What Costa Rica can do it does

Just two days before departing for Costa Rica and the Costa Rican ambassador to the USA (Roman Macaya) visits our campus. He gave a very good luncheon talk while the audience munched on a fairly good lunch. Costa Rica is a very progressive country and is doing quite well for a "socialist" country. Costa Rica does so many things right it's hard to know where to begin, but deciding way back in 1948 to disband their army is a good start. And of course there's all the free education and medical care, and the fact that their country will be carbon neutral by 2021 because most of their energy is coming from renewable sources. In 1993 ecotourism became their number one source of foreign cash passing coffee and bananas for the 1st time. Now it's medical technology that they export that has become number one. You know, the USA is about ready for a new president, and desperately in need of some new ideas. Wonder if Costa Rica can export any of those to the USA? Interesting that the students in attendance didn't seem upset at all that socialism in spite of the continual rhetoric in the USA against it.

Socialism is the ism dismalest of all

If you don't recognize the title phrase, it's because it's from a Chad Mitchell Trio song from the 60s called "The John Birch Society".  This morning TPP received a very important telephone call from some American Super-Patriot Think Tank (something like that), which means it's funded by some super-PAC and accountable to no one, sort of, not really. They excitedly wanted to tell me about the dangers of socialism as a threat to our 'Mercan way of life and that means Bernie Sanders is running for president. After politely listening for a few moments, TPP asked if this all meant capitalism was at risk?  Yes, yes, most certainly it is. TPP suggested that having seen how badly capitalism was treating this country, its people, and its environment, some change sounds good. BTW they are meeting at the courthouse at 8 o'clock tonight.