Advisory Services for Ex-Pats to Chile

Freedom in the World Ratings

2012-01-26T13:42:00.000-03:00

For the last 40 years, the Freedom in the World report has been published by a Washington, D.C.-based political science think tank that specializes in analyzing political freedom around the world. The ratings focus on civil liberties, freedom of the press, rule of law and political rights. The links to the main report may be found here and here. Chile is one of the four dozen countries in the world which has received the highest ratings in all categories. Other countries that share this prestige include:

Americas
USA
Canada
Chile
Uruguay
Costa Rica
Bahamas
Barbados
Dominica
St. Kitts and Nevis
Santa Lucia
Puerto Rico

Eastern Europe
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Lithuania
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia

Western Europe
All 25 countries except Italy, Greece, Monaco and (especially) Turkey

Rest of the World
New Zealand
Australia

Cape Verde

Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
Palau
Tuvalu

There are probably several ways that one might interpret these ratings. "Democracy" certainly has not always produced the best results or most effective conditions for living in a free society. The Draconian rule of the USA or the interventionism and socialism of Australia and Europe can testify to that fact. So does violation of property rights through abortion or things like drug confiscation in most of the countries listed above. But it is interesting that most of the places that expats consider going (with the notable exception of Panama) all boast top ratings in every category of this study.

     Sovereign Man is launching its resilient community in Chile in February. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you.
     Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
   Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Chile Rises to 7th in Freedom Index

2012-01-12T15:00:00.001-03:00

The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. just released its latest Economic Freedom rankings. Chile has jumped to 7th place, no surprise to me. What is surprising to me is that socialistic Australia is somehow in 3rd place and, almost as bad, Canada is in 6th. Note the rankings of other blog list favorites: New Zealand 4th, Estonia 16th, Uruguay 29th and Panama 55th. The USA is barely hanging in the top ten nowadays. The only surprise there is why it is so highly ranked. If Ron Paul wins we might leave it there. Otherwise, push it down where it belongs!

P.S. I hope you don't have to stay in the land of the free too much longer. There are better options. Chile is one of them.

Sovereign Man is launching its resilient community in Chile in February. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you.
Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Banking Secrecy in Chile

2011-12-24T21:47:00.002-03:00

   Chile is not usually considered among the elite banking places in the world. Banking is neither cheap nor lightly regulated for the benefit of account holders like Hong Kong, Singapore, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Jersey, etc. However, Chile does offer some benefits (as I have covered in earlier posts): (1) it is a good place to store assets in safe deposit boxes (like gold) for those who are residents or citizens, (2) it is a good place to by tax-advantaged, over-funded life insurance policies and (3) it provides a good means to hold Chilean pesos or accounts denominated in inflation-proof UF units.
   Chile also offers one other important benefit: banking secrecy. Not even the local tax authorities are allowed to pry into bank accounts and examine deposits or withdrawals to verify income issues or asset activities. The central bank does require that recipients of foreign wire transfers declare the origin or source of funds. But all in-country transactions are completely private. Here is a translation of the gist of what the Chilean legislation states:
   "According to the General Banking Act, information on deposits [held in Chilean bank accounts], and deposits received by banks, must be kept secret and can only be disclosed to the account holders or those whom they have authorized. If this information is disclosed, the law will punish an offender with sentences that include the possibility of jail time, although the law allows judges to request information when it is relevant in a legal case under investigation wherein it is necessary to know the banking operations which have been made by the owners of such deposits."
   I am sure that if a court were to issue an order during a criminal investigation a bank would be forced to divulge account information. But such doings are uncommon. I am also sure that even requests from friendly nations like the United States will not result in immediate divulging of information, other than perhaps (in extreme cases) that an account exists. In Chile, people can bank in secret without fear of invasion of financial privacy. It is just another of the long list of reasons why Chile tops the list of preferred choices for expatriates.

     Sovereign Man is launching its resilient community in Chile in February. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you.
     Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
   Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Chile Praised in the Financial Times

2011-11-29T15:53:00.001-03:00

"Wealth brings changing priorities" is the title of this special report on Chile in Financial Times (October 4, 2011). Sure, there has been a lot of unrest by leftist activists this year. To outsiders, that fact probably seems curious for the wealthiest, least corrupt and most stable country in the region.

The report claims that the free market economy of Chile has been working fine. There is indeed no doubt about it. "You can't argue with success." The problem is that people are getting wealthier and, as such, have begun to demand more social services. In order words, Marxists now have too much free time on their hands. I wish they would just shut up and go back to work but at least we can be content that they are prospering so much that they can take time out to stretch their legs and protest.

"Since 1990, Chile has reduced poverty from 42 per cent to 15 per cent of the population." That is a remarkable testament to what capitalism coupled with the rule of law can do! Of course the rich have gotten really rich over that same period, far outstripping gains by the poor. But who cares? Life is far better now for everyone in Chile. I hope we gain ten more billionaires this year. What country would you rather live in: one with three billionaires or one with fifty?

Economic growth has been clipping along at 8% this year after showing 5% in 2010. That is impressive. You should come down here from the economic doldrums where you live just to feel and remember what it is like to be in a bustling, booming economic situation.

It is so "bad" here that my wealthy clients come down and cannot always find an apartment. And you thought that escaping from America would be easy? Apartments are all renting so fast based on overwhelming demand. And there is no lack of cranes in Santiago creating an ever-growing supply of new apartments. It leaves one wondering where the people are getting all the money needed to buy these units.

It is an interesting economic phenomenon that people who have a good life are never satisfied with what they have. They always want more. And so it is in Chile. All the good jobs, low unemployment, plethora of educational opportunities, rising social status at home and abroad, greater domestic and foreign travel potential, better incomes and overall better quality of life and fueling greater uneasiness than ever before.

It is simply wonderful to see. At some point, the Marxists and leftists will tire of what they are doing and maybe end up being ignored altogether. They are like spoiled children in a Bel-Air who are complaining that their classmates have better candy and toys than they do. I mean this place is booming for everyone despite the fact that less than two years have passed since a massive 8.8 earthquake and tsunami devastated much of the country. Isn't that remarkable?

