Costa Rica:

Straight AheadSomebody sent me a very interesting article a few days ago about life in Costa Rica. In fact, the person who sent it may well be reading this blog. If so, thanks again for the article. It was very interesting. Apparently, Costa Rica would be a pretty good place to live. Daily living expenses and housing costs are low. Good health care and high-quality consumer goods are relatively accessible. The country is stable. English is one of the official languages. The climate is outstanding. What's not to like about that? I even told Lydia, my wife, all about it. And I'm thinking, "Maybe I'll move there when I retire." But later, I had another thought. Surely, I'm not the only person to have such an idea. Obviously, I wasn't the only person to read this article. So lots of other people are going to have the same thought I had. And they're going to move down there. Housing costs will rise. The country will become more of a target by terrorists. Next thing you know, the price of consumer goods and property will soar, and national instability will set in. Medical care will become snarled in bureaucratic red tape. All the things the people wanted when they moved down there will become a thing of the past. It'll be just like here. (Well, no, not exactly. They won't have Bill Clinton.) I still may move down there, but I'd want to visit first. I know what happens to paradise when too many people start discovering it.