest you will find anywhere!  Second, did you know that just about every item one might want to purchase in a hardware store, or an electronics store, or a department store, or a novelty store, or a variety store, or even a ‘big box’ store has to be imported into the country?  (And, worse, most of the stuff sold in these stores is imported from China, so you can imagine the quality of the goods).  Because of that importation, you should be aware that Costa Rica imposes large import duties and taxes, and – of course – you, the consumer, have to pay for the transportation costs.

To go back to the lack of efficient organizations here, I know that I have touched on this before, but you should be aware that it is not possible for a new business owner to operate efficiently because Federal law requires that job duties be very sharply defined and limited.  That is why it is necessary to deal with three people in order to purchase one small item in a hardware store, or any of the others listed above.  Now, some family businesses can get away with only the business owner dealing with customers, but that is always going to be a small business, where you are likely to make only one purchase at a time, anyway.

The goal that I have been heading towards here today is this:  Remember that magic $600.00 income level that has to be proved each month?  Well, it is reaching the point where we should be able to do this by showing the folks at Immigration (when it is time to renew our cedulas) just one monthly receipt, the one for electricity.  For the month of January our light bill hit ₡235,983.00 (that’s $471.97 at 500 to the dollar, but since the dollar continues to fall, it was more like $476.00 at the time I paid the bill).

That is frighteningly close to the amount I have to be able to prove having changed, and suggests that serious measures need to be taken to avoid total disaster.  I keep hearing of Ticos and ex-pats who pay less than ₡15,000 per month, and I readily admit that we do use things they obviously do not.  I know that we have an automatic washer and an electric dryer, we have ceiling fans throughout the house, and even on the front porch (hardly ever use those, though).  We have fluorescent (long tube type) light fixtures in the kitchen, both bathrooms, one closet, and the guest bedroom.  We have a large, American refrigerator.  And, then there is this list: toaster, waffle iron (got its first use since we moved here just today, though), coffee maker, blender, and an electric skillet (that gets used a lot), plus a microwave oven that gets a lot of use.  My computer is on most of the day, into the night, with an all-in-one printer/fax/copier, large monitor, and a router, all working constantly.  Large screen plasma TV, and when we are not watching TV, we usually are watching a movie, either streamed (very poorly) or from a DVD, or the PC’s external HDD.  The stereo system, connected to a CD changer, goes much of the day.  Let’s see………what else?  We do have a 220 volt window unit air conditioner that has not been used for more than a year simply because of what its use did to one month’s light bill.  One large yard light burns from dusk to dawn, and there are three motion sensor lights on all night.

Compare us to the Ticos, and you’ll see that they may have a single light bulb hanging from a wire in the ceiling, only a suicide shower head for hot water, maybe a Tico style washer, but no dryer, small (very small) refrigerator that has to be manually defrosted, a Tico style coffee maker that makes only one cup at a time, maybe one outside light that only gets turned on with noise or visitors, no PC, no TV (or only local channels, used for short periods of time), and, that’s pretty much it.  No wonder their light bill is so small.

Meanwhile, day by day, our dream of life in paradise is turning into something else, and I can’t say I like what it is turning into.  Wish us luck.

Here is what ICE currently charges for electrical consumption, per their website:

                                Primeros 200 KWh a                        ¢ 67/kWh

                                De 201 a 300 KWh a                         ¢124/kWh

                                Cada kilovatio adicional                 ¢139/kWh

 And, in American Money, that is:

$0.13 per kWh

$0.25 per kWh

$0.28 per kWh