The leftists are also envious and upset since they were wrong and the more libertarian minded folks were right. Their leader Allende would have brought incredible disaster upon Chile (even worse than it was under him in 1973) and they hate to admit it. Instead they have the serendipity of living with the benefits of their archenemy, capitalism. Chile has now joined the elite group of OECD "rich" countries while its far more Marxist neighbors languish is relative poverty, corruption and stagnation. Anyone need a comparison study? Chile can stack up against any country in the Western Hemisphere.

The Financial Times report even goes so far as to call Chile "The Switzerland of Latin America." I think that sentiment may be going a bit too far in some ways, but Chile certainly does have a strong currency and solid banking system (insofar as fiat systems go, that is). There are plenty of banks and insurance companies, but the fees are high, suggesting a lack of competition or the presence of over-regulation. It is not a bad place to store precious metals, if you can qualify for a safe deposit box that is. Overall, there is still room for improvement in a good overall system that works well.

Chile is fiscally conservative for sure, maybe even better than Switzerland, since it has no national debt to speak of (and even has billions in backup cash stashed around the world). Chile leads all OECD countries in private spending on education, too: another plus. That means Chileans prefer market alternatives to state provision. The leftist radicals simply hate that fact. They want free public university education, even though there is evidence that primary and secondary "free" public education has been a disaster. Thankfully, most Chileans are wiser than Marxist dolts.

The report notes that: "the recent protests are more emblematic of Chile's successes than its failures." So when you hear of skirmishes and discord in Chile from time to time remember that quotation. It rings true to all of us enjoying living in a free market-leaning place with little violent crime and corruption, coupled with widely appreciated conservative social values. As the article states: "the critics of Chile's democratic free market model are wrong."

There's still plenty of room down here. Hope you can make it in before the walls start caving in around you while you are holed up in your quasi-socialist and fast-becoming-fascist nirvana.

     Sovereign Man is about to launch its resilient community in Chile. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email tojcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you. I will be talking about the program with Simon Black's teleconference regarding the resilient community on November 30, 2011 at 1 p.m. EST.
     Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
   Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

The TSA did not Catch our Friend with his Gun

2011-11-28T22:52:00.007-03:00

You should really feel safe in America these days: "The land of the secure." How wonderful it is to have all those Homeland Security and TSA agents running around, among others, to keep you safe!

Well, here's a sad story with some interesting facts that will likely stir you up a bit. I really hope you can sleep well tonight after hearing about it. I know I run the risk of making you feel a little bit less secure, maybe even in peril. But someone's got to keep nudging you lest you pass out and get thrown into the boxcar with the rest of the marked men.

A good friend and longtime member of this blog was arrested last week in Bermuda for trying to carry a loaded pistol onto a plane. You see, even though he is getting older, he is still quite physically active and has been a very good law-abiding American citizen. Part of his keeping active includes shooting. He has a concealed weapons permit, as the legislation requires, and painstakingly makes sure to report his gold holdings, capital gains or offshore accounts to the government when required to do so. He is a Ron Paul supporter and hates the United Nations as much as any of us do, but he has gone out of his way in his life to be an "upstanding citizen." On top of that, he is a faithful Baptist, having attended the same church for some seventy years. He also is a former Marine who really likes guns. But now he will possibly have a criminal record and face significant jail time.

Here is the sad part: he accidently went through airport security with his gun.

He left his loaded 32 caliber pistol in his church bag like he always does. He carries the pistol for self-defense purposes. He will be the first to tell you that he believes the USA and other places will soon erupt into raging "territories of violence." He did not want to become a victim without putting up a fight. Unfortunately, on a recent business trip which was supposed to end up down in Chile, a country which he has grown to love and appreciate as the best place to be during the coming chaos, he forgot to take his pistol out of his bag. He then tried to go through security and board a series of flights that would end in Bermuda. Surprisingly, he made it pretty far.

He put his bag on the conveyer belt at his hometown airport and it was scanned by watchful TSA agents. Curiously, the gun was not detected. He had to pass through TSA screening again in Miami for his connecting flight. Once again, his gun passed right under the noses of the TSA. He actually flew on two flights with a gun stashed away in a bag in the overhead compartment. He did not know it of course. But had he been a "terrorist," he could have easily taken over the plane. Doesn't that make you scared?

Upon arrival in gun-hating Bermuda, he passed through customs without trouble. Not all countries scan luggage coming into the country. I am not sure, therefore, if yet another security force missed the gun again or if it was not scanned at all. The problem arose after his business was concluded and he was boarding his continuing flight to Chile. This time the scanning security agent saw the gun. He was pulled to the side, arrested and imprisoned. He is still being held at the maximum security detention hall, waiting for arraignment. All his goods, gun, gold, money and passport were confiscated. He had been trying to get a deal on a second passport for years and never got one. I bet he wishes he had a second passport now!

He tried to explain that it was an accident, yet to no avail. Many friends and church members or pastors have written character letters on his behalf. So far, the court does not believe that our friend was not trying to board the plane with criminal intent. The idea that he could have twice made it through the illustrious and powerful security forces of the United States of America seems farfetched. The gun must have been acquired in Bermuda and was about to be used in a felonious act. The law abiding citizen has become a terrorist.

And all of that transpired in Bermuda. Imagine how bad off the poor man would have been treated had he been caught by the TSA molesters in the USA! Can anyone spell g-u-l-a-g? He would probably have been tasered, fondled, pepper-sprayed for three solid minutes, beaten with batons (in that order) and then run through a kangaroo court resulting in a conviction that aligned him with Al Qaeda. At least in Bermuda he has the best lawyer money can buy and gets a comfy orange jumpsuit with porridge every morning. Let's hope that he can get out of this jam as soon as possible.

Please pray for our dear friend's release. The last accidental gun import to Bermuda by an American (yes, it has happened at least twice before) resulted in a man not being able to leave the country for seven months. Had our friend not had a deep desire to care for his 96-year old mother, he would have been in Chile long ago, quietly living life in his second (beach) home acquired some years ago. Then he would have avoided all this misery and grief. Instead, he is feeling the ire of a politically correct, anti-gun and anti-liberty world. Think you're walking the straight and narrow up yonder? Watch out. You could become the "land of the secure's" next victim.

