HenryNisental
Registered
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2009
- Messages
- 1,108
- Likes
- 652
Here were my criteria
- a country where I speak the language in varying levels of comfort
(english, spanish, portuguese, mandarin, french)
- large english-speaking percentage of population, making it e
asy for friends and family
- low population density
- transparent government (low corruption)
- not a target for terrorism
- no adventurist/aggressive foreign policy
- protected from airborne illnesses
- not involved in armed conflict
- relatively low cost of labor
- olive oil and wine producer
- low violent crime rate
- positive business environment
- extremely rare incidence of venomous snakes, spiders, or insects
- A stable government possessing a low likelihood of upheaval
- Beautiful, varied landscapes
- A positive place to raise children
- A high level of education
- The ability for expatriates to invest in and / or own Real Estate
- A government with a strong respect for personal wealth
- A government that understands the importance of a free market and
jobs creation
- A privatized social security system
- The ability to import personal belongings without penalties
- A country that is heavily infused with European elements
- The ability of us to obtain visas and work in our new homeland
- Ease of importing family pets
- Lack of widespread diseases.
- A relatively low number of disease-carrying insects or other pests
- ready availability of organic, non-GMO produce, with outdoor markets
- opportunity for gamefowl hunting
- A clean, hospitable environment and culture
- outdoor culture
- sacred property ownership rights - even for non-citizens
- ease of receiving retirement/pension from home country of our elders
- stable, minimally-leveraged banking system
- Excellent, stable internet / telecom infrastructure
- Mild, moderate weather with four distinct seasons
(preferably Mediterrenean-style, with diurnal variation)
- on or near the sea
- affordable land
- rich, arable soil
- net food + water exporter
- not near its carrying capacity
- high food production per capita
- quality roads
- low pollution
- healthy, happy, sustainable ratio of sunshine days to rainfall days
- sustainable practices (in agriculture, business, and personal behavior)
- quality, affordable healthcare
- availability of international schools
- ease and cheapness of domestic travel
- modern amenities
- rich cultural activities
- proximity to ski resorts
- not tropical
- proximity to sailing opportunities
- natural beauty
- ease for pensioners/retirees to receive their IRA/Social Security/401K
- high quality, affordable healthcare system
- healthy, wholesome environment
- cheap availability of quality, fresh fish and seafood
- small, low-funded government that can't afford to regulate or nanny me
- population with high literacy
- loose gun laws, and solid gun rights
- weak or non-existent organized crime organization(s)
- civil, stable populace
- self-sufficient populace
- diverse agricultural zones, to produce diverse agriculture
- unlabeled wine bottles, cloudy olive oil, still-quivering fish and
seafood, and all the sailing I can handle
- less-intrusive, less-regulatory government
- population doesn't hate Americans
- landmass must be large, but not too large, or too small
- large enough to be able to do long road trips
- abundance of water
- high quality of life
- reasonable cost of living
- population to be majority centrist, and not overwhelmingly socialist
or hostile to free enterprise
Thanks to Blake Sawyer (whom I don't typically listen to), I recently
added some Fukushima-inspired factors:
- southern hemisphere, because air in northern hemisphere air virtually
doesn't mix with southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because ocean currents of northern hemisphere
virtually don't mix with southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 95% of pollution is generated in
the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 85% of rain forests (a natural
pollution filter) are in the southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because there are water shortages in
the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because there are only two operational reactors
in the entire southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because fukushima and depleted uranium continue
to be a problem in the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 96% of storm-related deaths are in the
northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because majority of population is in the
northern hemisphere, and can't feed itself
- southern hemisphere, because climate is far milder (less wild)
in southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because life expectancy is much, much higher
With those criteria in place, the exercise was fascinating,
because candidates that I thought were strong, quickly fell off the list.
