Never Forget, But Move On

“September 11th” forever changed the world. That is a fact.

The horror of that day should never be forgotten. Those who died and those who responded heroically, and those who grieved should not be forgotten.

But it is time to move on. Never forget, but move on. All of our national decisions cannot be made in the shadow of 9/11. The agony and anger of that day cannot be allowed to shape our national psyche. 9/11 cannot be allowed to change who we are.

There are ways in which the terrorists “won” although they will never know it and it is not the way they planned it. The terrorist acts of 9/11 helped accomplish what no enemy had been able to accomplish in over 200 years: erode the freedoms of American citizens in the name of “patriotism.” That will forever be part of the consequences of 9/11. Once freedoms are taken away they are never regained.

But it is time to move on.

Back at the finca . . .

I know God created the world in seven days – however, I’ve never believed in literal days! – but God is God, and I’m not sure I can finish my late contractor’s unfinished work in 7 days . . . but I’m trying!

So here we are on day 6. El Constructor’s hop loader is busted so my additional sand and gravel hasn’t been delivered: hold up. They could have delivered my cement, but didn’t. There’s no aluminum underground cable in David: it’s all in Panama City and I have to wait ’til Thursday. Why? “There’s a lot of demand due to all the building.” Yeah, so if the demand is so great, why not have some available in David?? And the contractor formerly known as “my contractor” managed to put the drain for the tub in the wrong place in spite of the fact that he had the tub dimensions and almost the tub itself from the beginning since I was providing the tub and wanted to avoid this kind of stupidity. But, “TIP” (”This is Panama!”), so have a drink and hope that tomorrow is better.

But, I appreciate your comments and encouragement, and . . .

It’s time for the mail!

From my friend Dinah Sutton . . .

I guess right now keeping your eyes set on The real “Carpenter’s Son” will help keep this all in perspective…You and I both know that man will always disappoint you and thank goodness that God never will…..so sit back enjoy a glass of wine and some cheese…be glad you are not Brandon Hein who has no say about anything in his daily routine and remember that this too shall pass…We can’t wait to see the house even with all of it’s warts right now…

Dinah, I like your “wine and cheese” theology! You and John are more than welcome anytime!  I am struggling not to be overwhelmed by the negativity of all of this.

From Pantah . . .

Too bad there is not a consumer proactive web site like here. Because of the strict columnia and injuria laws here it won’t happen. Say anything bad about somebody and you have a potential problem. Just today a newspaper has it’s assets FROZEN for reporting what it shouldn’t have. No, not a lawsuit, a FREEZE (Secuestro). If you build here it would wise to learn how the legal system is VERY different. Makes it difficult to learn how the bad guys are.

The “consumer” is a the BOTTOM of the totem pole in Panama! It’s part of “The customer is the enemy” business strategy. It’s why I can’t respond to inquiries about the names of people I have used and have been unhappy with, such as “tell us who you would NOT recommend . . .” but I am learning to do the Panamanian “non-answer” which is to roll your eyes. It’s too bad Panama has such a consumer/customer unfriendly culture; too bad not just for expats but for ordinary Panamanians who have had to put up with this all along, but many have no idea what a customer friendly, pro-active, consumer protective culture is like. The way Panama business operates is just bad business period. It’s not a cultural question, it’s a business question.Now you can chaffe under that, as I do, but ultimately you’ve got to accept it if you want to stay here, and I do. If businesses want to limit their productivity and profit, that’s their decision. But if you have any idea about wanting to relocate to Panama, it is important to understand these many cultural differences before you make the leap.

A few years ago folks wanted the “Tuesday Morning Meeting” to come up with a contractor black list, but, of course, we couldn’t do that since it’s not a “free country” where you can say what you will as long as you don’t “libel” someone in the US-sense of libel. Had we come up with such a list, it would have saved a lot of us a lot of hassle and being swindled out of a lot of money. It would also have put a severe cramp in the “Gringo Bingo!” game.