P.S. You can legally own a gun in Chile. Most people cannot do so in New Zealand, Hong Kong or Bermuda. Maybe you should assign greater weight to that issue when evaluating countries to live in or keep your assets.

     Sovereign Man is about to launch its resilient community in Chile. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email tojcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you. I will be talking about the program with Simon Black's teleconference regarding the resilient community on November 30, 2011 at 1 p.m. EST.
     Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
   Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.   Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Life Expectancy in Chile

2011-11-26T15:33:00.002-03:00

   According to this report, Chile now ranks slightly ahead (27th) of the USA (28th) in life expectancy. The average person in Chile lives around 79.5 years and is 78.2 years in the USA. One possible reason is the increasing police state in America and violence perpetrated by the U.S. government against its people directly or indirectly through food policies and wars. The last decade has been tough on liberty in the "land of the free" (a term which some, including Simon Black, have been attributing to Chile recently). The report blames higher infant mortality and behavioral components like diet as key factors. The top ten countries are as follows:
1. Japan: 86.4 years
2. Spain: 84.9 years
3. Switzerland: 84.6 years
4. France: 84.4 years
5. Australia: 83.9 years
6. Korea: 83.8 years
7. Israel: 83.5 years
8. Finland: 83.5 years
9. Sweden: 83.4 years
10. Iceland: 83.3 years
   The study was conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Read more. The USA has the highest healthcare costs in the world and, despite fabulous care, has not produced the longest life expectancy statistics.
   At any rate, the data provide yet another plus for why Chile is a good choice. One reason for Chile's rise in this category has been its excellent and relatively inexpensive medical care system.

     Sovereign Man is about to launch its resilient community in Chile. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email tojcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you. I will be talking about the program with Simon Black's teleconference regarding the resilient community on November 30, 2011 at 1 p.m. EST.
     Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Revisiting Chile's Military Draft

2011-10-24T17:33:00.004-03:00

There have been some English language newspapers reporting that the Chilean government (military) has boosted the number of people required to report for military service (from approximately 14,000 to 71,000) in an indirect way to deal with protests by youths wanting free university education. It is a way to get young radical leftists off the street. While the idea is not so bad, I have not been able to locate any Chilean newspaper which discusses this supposed event or any government web pages declaring it to be the case.
Either way, lest foreigners get the wrong idea about the Chilean draft from these unsubstantiated reports, I think it is worth revisiting that policy again. The press often likes to distort Chilean reality since it is a country which bucks so many social leftist tendencies.
In Chile, all eighteen year old male citizens are required to register for military service, unless they have a bona fide excuse for not doing so. Politicians, judges, bureaucrats, religious leaders, disabled people and some others are exempt. For the upper classes (ABC1) not included in those categories, finding an excuse is fairly easy. Common excuses are (1) still in twelfth grade, (2) studying at a university or other higher education and (3) having a doctor's certificate that says one is unfit due to a medical condition.
Technically the excuse is only good for twelve years and the military could call up a person when he is thirty, but the circumstances would have to be pretty extreme. The latter (item 3) are, apparently, a commodity that are bought regularly. If the price is right even the good doctor will help a friend. For these reasons, almost no one in ABC1 has their kids drafted or even registered for the draft.
On the other hand, no one has served in the military involuntarily for decades. There are always enough recruits. Part of the reason is that the military is a cheap way to gain a technical skill, much like it is in the USA. For poorer people, therefore, the military is a reasonable option for how he might get ahead.
Consequently, the draft while technically on the books has in reality zero effect. And newcomers need not worry that their children will ever be drafted since they (a) will not be citizens right away and (b) will be in the ABC1 class most certainly and thus avoid it like everyone else does as soon as their citizen children become eligible.
Sovereign Man is about to launch its resilient community in Chile. Do you want to be a part of it? If Chile is on your radar screen, perhaps you should check out the residency program which I offer. Go to www.chile-consulting.cl and view the entries at bottom center or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com and I will send the program links directly to you.
Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.

Unemployment in Santiago Drops to 7.3%

2011-10-21T09:28:00.005-03:00

According to this report and this one, unemployment in Santiago dropped to 7.3% in September 2011. This is its lowest level since 1998 (when it was 6.9%) and points to the strong growth that Chile is experiencing. Unemployment is 0.9% lower than it was a year ago is September 2010 (8.2%). Nationally, unemployment was only slightly higher, 7.4%, according to this subsequent report, which also represented a significant drop (0.6%) in recent months.

Less unemployment is better for all, especially among poorer people, because in Chile white collar employment is usually below 2%. So a decline in the overall rate tends to mean that more poorer people have jobs. Living here, one sees absolutely no sign of economic downturn like there is in the USA and Europe. Chile may not be perfect but its export-based, natural resource economy coupled with largely sane government policies, and welcoming attitude toward new businesses and foreigners, have made for a winning combination which is expected to continue for years to come.

People like to point to all sorts of things to blame their troubles: illegal aliens, greedy capitalists, increased immorality, etc. There is no end to the list of culprits that cause of their economic woes. But the truth of the matter is that, besides Satan and false religion, our greatest enemy has been the state, as Albert J. Nock keenly pointed out eight decades ago. Lew Rockwell reminds us of this fact in a recent post where he points out that the evil and wily "1%" dominates "the 99%." The 1% are not capitalists and entrepreneurs but rather the agents of the state. Rockwell hits the nail right on the head.

Chile is a country which has "more market and less state." That is not to say that Chile is perfectly free. It is not. And it has some internal troubles frequently on account of disgruntled Marxists demanding some other freebie from their savior the state. But it is still far better than most places on earth.

Our hats off to Hong Kong, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Bermuda, New Zealand, Uruguay and Panama, too. Thank God we do not have to live in beleaguered countries with state-infested regimes causing high unemployment and other maladies like Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Nepal, Argentina, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Venezuela, China, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece, Span, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Canada or the United States! The state has bungled things up so badly in those places that many people find themselves without a job or underemployed. See this report as well as this Wikipedia listing of high unemployment countries.