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Croatia, New Zealand, Uruguay,
Costa Rica, Belize, all failed. This unknown country kept rising up the list,
until it knocked New Zealand out for top spot. Like doing a dot-to-dot,
all of a sudden, Chile appeared. Chile fired on ALL cylinders above.
A few observations:
Cost of living. Cost of housing (buy or rent) in Santiago is absurdly,
astronomically expensive. Once you get out of Santiago, you'd be amazed
at what you can get. You can get a great one-bedroom in Viña del Mar
(the tony town 5 miles up the road from Valparaiso) with incredible ocean
views for $750 a month, furnished. For $1500 a month, you can get huge,
3-4 bedroom furnished apartments with equally nice views in Viña del Mar.
However, Viña del Mar is a bit new and artificial for our taste; My wife and
I prefer the bohemian Valparaiso for its cultural scene, restaurants, bars,
microbreweries, colored houses jumbled on top of each other in the hills,
the sparkling jewel-like quality of her hills at night, the incredible
walking tours with the largest collection of pedestrian funiculars in the
world, and some great, old houses can be rented for a song. Plus everything
we need is walkable nearby. We brought my in-laws, though, and they are much
happier being elderly in Viña. Used car prices are on par with what you would
pay for the same in the U.S. We purchased a loaded Japanese 4x4 SUV in Santiago,
costing within +/- $2000 of what we would have paid in the US.
Gun rights. Chile has loose gun laws compared to its neighbors.
Each household can have up to eight guns. That means your 10-month older
can be the proud owner of a Mossberg. There is a permit and registration process,
but it's easy. cheap, and navigable. Only drawback is that no 'military-style'
weapons are allowed (i.e.: AR, AK, etc.)
Stable political climate. Because Chile has already experienced oppressive,
bloodthirsty government through both radical marxism (Allende), and radical
fascism (Pinochet), the Chilean political environment is centrist.
Currently, they have a center-right president. Next election, they'll have a
center-left president. NO consecutive terms are allowed for president.
As a result of Allende and Pinochet, the Chilean people harbor an innate,
healthy mistrust of government, and do what they can to prevent the government
from amassing more power. As a result, government employees (public servants)
consider themselves advocates of the people, rather than blind enforcers.
I've gotten pulled over a few times for not having a complete set of documentation
in my car, and rather than writing me a ticket, they simply tell me to go back
home and put it my car.
It's civil. Chile is largely made up of a very civil society. Yes, they have
their share of angst-ridden marxist graffiti taggers, and thefts of opportunity,
but the real wake-up call for me was when the earthquakes of 2010 arrived,
rather than mass-looting, riots, and rapes in the street, Chileans were quite
civil and orderly, helping their fellow man when needs arose. Contrast that
against a natural disaster occurring in any major city in the U.S.
It's not Argentina. Chile has the benefit, if blessing, of having Argentina
as its next-door neighbor, so they are reminded on a daily basis of exactly
what NOT to do - whether it be monetary policy, economic policy, export tariffs,
resentment toward the private sector, press intimidation, civil rights, allowing
unions to hogtie the country, import duties, subsidies, and foreign entanglements
to distract from problems at home (Falkland Is.).
Stable monetary policy / system. Chile contrasts itself so sharply from most of
its South American neighbors. It has the most open market in the southern hemisphere,
a free press, low/no export tariffs, and it actually has two forms of
currency - the paper peso, which is loosely pegged to the dollar, but
like the Hong Kong dollar, it may de-peg, if the Fed continues its destructive
path downward, and the other form of currency is the UF (unidad de foment).
The UF is not available in paper, but rather is a benchmark for valuation.
Real estate, insurance premiums, and more are typically priced in UF.
The UF is not pegged in any way to the Peso. Rather, it is considered
inflation-proof, and is supposedly politically immune from influence.
One UF equals fifty US dollars. Chile, because of the stable environment
over the last couple of decades, has fostered a rich environment of saving and
investing, so there is a lot of faith in the banking system, and you have the
option to hold your assets denominated in UF, rather than Pesos.
