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Knowing what I know now, it’s possible that Uruguay may be the best retirement destination you could treat yourself to. Not the cheapest…but the best. (And still at about half the cost of living in North America these days.)
Uruguay offers the very best of Latin America and Europe all rolled up into one surprisingly appealing package.
Unlike much of Latin America (and even parts of Europe these days), it comes with a stable government, a strong economy, and a well-known reputation for personal safety. Its people are warm and welcoming…as is its government.
The process to obtain residency in Uruguay is easy — perhaps that’s because no one in Uruguay is a “local” — everyone can trace their roots back a generation or two to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Germany…
And all of those immigrants learned what I recently learned: That Uruguay has it all, from a rich coast and a bountiful sea full of delectable seafood…to fertile farmland where you can easily grow everything from greens to grapevines (Uruguayan wine rivals those produced in Chile and Argentina). Uruguay also produces record wheat crops and is well-known for its tender, grass-fed beef.
The European heritage in Uruguay remains strong in many ways… from food to music…to the Old World architecture of the cities… as well as in the physical appearance of the people themselves. It’s one of the few places in Latin America where a pale, 6’ 5” guy like me doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
There are little villages in the Uruguayan interior that have been settled by Italians (excellent pasta), Swiss (flavorful cheese), and Germans (delicious bratwurst and potato salad.) I’m told there is even one village, up near the border with Argentina and Brazil, settled by the Irish where almost everyone has red hair.
And a fun fact: Supposedly, as a percentage of the population, there are more left-handed people in Uruguay than most anyplace else. A grade school teacher in Uruguay told us she doesn’t know if that’s because, as some scientists think, lefties are more creative than right-handers. (And Uruguayans are definitely resourceful and creative.) Or if it’s because Uruguayans are so open-minded.
“Instead of trying to change our children into using their right hand,” she says, “we just let them be.”
And that’s one more area where Uruguay stands out: tolerance.
“Uruguayans are very tolerant and inclusive,” one expat says. “I’ve always been uncomfortable in parts of Latin America where there is a distinction between, for instance, the wealthy foreigners and the poor servers. There really isn’t a class division here…and that adds to my quality of life.”
Regards,
Dan Prescher
for The Daily Reckoning
Dan Prescher is a native of Omaha, Neb., and a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Iowa. Since joining International Living in 2001, he and his wife, Suzan Haskins, have lived and worked in Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, and three locations in Mexico. Dan currently lives in Mérida, the capital of Mexico’s state of Yucatan. When not writing, traveling, or hosting International Living events, Dan blogs as Cranky Yank and performs with his band, The Yucatones.
Special Report: Wait until you see what could happen in America next… An unbelievable phenomenon is set to sweep the nation… The railroad, steel, and technology age – this phenomenon triggered them all. And now it’s taking shape again! Watch this special, time-sensitive presentation now for full details on how it could affect your job… your lifestyle… and your wallet. Here’s How…
I flew in to Montreal from an overseas trip the other day and was met by a lady from my office, who had kindly agreed to drive me back home to New Hampshire. At the airport she seemed a little rattled, and it emerged that on her journey from the Granite State she had encountered a “security check” on the Vermont–Quebec border. U.S. officials had decided to impose temporary exit controls on I-91 and had backed up northbound traffic so that agents could ascertain from each driver whether he or she was carrying “monetary instruments” in excess of $10,000. My assistant was quizzed by an agent dressed in the full Robocop and carrying an automatic weapon, while another with a sniffer dog examined the vehicle. Which seems an unlikely method of finding travelers’ checks for $12,000.
Being a legal immigrant, I am inured to the indignities imposed by the U.S. government. (You can’t ask an illegal immigrant for ID, even at the voting booth or after commission of a crime, but a legal immigrant has to have his green card on him even when he’s strolling in the woods behind his house.) And indeed, for anyone familiar with the curious priorities of officialdom, there is a certain logic in an agency that has failed to prevent millions of illegal aliens from entering the country evolving smoothly into an agency that obstructs law-abiding persons from exiting the country.
But my assistant felt differently. A couple of days later, I was zipping through a DVD of The Great Escape, trying to locate a moment from that terrific wartime caper that I wished to refer to in a movie essay.