Do you want to get a job? Start honing-up your Spanish and get to Chile as soon as you can. Stop whining about your present woes when you alone are to blame for choosing to remain under an evil regime. Get out while the getting is good. Help us make Chile the New America.

If you are interested in getting a residency visa in Chile with out program, check out www.chile-consulting.cl for more details or send an email to jcobin@offshoreadvisorygroup.com.

End of Rule of Law in the United States

2011-10-04T21:12:00.004-03:00

   Here is yet another good reason to leave "the land of the free" and get to Chile as soon as possible. Just how many more government encroachments of liberty are you willing to put up with?
   The rule of law is one of the most important achievements in Western history, and its demise heralds the end of civilization. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the rule of law in its Fifth Amendment, which states in pertinent part: "No person...shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law."
   However, this rule was violated on September 30, 2011 when President Obama ordered the killing of two Muslim citizens of the United States: Anwar Awlaki and Samir Khan. While Bush tortured prisoners suspected of terror crimes, Obama has surpassed his predecessor by killing people who are "on his list of potentially problematic people" without complying with the "due process" clause of the Constitution. In addition, the United States government had the audacity to publicly boast of killing these people. Note that the killing was repeated when a drone was used to kill Awlaki's son and six others on October 15, 2011. So the killing has not been isolated or unique. It seems to be America's public policy.
   According to a CBS News report on September 30, 2011, Awlaki was not convicted of any crime and President Obama has had a difficult time justifying the killing. Quoting from the report, "He [Awlaki] directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up U.S. cargo planes in 2010," Mr. Obama said. "And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda." One should point out that he was merely suspected of doing such things but he never had his day in court in order to be proven innocent or guilty. Lots of accused people are found innocent. Moreover, Awlaki was never charged with any crime. He was killed without even being formally accused or being stripped of his American citizenship. The report also notes that the American Civil Liberties Union has condemned the drone attack on Awlaki. The ACLU believes that "it is a mistake to invest the President--any President--with the unreviewable power to kill any American whom he deems to present a threat to the country."
   What about Kahn? He just wrote a radical Islamic, hateful magazine. So what? For doing that the government has the right to kill him? So what if Awlaki and Kahn's words "inspired" others to do evil? Do we use capital punishment now to combat hate speech? How can we be in favor of killing people that are merely accused and not convicted of any crime?   I'm not Muslim, I am a Christian. But I do not favor killing disagreeable people, whether they are citizens or foreigners, because of their religious convictions or their threatening words. Sure, you can execute any person convicted of a capital crime. However, I cannot condone executing a person merely because the government has charged or blacklisted him. We in Western civilization supposedly have the rule of law to protect people from the omnipotent state. Or rather, we had it. This notorious act of the executive branch of the United States has shown a frightening and sad reality: that the rule of law has died in the USA. Paul Craig Roberts just wrote a profound article about this watershed event that everyone should read, "The Day America Died."
   This action is not the only incursion which has led to abrogate the rule of law. Can you recall some other examples? In Kelo vs. City of New London (2005), for instance, the Supreme Court undermined strong individual property rights. We might also mention common drug seizures or government services handled primarily through legislative acts like the RICO Act (1970) and the Patriot Act (2001) which have had the same effect. Furthermore, we must not forget the legal annual slaughter of about 1.3 million unborn children since 1973, or the tortures of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo in the past decade. This malicious trend shows that the demise of the rule of law has been gradual, a kind of death with agony, but undertaking deprivation of the life of American citizens without due process of law has now put the final nail in the coffin.
   Chile is not a perfect place but by coming here you will help it become a great nation "with liberty and justice for all." Here is a letter to the editor of Chilean newspapers with very similar content, in case you can read Spanish.

Fin del Estado de Derecho en los Estados Unidos

   El Estado de Derecho es uno de los logros de mayor importancia en la historia occidental, y su fallecimiento anuncia el fin de la civilización. La Constitución estadounidense garantiza el Estado de Derecho en ese país en su quinta enmienda que dice en su parte pertinente: “A ninguna persona…se le privará de la vida, la libertad, o la propiedad sin el debido proceso legal”.
   No obstante, esta regla fue abrogada el 30 de septiembre de 2011 cuando el Presidente Obama ordenó el asesinato de dos ciudadanos musulmanes de los Estados Unidos: Anwar Awlaki y Samir Khan. Mientras Bush hijo atormentaba a prisioneros sospechados de crímenes de terror, Obama ha superado a su predecesor matando personas que se encuentran “en su lista de personas potencialmente problemáticas” sin cumplir con «el debido proceso legal». Además, el gobierno de los Estados Unidos tuvo la audacia de jactarse públicamente de matar estos ciudadanos.
   No soy musulmán; soy cristiano. Pero no quiero matar a otras personas, si sean ciudadanos o extranjeros, debido a sus convicciones religiosas ni por sus palabras amenazadoras. Claro, se puede ejecutar a cualquier persona condenada por un crimen capital. Sin embargo no puedo estar de acuerdo con ejecutar a una persona meramente porque el gobierno la acusa. En nuestra civilización occidental tenemos el Estado de Derecho para proteger personas del Estado súper poderoso. O mejor decir, tuvimos. Este acto evidente de la rama ejecutiva de los Estados Unidos, nos ha demostrado una realidad espantosa y triste: que el Estado de Derecho ha fallecido en dicho país.
   No es la única incursión en abrogar el Estado de Derecho. Aquí van algunos ejemplos. El caso Kelo vs. Ciudad de Nuevo Londres (2005), en donde la Corte Suprema revocó los fuertes derechos de propiedad individual, por no hablar de confiscaciones comunes por drogas o vicios del gobierno principalmente a través de sus actos legislativos llamados “Acto RICO” (1970) y “Acto Patriota” (2001). No debemos olvidar también, la matanza legal anual de aproximadamente 1,3 millones de niños por nacer desde 1973, o las torturas del Abu Ghraib y Guantánamo en la última década. Esto muestra que la muerte del Estado de Derecho ha sido paulatina, una especie de agonía, pero la privación de la vida de ciudadanos sin el debido proceso legal de nuestro vecino al norte ha puesto el último clavo en el ataúd.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.
Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.
Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

