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Boquete's Economic Refugees

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panamajames
  8/20/2016 05:17 EST

https://www.thenation.com/article/inequality-has-gotten-so-bad-were-offshoring-our-grandparents/

jonoyakker
  8/20/2016 09:17 EST

A good, balanced article. It is true that the Pensionado visa helps create hardships for locals by forcing businesses to raise prices on others.

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BoqueteGirl
  8/20/2016 09:19 EST

PJ

Good article, thanks for posting. Also, started reading Jolly Roger Social Club. I didn't know that Wild Bill lived for a while in Boquete. Interesting book.

RICOBREEZE802MARK
  8/21/2016 23:35 EST

Yeah I read that piece, I don't see how they can turn that around and point at expats as being the problem. any local at a certain age gets the discounts. expats make up a very small amount of people in this country. First you have to understand where the problem is coming from. Prices around the world have been going up for everything. When I first moved here a pack of marlboro's cost 1.00 ten years later that same pack is 5.00. yes I am a heavy smoker, but, am I to blame for that price? I don't think so.

Now in that piece it stated a man couldn't take his family out to eat like he use too, due to the many expat type places that charged gringo prices. Hum, ok but I bet you can still find a place that serves rice and chicken at lower prices. lets talk about how expats changed boquete. First the land prices there were not that great, so when the first expats started moving in and paying higher prices for that land over night all the locals who owned land were cashing in. Just like when I moved into el valle. I bought and paid a high price for my place, all the sudden word got all over town about the crazy rich gringo that paid 5 times what it was worth. I saw prices here jump from 20.00 per meter to 200.00 plus. I didn't see any locals crying about taking that money, but now they want to cry because they can no longer afford to live in that area?

lets say you have 1500 homes expats own there, and lets say 1000 of those homes hires a yard man, and a lady to clean the house. that just added 2000 FULL TIME JOBS, to that area. who works at all these high priced eating places and who owns them? mainly locals, so every new place, from eating to car repair for those expats, hires local workers. so add another 300 full time jobs.

Now expats have created 2300 full time jobs, and what do many expats do when they are retired? look for something to do with their life skills, many start all kinds of projects for the sole purpose of helping other locals. they work for schools, trying to better them, hospitals, they clean trash, they help teach how to sew, cook, grow food better, they help with dogs and cats. They do things for boquete that the locals can't afford or care to do. all of this, and so much more I believe offsets a expat who ask for a discount, on a already over priced meal. Now if you are a expat and you go to a small mom and pop type place and order a 5.00 meal, you should never ask for a discount, if you do and you are not broke and living on less the 500.00 per month, you should be down right ashamed of yourself.

BUT keep in mind that panama gave those discounts, as well as 30 year tax free on new homes, to pull and to get expats to move here to begin with, for some of the very reasons I posted above.

WMBGamboa
  8/23/2016 09:34 EST

Jubilado discounts are given to all Panamanians, not just to expats. I found that many businesses (resort hotels not included) gave me the discount without my asking for it, even before I got my Jubilado visa or cedula, simply because I look (and am) old.

dumluk
  8/24/2016 11:00 EST

Right on Rico! Well stated............that is a very accurate assessment of the situation........And any gringo/expat who insists on his/her jubilado discount on a $1.25 taxi fare or a 55c bus ride should definately go back to where he/she comes from........I dont want em around me.............and I know a few in David...........

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Lamastus
  8/24/2016 11:52 EST

Me too, but it's usually ones that only come down for 6 months.

Lamastus
  8/24/2016 11:52 EST

Me too, but it's usually ones that only come down for 6 months.

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