I know I have knocked the convoluted and inefficient way a lot of Panama does business, but I want to point out someone who is doing it right. I’ve been to MOVISTAR in David twice to order phones, one for me and one for my wife. The entire process was quick, cordial, customer-friendly, efficient and everything was done by computer without a single rubber stamp! It can be done folks, even in Panama!

How “close to the city” is Chiriqui?

Hi Richard, Good up to date site. We love it and are contemplating moving to Panama. What can you tell us about more rural areas. We live in Alaska and prefer to be out away from it all, but close enough to enjoy the city things and neighbors. We were on the other side of Baru for a few days Feb 08′ and loved it. Two & three thousand sq. ft. houses are bigger than we need. Our preference is a couple acres and a two bedroom casa. Is it a little drier on the other side of the mountain? Thanks Shirley and Larry

Well the “other side of the mountain” IS beautiful, and less “discovered” than Boquete, so, at the moment, less expensive. There are houses of ALL sizes in Chiriqui, from 12,000 sq ft (our neighbor’s in Valle Escondido) down to 400 sq ft (our tiny casita in Boca Chica). There are lots of expats who come here and choose to live quite simply and reasonably in small homes. There are a couple of gals who are redoing a little Panamanian house by the river in town and may end up with $75,000 in a project with a beautiful river front view. And, up the road from us in Valle Escondido, there’s a guy building a spec house and I’ve heard he wants $2M. So there really is a great variety available. I really don’t know about the rain on the other side. There are microclimates all around the volcano, so even in Boquete there are differences in the amounts of rain. Chiriqui Chatter (see sidebar for link) may have some information or you can find someone who has a weather station on that side of the mountain.

Cheap rooms . . .

Hi Richard, I’ve heard that it would be possible to rent  at Boquete a room in a hotel or a pension for roughly $500 a month. What do you think? I am not a rich man, and I’m looking for something decent to stay for 2 months.  Thank you for responding. Guildo

Guildo, Possibly a bed in a hostel with shared bath . . . you’re talking about $16 a night including tax.  You might find a rental casita for around $500 a month if you looked around enough . . . try http://www.boquete.org/forum/index.php . . . I know there was someone on there who had an efficiency apartment for $350 a month, but with a 6 month minimum lease.  Most folks with rentals in that price range I think are going to want a longer term rental.  Regards, Richard</em>

Renae sent me this . . . interesting if you are “thinking” about Panama . . .

Each year, more Americans are expatriating to Panama to enjoy the country’s low cost of living and tropical lifestyle — but few realize the country’s problematic judicial system puts many Americans in harm’s way.

“There is often very little recourse for American expatriates in the Panamanian justice system, as it is highly susceptible to bribery and political interference,” said Richard Lehman , a prominent U.S. attorney who’s spent the last two years trying a high-profile expatriate legal case in Panama . “There’s also a very low threshold for filing aggressive legal actions against foreigners, such as arresting persons in advance of a hearing and trial, or attaching preventive injunctions to an individual’s entire personal assets. This makes Americans extremely vulnerable in every civil case, regardless of its legitimacy.

“International nonprofit groups have confirmed widespread corruption in the Panamanian government and judiciary. Transparency International ranks Panama 94th in the world in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index. The Heritage Foundation’s 2008 Index of Economic Freedom gives Panama low ratings in two important categories: corruption (31-percent) and property rights (30-percent).

According to Lehman, the top five legal risks facing expatriates in Panama are:
1. “Calumnia Y Injuria” — The country’s infamous defamation law is open to liberal interpretation and widely misused.
2. “Preventive Injunctions” — Attorneys can easily file injunctions to freeze personal assets with little due process.
3. “Ex Parte Proceedings” — It is allowed for one party in a trial or civil suit to meet with judges and prosecutors without the presence of the opposing party and without notifying them in advance.
4. “Preventive Detention” — Authorities can detain persons for long periods of time without due process.
5. “Corruption” — Bribery, extortion and political interference are widespread.

Lehman is currently defending the Wilson Lucom case in Panama . A highly controversial case, Lehman has spent two years defending the American expatriate’s will, which gifted $50 million to charity.More information at http://www.lehmantaxlaw.com

Lehman is a prominent U.S. attorney specializing in taxation and international law.