….read more HERE
Mike’s Goofy: {mp3}mtaug292012{/mp3}
Ed Note: The article below describes the mood in a middle-class suburban US city. A clip from:
“I expect the crowd in power to destroy everything…”
There is an absolute collapse of faith in our systems and in the guy they helped put into office. These folks who were so quick to believe the press in ’08 and to believe in “hope and change” are now willfully believing the absolute worst. While I was getting my grey washed away I heard about local goings-on that I won’t write about here until I check it out for myself, because I don’t know what is real and what is paranoid fantasy or conspiracy theory. But the thing is, the anxiety is real, the doubt is real, as is the willingness to believe the absolute worst of all of our institutions — the press, the churches, the government. These folks are utterly convinced that the only thing that is going to be installed come next January is chaos and oppression. They’ll vote for Romney (“assuming there is an election and we’re allowed to vote and the vote is actually counted…”) simply because he’s not Obama, but they’re convinced that America’s best days are over.
….read it all HERE
After swallowing a $535 Million Taxpayer Loan Guarantee Solyndra went bankrupt. 1,000’s of employees were let go, vendors were left high and dry, hundreds of millions of dollars were lost — and millions of glass tubes were abandoned in a San Jose warehouse. But wait, fortunately Oakland architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello used 1,368 of the glass tubes to create “SOL Grotto,” an architectural sculpture on display in the lush grounds of the University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley.
But “SOL Grotto” has generated the most publicity as the source of a fresh wave of criticism by conservative commentators and House Republicans, who have long held up Solyndra, which was awarded the $535 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, as a prime example of wasteful spending by the Obama administration. Some of those critics are now blasting “SOL Grotto” as the world’s most expensive piece of taxpayer-funded artwork, even though a bankruptcy court determined that the glass tubes no longer had value.
….the entire story HERE
Maximus 1
Summary:
Maximinus I -235-238 AD, the Roman Emperor had what appeared to be an intense hatred of Rome itself. We see the same economic problems back then as we see today. As taxes rose and government expenditure rose debasing currency, things were just nuts.
Maximinus I rising through the ranks as a soldier was a natural selection for government employees demanding money. He took the approach of the government employee. He by no means sought to reduce the pay of government employees, instead he doubled the soldiers’ pay, raised taxes to pay for his troops and declared that all wealth simply belonged to the emperor .
Maximinus I had networks of spies, who were people eager to hunt down the rich and despised them for their wealth. This network of spies indeed was not much different where today in the United States the government offers a reward of 10% of someone’s property if it proves they did not pay their taxes. This is precisely what Maximinus was doing, and it undermined the economy to such an extent, that wealth was hoarded being driven underground and the VELOCITY of money collapsed. No doubt, unemployment rose sharply under such conditions. Commerce was deeply affected as a depression set in.
Maximinus I (235-238AD)
Maximinus I (235-238AD) is said to have been the first soldier who rose through the ranks to become Emperor. He was also from Thrace in Greece and is said to have been a shepherd before joining the army. With Hindsight, many considered that he was really a barbarian whose parents merely crossed the border into Thrace unable to rationalize his behavior as a Roman citizen. This was largely a position taken to explain what appeared to be an intense hatred of Rome itself. Under Severus Alexander, he had risen to command the Army of the Rhine. Severus and his mother were murdered while in Germany at Moguntiacum (Mainz). The Rhine Army then proclaimed Maximinus I Emperor of the Roman Empire.
Obviously, the Decline and Fall of Rome was underway. When an emperor tried to reduce government expenditures, the troops rioted as we see in Greece today but back then they murdered the presiding emperor such as Pertinax (193AD) and Macrinus (218AD). We see the same economic problems back then as we see today. It was in 238AD that a group of landowners rebelled against the rising imperial taxation killing the tax collectors. As taxes rose and government expenditure rose debasing currency, things were just nuts. Maximinus I rising through the ranks as a soldier was a natural selection for government employees demanding money. He took the approach of the government employee. He by no means sought to reduce the pay of government employees, instead, he raised taxes to pay for his troops and even went much further. Maximinus’ three actions against the people were very Marxist in those days regarding ALL wealth now belonged to the state! He was desperate for money and those rich bastards were going to cough up everything! Maximinus had doubled the soldiers’ pay, and the military needed additional funds for road-building to maintain control. He also appropriated ornaments from public places and temples. Can you imagine the government coming into your church and taking anything of value to pay for government employee wages? This led to a great tumult resulting in many massacres in defense of religion. In opposing those who had supported Emperor Severus Alexander, Maxininus I ordered Christians to be persecuted.