- a country where I speak the language in varying levels of comfort
(english, spanish, portuguese, mandarin, french)
- large english-speaking percentage of population, making it e
asy for friends and family
- low population density
- transparent government (low corruption)
- not a target for terrorism
- no adventurist/aggressive foreign policy
- protected from airborne illnesses
- not involved in armed conflict
- relatively low cost of labor
- olive oil and wine producer
- low violent crime rate
- positive business environment
- extremely rare incidence of venomous snakes, spiders, or insects
- A stable government possessing a low likelihood of upheaval
- Beautiful, varied landscapes
- A positive place to raise children
- A high level of education
- The ability for expatriates to invest in and / or own Real Estate
- A government with a strong respect for personal wealth
- A government that understands the importance of a free market and
jobs creation
- A privatized social security system
- The ability to import personal belongings without penalties
- A country that is heavily infused with European elements
- The ability of us to obtain visas and work in our new homeland
- Ease of importing family pets
- Lack of widespread diseases.
- A relatively low number of disease-carrying insects or other pests
- ready availability of organic, non-GMO produce, with outdoor markets
- opportunity for gamefowl hunting
- A clean, hospitable environment and culture
- outdoor culture
- sacred property ownership rights - even for non-citizens
- ease of receiving retirement/pension from home country of our elders
- stable, minimally-leveraged banking system
- Excellent, stable internet / telecom infrastructure
- Mild, moderate weather with four distinct seasons
(preferably Mediterrenean-style, with diurnal variation)
- on or near the sea
- affordable land
- rich, arable soil
- net food + water exporter
- not near its carrying capacity
- high food production per capita
- quality roads
- low pollution
- healthy, happy, sustainable ratio of sunshine days to rainfall days
- sustainable practices (in agriculture, business, and personal behavior)
- quality, affordable healthcare
- availability of international schools
- ease and cheapness of domestic travel
- modern amenities
- rich cultural activities
- proximity to ski resorts
- not tropical
- proximity to sailing opportunities
- natural beauty
- ease for pensioners/retirees to receive their IRA/Social Security/401K
- high quality, affordable healthcare system
- healthy, wholesome environment
- cheap availability of quality, fresh fish and seafood
- small, low-funded government that can't afford to regulate or nanny me
- population with high literacy
- loose gun laws, and solid gun rights
- weak or non-existent organized crime organization(s)
- civil, stable populace
- self-sufficient populace
- diverse agricultural zones, to produce diverse agriculture
- unlabeled wine bottles, cloudy olive oil, still-quivering fish and
seafood, and all the sailing I can handle
- less-intrusive, less-regulatory government
- population doesn't hate Americans
- landmass must be large, but not too large, or too small
- large enough to be able to do long road trips
- abundance of water
- high quality of life
- reasonable cost of living
- population to be majority centrist, and not overwhelmingly socialist
or hostile to free enterprise
Thanks to Blake Sawyer (whom I don't typically listen to), I recently
added some Fukushima-inspired factors:
- southern hemisphere, because air in northern hemisphere air virtually
doesn't mix with southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because ocean currents of northern hemisphere
virtually don't mix with southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 95% of pollution is generated in
the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 85% of rain forests (a natural
pollution filter) are in the southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because there are water shortages in
the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because there are only two operational reactors
in the entire southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because fukushima and depleted uranium continue
to be a problem in the northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because 96% of storm-related deaths are in the
northern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because majority of population is in the
northern hemisphere, and can't feed itself
- southern hemisphere, because climate is far milder (less wild)
in southern hemisphere
- southern hemisphere, because life expectancy is much, much higher
With those criteria in place, the exercise was fascinating,
because candidates that I thought were strong, quickly fell off the list.
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Croatia, New Zealand, Uruguay,
Costa Rica, Belize, all failed. This unknown country kept rising up the list,
until it knocked New Zealand out for top spot. Like doing a dot-to-dot,
all of a sudden, Chile appeared. Chile fired on ALL cylinders above.