In Some Key Areas, Chile Leads the World

2011-09-18T17:08:00.007-03:00

The national daily paper, El Mercurio, featured a full-page article on Sunday, September 18, 2011 (page B4), in which it summarized the findings of a key report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and reports from a couple other research agencies. For what it is worth, Chile turned out to be a leader in a number of important categories. The El Mercurio article was entitled: "We Chileans lead the world in hours worked, fruit exports and water purity." And those are just a few of the important items mentioned. Here are some of the highlights:

First, Chileans work more hours (2,068 hours per year per employee) than anyone in the world besides people in South Korea and Greece. What is more, after falling in 2009 and 2010, Chilean work productivity rose an impressive 3% in 2011. This fact must be attractive to those considering investing in a business in Chile. (Note: My wife wonders just how many of those hours are actually spent working, given the historical tendency of Chileans to shirk, but the OECD report implies that such propensities may be changing.)

Second, according to the Financial Development Report of the OECD, among those countries in the world with high middle incomes per capita, Chile now offers better access to financial services than any other country in Latin America. It also beat out Switzerland, Denmark, Germany and Japan, falling just behind Italy. For reference, the top countries in the world for access to financial services were (in order) Australia, Hong Kong, Belgium, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Chile ranked second place in the banking system stability category.

Third, Chileans have many reasons to be proud of their medical care system, which has helped generate the highest life expectancy in Latin America and has minimized problems with children's malnutrition. The country has more medical school graduates than Israel or Japan and, equal with the United States, boasts 6.5 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants (according to the article in El Mercurio).

Fourth, Chile has some of the cleanest water in the world, ranked alongside of Holland and Switzerland. Chile is in the top ten in sewage treatment, beating out the United States, Canada and Sweden. Having a good water system greatly reduces potential disease and helps recoup public spaces near the ocean shoreline, lakeside areas and river banks.

Fifth, Chilean fruit is now famous all across the world. The National Society of Agriculture highlighted that more Chilean grapes are sold than those from any other place on earth. Chile leads the world in exports of plums, avocados and blueberries, too, and is in the top five countries for exports of cherries and apples. Local wines are also world leaders, being bested only by European and South African producers. Furthermore, Chile ranks among the top five exporters of pork products in the world. Remember, Chile has everything California has to offer for agriculture and more.

Sixth, Chile led all Latin American countries with internet penetration of 42%. Uruguay and Argentina registered 34%, while Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru came in at 21% (according to a study by Havas Digital sponsored by the BBC). Moreover, Chile shares the distinction (along with Argentina and Venezuela) of having 100% cellular telephone penetration.

Seventh, Chile was ranked first in Latin America and one of the best overall in the world for competitiveness (according to a study by the World Economic Forum). Chile was tied for first place in the world for controlling inflation and holds sixth place in controlling public debt. Its quality of institutions was found to be excellent. Public finance is healthy, people have confidence in public policies and government actions tend to be transparent. The government does not pay agricultural subsidies, helping Chile earn a ranking of tenth place in this category around the world, and there are hardly any entry barriers caused by import tariffs. Chile also features a good business banking environment, notably in its well-developed loan and credit market. Competitive businesses in Chile have a chance to thrive, and that is good news for Chile's future.

Finally, curiously, 39% of Chilean people over the age of 15 are single. This figure is equaled in South Korea, but both countries have a much higher figure than most other countries like Mexico (33%), Spain (30%), New Zealand (30%), Slovakia (30%), France (29%) or Brazil (30%). The OECD country average is 26%. Chile also has a relatively low percentage of married people (also 39%), and a relatively high percentage of people who live together, are widowed, separated or divorced (22%). Thus, for those seeking to be married, Chile could be fertile ground for finding a mate given that such a high percentage of people are not married.

All of these things help make Chile an attractive place to live or have as a home base. At the very least these things should make any businessman stop and take notice of the business potential and opportunities that the country affords. In the Age of Turmoil, places like Chile make great sense as a place to plant sustainable (or resilient) communities, or to have a second home which serves as an escape hatch from ever-imposing First World economic misery.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc. The cost is $49.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net and send an email or PayPal notice that you have completed your order.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Expectations for Chilean Women

2011-09-13T14:25:00.003-03:00

   Some of the facts of life about Chile will offend some people, others will be nonplussed by them and still others will be very encouraged. This article covers such a polarizing topic. I pull no punches when I write about life in Chile, presenting both the good and the bad as I have experienced it. People who move to Chile are (usually) making a life-changing decision with radical implications, and they should be as best-prepared as possible with regard to what to expect of Chilean culture.
   My wife Pamela recently reminded me that one thing lacking in my blog entries is some advice for women, specifically what is expected of cultured women in Chile. What are girls raised to be like in Chile? What should they wear or not wear? What sort of hostesses are they expected to be? What kind of wives and girlfriends should they be? After an extensive series of interviews with my very Chilean wife, I have been able to summarize the expectations for social class ABC1 (upper and upper-middle), and classes C2 and C3 (middle and lower-middle), as follows.
   First, visitors (including female visitors) should never be allowed to clean up or wash dishes, unless they have been over many times. A visitor must feel good and thus should not do anything to help. If a visitor starts to help it must mean that the hostess has something lacking in her service. Also, a visitor should never be left unattended or alone in the house.
   Second, a woman is to have dominion over the household. If something is in disorder or a child misbehaves, she is at fault. The hostess serves the guests and the family, or the maid does it. Visitors (especially) and husbands and sons do not have to help serve dinner, set the table or clean up (even though it is considered a "rare" and "beautiful" thing when husbands do so). Daughters are expected to help. Young girls serving hoer d'oeuvres to guests is considered cute.

Third, a woman's role is to be a good hostess, a good shopper and to take kids to school or other events. A man is to work mainly, even if he does occasionally help out with the aforementioned items (especially on the weekend). Family pride depends largely on the woman and how she makes her home warm and her family appears well-groomed and well-mannered.