Maximinus I used Conspiracy, a crime still used by the United States yet abandoned in Europe, Russia, and even China. Conspiracy is the law of tyrants, for it allows the conviction of someone for a crime they did not commit, nor even attempted to commit but you claim they “intended” purely as a mental state to commit in the future. Maximinus I engaged in legal persecution. Thus, the criminal law became (1) committing the act, (2) attempting to commit the act, and then (3) there is Conspiracy which is claimed you have only “intended” to commit the act in your mind, which cannot be proven and typically requires extorting a confession by force. Using conspiracy, the law of tyrants, Maximinus I effectively tore the Roman economy apart at its seams. He charged a noted Senator by the name of Magnus, with conspiracy against the emperor, found him guilty, executed him, and then arrested 4,000 others claiming they conspired with him to depose him. He then used the criminal law to claim they committed a crime of conspiracy, and that of course justified confiscating all their property as well.
The second act of Maximinus I was to declare that all wealth simply belonged to the emperor in a communistic fashion. What took place, however, was the complete breakdown of society. Wealth was driven underground and money now was hoarded causing VELOCITY to collapse as cash flow in circulation vanished and hoarding prevailed. This caused the economy to implode as commerce ceased, fostering an economic depression, which naturally reduced tax revenues. Maximinus I did not stop with simply private wealth. Maximinus I ordered the wealth of all temples to be confiscated as well. Countless died in defense of their religious beliefs. Not even the gods were respected by Maximinus I whose view was they never answered prayers because they did not exist.
Where there had once been golden statues of former Emperors, here also, Maximinus ordered their seizure so they could then be melted down. The Rule of Law collapsed and Historia Augusta tells us that he ”condemned all whoever came to trial”and that he “reduced the richest men to utter poverty.” The USA conviction rate today is about 99%. The courts abandoned the people as they have done so again in the USA. There was truly nothing left. Nowhere could a person turn for justice. With the people under siege from their own government, they hoarded wealth to conceal it from state spies. This caused a collapse in VELOCITY of money flow as commerce foundered sending the economy into a Great Depression spiral. This was open warfare against the possession of wealth.
When rebellion began in Africa against the imperial taxation of Maximinus I, the people proclaimed two men Emperor in 238AD, Gordian I and Gordian II. Both were from a wealthy Roman family that held large tracts of land in Africa and were thus directly affected. Both men had been former Consuls, and thus were highly respected among the people. Gordian I was 81 years old. He accepted the Purple reluctantly, only with his son as co-emperor. Both were quickly confirmed by the Senate of Rome itself, which clearly now marked their break with Maximinus I. However, the governor of Numidia was loyal to Maximinus I and marched on Carthage where the Gordians were and defeated the younger Gordian in Battle causing the father to then committed suicide. Their reign lasted only three weeks during the month of April 238AD.
Maximinius I was now marching upon Rome itself given the Senate’s support for the Gordians. He had never bothered to even visit Rome, giving support to these who claimed he was a barbarian. Maximinus’s reputation was one of a ruthless and cruel man that struck fear in hearts of the people. Maximinius had networks of spies, who were people eager to hunt down the rich and despised them for their wealth. This network of spies indeed was not much different where today in the United States the government offers a reward of 10% of someone’s property if it proves they did not pay their taxes. This is precisely what Maximinus was doing, and it undermined the economy to such an extent, that wealth was hoarded being driven underground and the VELOCITY of money collapsed. No doubt, unemployment rose sharply under such conditions. Commerce was deeply affected as a depression set in.
The Senate of Rome was now in a state of panic. With the defeat of the Gordians, they knew Maximinus I would now march against Rome itself and seek vengeance against the Senate all their lives and property would be forfeit. Panic swept through the Senate and thus they quickly now enacted legislation declaring Maximinus I was a public enemy out of desperation. However, the Senate then elected two of their own members to defend against Maximinus I. They then elected Pupienus (238AD) and Balbinus (238AD) as joint rulers.