A few observations:
Cost of living. Cost of housing (buy or rent) in Santiago is absurdly,
astronomically expensive. Once you get out of Santiago, you'd be amazed
at what you can get. You can get a great one-bedroom in Viña del Mar
(the tony town 5 miles up the road from Valparaiso) with incredible ocean
views for $750 a month, furnished. For $1500 a month, you can get huge,
3-4 bedroom furnished apartments with equally nice views in Viña del Mar.
However, Viña del Mar is a bit new and artificial for our taste; My wife and
I prefer the bohemian Valparaiso for its cultural scene, restaurants, bars,
microbreweries, colored houses jumbled on top of each other in the hills,
the sparkling jewel-like quality of her hills at night, the incredible
walking tours with the largest collection of pedestrian funiculars in the
world, and some great, old houses can be rented for a song. Plus everything
we need is walkable nearby. We brought my in-laws, though, and they are much
happier being elderly in Viña. Used car prices are on par with what you would
pay for the same in the U.S. We purchased a loaded Japanese 4x4 SUV in Santiago,
costing within +/- $2000 of what we would have paid in the US.
Gun rights. Chile has loose gun laws compared to its neighbors.
Each household can have up to eight guns. That means your 10-month older
can be the proud owner of a Mossberg. There is a permit and registration process,
but it's easy. cheap, and navigable. Only drawback is that no 'military-style'
weapons are allowed (i.e.: AR, AK, etc.)
Stable political climate. Because Chile has already experienced oppressive,
bloodthirsty government through both radical marxism (Allende), and radical
fascism (Pinochet), the Chilean political environment is centrist.
Currently, they have a center-right president. Next election, they'll have a
center-left president. NO consecutive terms are allowed for president.
As a result of Allende and Pinochet, the Chilean people harbor an innate,
healthy mistrust of government, and do what they can to prevent the government
from amassing more power. As a result, government employees (public servants)
consider themselves advocates of the people, rather than blind enforcers.
I've gotten pulled over a few times for not having a complete set of documentation
in my car, and rather than writing me a ticket, they simply tell me to go back
home and put it my car.
It's civil. Chile is largely made up of a very civil society. Yes, they have
their share of angst-ridden marxist graffiti taggers, and thefts of opportunity,
but the real wake-up call for me was when the earthquakes of 2010 arrived,
rather than mass-looting, riots, and rapes in the street, Chileans were quite
civil and orderly, helping their fellow man when needs arose. Contrast that
against a natural disaster occurring in any major city in the U.S.
It's not Argentina. Chile has the benefit, if blessing, of having Argentina
as its next-door neighbor, so they are reminded on a daily basis of exactly
what NOT to do - whether it be monetary policy, economic policy, export tariffs,
resentment toward the private sector, press intimidation, civil rights, allowing
unions to hogtie the country, import duties, subsidies, and foreign entanglements
to distract from problems at home (Falkland Is.).
Stable monetary policy / system. Chile contrasts itself so sharply from most of
its South American neighbors. It has the most open market in the southern hemisphere,
a free press, low/no export tariffs, and it actually has two forms of
currency - the paper peso, which is loosely pegged to the dollar, but
like the Hong Kong dollar, it may de-peg, if the Fed continues its destructive
path downward, and the other form of currency is the UF (unidad de foment).
The UF is not available in paper, but rather is a benchmark for valuation.
Real estate, insurance premiums, and more are typically priced in UF.
The UF is not pegged in any way to the Peso. Rather, it is considered
inflation-proof, and is supposedly politically immune from influence.
One UF equals fifty US dollars. Chile, because of the stable environment
over the last couple of decades, has fostered a rich environment of saving and
investing, so there is a lot of faith in the banking system, and you have the
option to hold your assets denominated in UF, rather than Pesos.