   Fourth, a woman may either wear a short skirt or show cleavage but not both. Those who do both things, and especially if they also wear high heels or leather boots, will be in danger of being confused with prostitutes. Skin tight jeans are fine, as are low-cut blouses. If single woman is not attracting a man's attention then she is doing something wrong. The same is true for married woman since the perception in Chile is that men tend to be unfaithful or to stray and thus a woman must keep herself attractive.
   Fifth, Chilean women must never go out in public without being bathed, have makeup on and be dressed in decent clothing. Sweat pants are not acceptable attire in public. If you are going to the gym, change into your sweats in the locker room. Wear whatever you want to do housework or be in the house. The main reason women dress well is to compete with other women.
   Sixth, a woman is not to be "loose." Western European and North American women, not to mention Brazilian and Argentine ones, are loose, sluts, etc. but not a chilena. This fact is true in spite of the way the Chilean woman dresses (which appears immodest to many social conservatives). Being attractive and trying to attract attention is not to be confused with being loose. They do not have sex on the first or second date. Christian Chilean women try to abstain from sex altogether until marriage.
   Seventh, a woman should not be fat or even chubby if she is living up to expectations. She is to think about being an attractive mate that a man would desire at all times. Like in the animal kingdom, only healthy, attractive females get to reproduce.
   Eighth, if kids have cavities, do not brush their teeth well, scream in public, are not well-behaved the mother is at fault. She is also at fault (at least partly) if her husband is not decently dressed, has a hole in his shirt, etc.
   Ninth, Chilean women should never fart or burp in public. They do so while sleeping, in the bathroom or outside when no one is around. Men are not strictly held to the same standard but that fact is irrelevant. Men do have to be careful not to burp or fart at the dinner table of course.
   Tenth, a Chilean woman should never use a toothpick to clean her teeth in public or when visiting another home, even if she covers her mouth with the other hand. Technically, the same is true for men.
   Eleventh, a woman must always greet everyone when entering a room with a smile and a kiss on the cheek (to both men and women). Well-known friends should be hugged. By contrast, men only kiss women on the cheek but never other men, although good friends can hug; they generally greet great one another with a firm handshake. Appearing to be a homosexual is not a highly-prized trait in Chile. Women are not presumed to be lesbians if the kiss each other on the cheek or hold hands. Men could be if they did so. A woman can be poor or ugly and no one will think badly of her. But if she does not greet everyone, then she is very much despised for it. And people will remember her social sin for years to come!
   Twelfth, a woman should talk in a low or moderate voice. They should never scream or yell in public (unless there is an emergency of course) or speak in an obnoxiously loud voice. They should often point out (at least to themselves) when there is some filth, disorder or obnoxiousness in her presence.
     Thirteenth, women are expected to highly-prize the elderly and care for them domestically. They also give their seats away to elderly women or men, and pregnant women. Men give away their seat to everyone except children and other men.
   Fourteenth, if a child is having trouble in school it is the mother's responsibility to visit the teachers or university professors and find out what is necessary to correct the problem. Men could do this as well, but since they are at work Monday through Friday all day it is hard for them to get to the school. So the duty primarily falls to women.
   Fifteenth, a woman should never go to another woman's home without first giving notice of the intent to visit. Seeing another woman unkempt and perhaps without her household in order, unless perhaps she is a very good friend, is looked down upon.
   Sixteenth, when invited to another family's home, a woman should always bring a gift. If the gift is food or wine, the woman should never suggest that they consumer together with the hostess what was brought over. Even if the hostess tells the invited woman that she should bring "nothing" she still should bring something.
   Seventeenth, when a visitor comes over the hostess must give the best that they have, even her own bed if they are in the lower-middle class and do not have a guest bedroom arranged.
   You can assume that all the other etiquette that your mother taught you in North America or Europe regarding not picking your nose with your fingers, not putting your elbows on the dinner table, etc. apply equally down in Chile. A woman, especially, since she is the leader of domestic life and qualities, should be a purveyor of social etiquette.
   Not complying with these manners and habits could get a woman marked as being uncultured or low-class. So foreign women might do well to take these things to heart when they visit or live in Chile.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago. Note: If the link to buy the book at SovereignMan.com does not appear, just send US$39 by PayPal to jcobin@policyofliberty.net.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Chilean Policy on Parental Discipline of Misbehaving Kids: A Breath of Fresh Air

2011-09-10T22:56:00.004-03:00

I was asked to translate an interesting conversation the other day between a Chilean policewoman, a carabinera, and a foreign teenager (resident in Chile). The police station was located in an upscale part of Santiago where people tend to be much more highly educated. The cop was scolding her for displaying rebellious, unruly, threatening and disobedient tendencies. Apparently she had some history of running away and of making false accusations, too. The teen was from the United States, the "land of the free," where children have more rights these days than parents do. Such is not the case in Chile, and the carabinera was frank about that fact.

The cop told her that she had to obey her parents. Plus, if she did not obey, her parents could discipline her. They are permitted to slap her across the face or spank her behind. She went on to explain that if she decided to fight back, the parent could have her arrested and jailed. Furthermore, making a false accusation does not just result in a slap on the wrist in Chile as it does in the United States. Far from being rewarded for lying—which is so often the case with evil family court judges or social services bureaucrats in the United States (following secular humanist principles and feminist dogma)—a teen who accuses his parents or any other person falsely in Chile goes to jail.

You see, Chile is a traditional society based on the old principles of Western Civilization. The family is sacred. Rarely are elderly parents cast into an old folks home and forgotten. To do so would be shameful. Divorced women do not jump at the opportunity to jail their ex-husbands which are delinquent in paying child support. A Chilean mother would have difficulty facing her children if they knew that she jailed their daddy. So women work hard to strike a bargain with their ex-husbands. And families do not lightly boot out troubled or even incorrigible children. To do so would cause the family public humiliation or shame. And in Chile appearances matter a lot.