Pupienus had risen through the ranks of the military and was selected to take an army and head north to confront Maximinius I who was now marching upon Rome. Pupienus was adopting a scorched earth policy. Maximinus I decided to take the northern city of Aquileia. This siege delayed his advance. Meanwhile, Rome was in a stage of complete panic. Balbinus stayed in the city of Rome, but the mob was rioting fearing the worst. Historia Augusta tells us Balbinus is said to have issued “a thousand edicts” that were just ignored by the people who even stormed the imperial palace, but were rebuffed. Anyone suspected of being rich or hiding money was attacked, their homes plundered, and were murdered on the streets. The rich became the hated enemy as under socialism/communism and Maximinus’ policies now justified these actions as supported by law no matter how unjust. There was no Rule of Law. Rome nearly ended in a sea of blood motivated by class-warfare.
Maximinus I was now laying siege to Aquileia where people defended the city with their lives. There was no debate. Legend even tells us that the women cut their hair to make bow strings. The citizens scorched the surroundlng land to deprive Maximinus of supplies. To the shock of everyone, the valor of the common citizens could not be overcome by the troops of Maximinus. Thus, his own men, humiliated by the common citizens of Aquileia, now entered the tent of Maximinus and murdered him. To demonstrate their new loyality to Rome, they cut-off his head and sent it to Rome. This was the first time that the Senate showed any courage since the age of Augustus (27BC-14AD). In their celebration, the Senate spoke unwisely and insulted the soldiers while patting themselves on the back.
“So fare emperors wisely chosen, so perish emperors chosen by fools.”
The army was outraged. In retaliation, they dragged Balbinus and Pupienus from the palace and executed them on the streets of Rome. They then hailed Gordian III (238-244AD) as the new emperor. Some soldiers stormed even the Senate. But the senators were now all armed and struck down the soldiers as they entered the chamber. It appeared Rome would be plunged once again into civil war. But the soldiers accepted Gordian III provided he ruled alone despite the fact he was about 13 to 16 years of age.
Nevertheless, Maximinus had seriously disrupted the entire economy. The VELOCITYof money came to a near halt as spies were everywhere and people were afraid to show any wealth at all. This economic implosion was similar to the Communists taking Russia or China.
Titles and Powers, A.D. 235-238 AD
Tribunician Power Imp Acclamation Consul Titles
235 TR.P. IMP. AUGUSTUS P.M. P.P.
236 TR.P.II. COS.
237 TR.P.III.
238 TR.P.IIII.
**Note: Maximinus’ tribunician power was subsequently renewed each year on January 1st.
Monetary System
Early Portrait Similar to Severus Alexander
Mints: Rome
Obverse Legends:
IMP . MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG.
MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG . GERM.Portraits of Maximinus I
Due to the speed of events that brought Maximinus to power, the moneyers of Rome did not know what the new emperor looked like. At first, a stylized portrait similar to Severus Alexander was used. This is usually found with the reverse of “VICTORIA AVG” pictured above. Finally, as the image of Maximinus became known, we find that the portraiture on his later coinage is drastically changed showing the emperor in a much more realistic style.
DENOMINATIONS
AU Aureus (6.54 grams)
AU Quinarius
AR Denarius (Early portrait sim Sev Alex 2.8-3.2 grams)
AR Denarius (Later portrait of himself 3.2-3.54 grams)
AR Quinarius
Æ Sesterius 21.65 grams
Æ Dupondius 10.43 grams
Æ AsÆ Tetradrachm, Egypt (14.2 grams)
Monetary History of the Worldby Martin A. Armstrong
© Princeton Economic Institute
Recently, in a movie theatre in downtown Toronto, the audience was suffering through the pre-movie ads when a familiar message from Scotiabank flashed on the screen: “You’re richer than you think.” That’s when one heckler loudly offered, “Not anymore!” and the theatre erupted in laughter. It turns out that was one of the tamer responses to the ad, which is playing to mocking audiences in Cineplex theatres across the country. In Vancouver, where condo prices are crashing, the ad has been met by obscenities and even the hurling of soft drinks.
Now that the Canadian Air Farce is also making jokes, as the author of the line “We’re richer than you think”, the Bank of Nova Scotia is backing away from the slogan. Since translated it probably means “You Have Equity In Your House” a situation now under seige in Vancouver and other Canadian cities, The BNS in its most recent ads is trying out a new line “Make the most of what you have.” In a recent investment ad the old line is buried deeply at the bottom of a big block of text.
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