A few comments. Yes the retirement visa requires a lot of documents. It took me quite a while to gather it and get it apostilled, etc. Then Argentina didn't like my married name (which is my legal name in the US) and wanted it to say the same as my birth certificate, I went to the Secretary of State in US with that requirement and he said that would take a court case. I passed that back to AR and so they said they would accept it but "you're going to have a lot of trouble with that in Argentina." In short, when I got the final paper to my attorney they literally RAN out the door to immigrations or I would have been over my 6 months cut off and had to start over getting papers It is no walk in the park to do this and it takes a bit of patience--which you have to learn anyway if you're going to live in South America so might as well start right at the beginning.
I'll get in trouble for this, but Argentina is a socialist country and is going broke (in my opinion) providing everything free.
Based on my principles I pay my way here, much to the amazement of Argentines who assure me they will go to the free clinic WITH ME.No Arlean, they say, it is FREE. I appreciate their generosity in being willing to pay for me. However, the sad thing is they don't understand that THEY are paying for me. If I say that they will sweetly argue and say, "No, I don't pay." They don't get it.
I say, " I say okay, if I go, who will pay?" They say "It is free." I say " Oh, do the doctors work for free?" No, they get paid. So then I say then it isn't free. No it is free. Okay if they don't work for free, who pays? I actually had one engineer (no joke) tell me Cristina. I said, "WOW, she must have a LOT of money!"
Oh no, SHE doesn't pay. Me: Well, you said she pays. If she doesn't pay, then who pays? Answer: The System. Me: WHAT system? Them (now impatient): The SYSTEM. Me: Do you mean the GOVERNMENT? (relieved) Yes, the government. Me: Where does the government get the money? Honestly most of them never figured out that it is NOT FREE. And if they are middle class they pay one way or another. If not in taxes they can't figure out that if the government prints up money to pay this stuff, it causes loss of buying power to what they make and everything starts to cost more becauise the currency is diluted and so they end up with another crash and devaluation. Plus now they not only have to pay the medical expense but the bureaucrats that administer it!
If you try to tell them the main cause of inflation is government printing money to pay for stuff they swell up like a toad and say,No, it is because they are stealing it. Well . . . maybe that too. I wouldn't know but I do know what overprinting money does to the economy.
The more people who come in here to take advantage of the (ahem) SYSTEM the sooner the crash. but no matter. I am telling people who want to come here (remember my web site caters to them) that Argentina is heading for a crisis. No matter they are waiting to scoop up the bargains.
Poor Argentina! I love Argentina. It hurts to see her people suffer and the worst of it is, they have no clue. Okay, I'm ready for the brickbats. I know they're on the way. but it is the truth!