One scandalous example occurred on July 14, 2008 in Valparaíso when María Música Sepúlveda (age 14), an upset high school student, threw the water out of a pitcher in the face of Mónica Jiménez, the minister of education (under Michelle Bachelet) who had cut her speech short before an unruly crowd. It was an act of aggression and disrespect for an adult. The police held the girl in custody for more than fifteen hours, holding her in derision. The girl was also expelled from her school starting in 2011, which mercifully allowed her to finish out the remaining 2008 school year. The school did not want to participate in the negative impact of the national disgrace. The press was shocked and publicly asked what kind of parents would have raised such an undisciplined and insolent child? Public shame for that family was at its maximum. People on the streets could be heard deriding the kid and her family. It was the ultimate humiliation possible and social scorn for the girl and her family was seen as something to be avoided at all cost.

On account of such reasoning, there are relatively few boarding schools for troubled kids, relatively few foster homes, few old folks' homes, etc. in Chile, even in First World Santiago. Sure, such places exist. But there are relatively few of them compared to other places in the "developed world." If there is a problem in the family, then the family takes care of it. If no one in the immediate family can step up to the plate, then another family member will often do so.

Can you imagine a case in a major metropolitan area in the United States, Canada, Australia or Western Europe where a cop comes alongside a parent to scold a unruly child? A parent reporting such a problem child in such instances is likely to become a suspect and at least to receive a visit from a child services worker. In addition, the state would likely force all parties to be subject to mandatory psychological evaluations. The sad yet real fact is that bureaucratic do-gooders and know-it-alls constantly meddle with family affairs in those places.

Chile is different. While Chile clearly has its faults, many of us think that one of Chile's virtues is that traditional family values are upheld. Chile is a throwback to what the United States was fifty or sixty years ago, and many people appreciate that fact. Everyone can appreciate that youngsters are better behaved than their counterparts in other countries. Some will appreciate that women, by and large, do not disdain their traditional role. The elderly can be confident that someone close will care for them. In short, the Chilean family is a happier (at least more humane) reality than families in other parts of the world.

So once again you have a choice to continue living in your First World society up yonder or move to a traditional and civilized country like Chile. If you admire what America used to be, and are fond of the nostalgia of how life was prior to the installation of the Great Society, then Chile ought to be a top destination for enjoying the rest of your life in the Age of Turmoil.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Protesters Hit the Streets of Santiago

2011-08-24T17:56:00.018-03:00

It is all part of the same leftist way of life that drove along the crusade for “free” higher education (June through August 2011). The relatively small Marxist and radical left minority in Chile makes a lot of noise, at least once a year. For instance, the CUT (“Central Unitaria de Trabajadores”) or general workers trade union, headed by Arturo Martínez, went out en masse August 24 and 25, 2011 to create a paro nacional (“national work stoppage”).

They wanted more “rights,” which they believe had been denied them, along with social “justice.” Their other demands were no less vague, and stand in stark contrast to the fact that they live in the most civilized and prosperous country in Latin America. Protesters seeking “free” university education stood right alongside them. About five and one-half per cent of Chile’s bureaucrats stopped working, too, and joined the CUT protesters. Overall support among public employees was just over fourteen per cent.

Many people moved into the street and erected barricades, which burned into the night. Some masked people lit tires on fire in the street, while others set fire to tipped-over cars, an idle bulldozer at a construction site and a kiosk. Others threw rocks and Molotov Cocktails at the cops, which responded with water cannon and tear gas. Still others dropped rocks and heavy articles like fire extinguishers from upper floors to the street below. A few looted stores, smashing an impressive amount of glass at times, others vandalized a total of two hundred eighty-five buses under cover of darkness. Some held banners asking for things like free (or at least heavily subsidized) education, housing and medical care. In a word, they wanted socialism in a country where socialism has been largely rejected.

The goal had been to paralyze economic activity by preventing people from going to work. These leftists claimed that the barricades they erected were their response to the “verbal violence of the authorities.” Such tired rhetoric is typical of leftist claptrap heard in other parts of the world.

If you were a radical leftist what would you have done? Such people are committed to social upheaval and creating conflict. Protests and chaos are core elements of the Marxist religion. What joy to live around hard-core Marxists! (At least they make life interesting and give free market economists something to write about.)

The main problem is that relatively little socialist policy has been enacted in Chile relative to other First World countries. And the radical lefties do not like it. So they protest and cause havoc. President Piñera lamented that it was too bad that these people wanted to cause pain and destruction when the country is moving along so well. Other members of the executive branch proclaimed, at the end of the first day, that the protesters had failed “to complete their objective to paralyze the country.” They were correct.

Most of Santiago’s chaos happened in south central Santiago. Other than privately-owned bus lines deciding to stop operating at 5 p.m. both days, and thus businesses closing and maids going home early, the protests were hardly noticeable in northeastern Santiago and other parts of Santiago. Protesters knew that they would not get much sympathy or mileage in those parts of town. According to the government, ninety-five per cent of the country’s public transportation functioned without interruption. Indeed, life went on normally for those living in northeastern Santiago. At the time, most of us would not have even known that a protest was going on had we not seen it in the news.

The protests were not been hyper-massive, as in over one hundred thousand people participating, although the main march was very large. Police estimated that close to fifty thousand leftists and unionists paraded through downtown on August 25th. For the most part, hundreds of radicals gathered in several key public squares (plazas) in Santiago, Valparaíso and Concepción. There were also protests in Iquique, Antofagasta and Punta Arenas.

Tear gas has been used at times, like when the protestors tried to stop the Metro at the Santa Rosa station of línea 4A. The protesters managed to cut the flow of traffic for a while on Ruta 5 just south of Santiago as well, the main north-south highway in Chile. All told, one thousand three hundred ninety-four arrests were made and two hundred six injuries were reported (several cops and two civilian having been hit by bullets, one of them a teenager who proved to be the only fatality), one hundred fifty-three of them being police officers. Such is the ongoing saga of radical leftist action in the world.

There are a few things to bear in mind about these protests. First, you can be sure that the events have been exaggerated or distorted by the overseas media. They seem to have a penchant to make it seem that life is fearful in Chile, and that most Chileans are unhappy, in order to sell more coverage. Neither thing is true. None of the “colonists” that I know who have come to Chile were affected in the least, other than one or two which saw some protesters marching.

Second, the protests are being undertaken by a relatively small number of Chileans. Chile is known for having a vociferous minority of hard-core leftists and living here requires that one occasionally put up with their antics.

Third, the protesters do not speak for most Chileans. Like in the case of the bureaucrats, the vast majority of Chilean workers went to work on August 24 and 25, 2011. They had an interest in feeding their families and progressing in their lives. And by and large they are content since Chileans continue to become more prosperous.

Fourth, these protests are a function of radical leftist activity. There is clearly an identifiable ideology behind all the protesting. Nevertheless, economists (and Twentieth Century experience) have shown that Marxism, socialism, communism and interventionism simply do not improve people’s quality of life. The protesters are ignorant of this fact and most do not realize that what they are pushing for will not help them. Instead it would bring misery, poverty, backwardness and uneasiness to the country.

Finally, bear in mind that there are a lot of libertarian and constitutionalists in Chile. If Ron Paul were running here he would get twenty per cent of the vote instead of the meager three to five per cent he gets in the USA. That fact should be encouraging to prospective immigrants in spite of occasional leftist wrangling.

At least in Chile there is not a lot of socialist policy on the books, unlike other First World countries. While those places are usually free of the kind of protesting that in Santiago in 2011, they have their own form of suffering caused by wayward monetary policy, high taxes, intrusive interventionism, abusive police, pro-war policies, stifling regulation and ideologically-driven aggression against personal liberty, the family and entrepreneurs.

Chile got a lot of positive worldwide publicity in 2010 on account of the thirty-three miners rescued, the recovery from the 8.8 Richter scale earthquake and tsunami and Chile’s (unusual) trip to the World Cup with a victorious first round of play. Hence, Chile entered the 2011 protest period with a lot of goodwill. Insurance will cover the damage caused by protesters. Criminal justice will handle the delinquents. At the moment the protests are supported merely by a small minority of radicals who have been joined by criminals. Consequently, by playing their cards right, Chilean authorities looked civilized compared to the Left, which has ended up with egg on its face due to these protests. And normal life in Chile will continue unaffected.

Sure, those who come to Chile will have to put up with disagreeable things like leftist festivities, lying, cheating, petty theft and bureaucratic hassles. No place is perfect. The only relevant question for you today is whether or not your country, with all its associated social and political maladies, is better than Chile. My guess is that most honest readers will have to answer that question, “No.”

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Dr. Cobin’s sequel book, Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living, adds even further depth on important topics to expatriates who either live in Chile already or who have Chile on the short list of countries where they hope to immigrate. The book deals with crucial issues pertaining to urban and rural real estate transactions, natural disasters, issues pertaining to emigration and its urgency, money and the quality of life, medical care and insurance, business opportunities, social manifestations (including welfare state and divorce policy concerns), Chile in the freedom indices, social maladies (lying, cheating, stealing and murder), as well as discussion of a few places worth visiting and some further comments about Santiago.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Chilean Education Protests Are Nothing to Worry About

2011-08-23T14:13:00.026-03:00

In Chile, there are many economic libertarians or libertarian-leaning conservatives. I have heard from reputable sources that they comprise around twenty per cent of the population. There are also many hard-core Marxists and radical leftists in the country. Their numbers amount to around ten per cent of the population. However, unlike the first group which tends to favor peaceful and intellectual persuasion, the second group tends to be more vociferous and willing to be involved in protests, even violent ones, to promote their agenda.

The recent student protests in Santiago and other parts of Chile are an example of such leftist activity. Their demands are based on twisted statistics, economic ignorance and outright lies that beguile and enliven the masses to action. The doctrine promulgated is clearly aligned with the Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels which demands “free” education for all children in public school as its tenth “plank.”

Here is a list of student concerns which were generating protests, with the objective being that the Chilean government would provide “solutions” for them.

First, many students want university education to be “free,” especially in state schools.
Second, students have been led to believe that graduating with student loan debt which is equal, on average, to one hundred seventy-four per cent of their first year salary is both immoral and unusual by First World standards.
Third, due to the statistics-twisting efforts of economics professors like Marcel Claude at the University of Chile, students have been led to believe that university education in Chile is more expensive than anywhere else in the world.
Fourth, from the same source, Chileans are led to believe that they should be ashamed or at least shocked by the fact that expenditures in education in their country are equal to seventy-two per cent of GDP per capita.
Fifth, free market policies and capitalist exploits into private university creation and operation are implicated as ancillary targets, and are even indirectly blamed for the “problems.”

Of course, these propositions range from being dubious to outright spurious. “There is no free lunch,” as Milton Friedman was keen to remind people. Providing no-cost university education simply means that taxpayers must be plundered more, causing economic distortions in the consumption and investment sectors of the economy.

Doing so also implies a need for rationing (since there are not enough resources for everyone to study), probably according to national entrance exam scores, meaning that only the best-prepared students will be able to study (i.e., those students with parents wealthy enough to send them to the best private high schools). If no such rationing were done, there would be massive, inefficient and costly enrollments in universities, with fewer than five percent graduating (as is the case with the University of Buenos Aires). Thus, to save money, scores on entrance exams will be used to sift the masses. As a result, such rationing will tend to favor wealthy people and diminish the opportunities available to poorer Chileans.

With private universities and market prices, along with varied opportunities to finance one’s studies, more Chileans will be able to “break the poverty cycle” and move into the middle class as professionals. Making university education “free” means that fewer will be able to study and thus that there will be more poor in Chile in future generations.

The availability of credit to finance education is essential to economic progress. While some poorer and middle class Chileans will be able to get merit scholarships, the only means for most of them to study will be by means of borrowing. The same is true in the United States and elsewhere.

Consequently, In the decision-making process, students and their parents will determine whether (A) having no degree or (B) having a degree with significant debt is better. It is simple cost-benefit analysis that people undertake every day.

Furthermore, having debt equal to “174% of their first year salary” is hardly immoral. It represents student choice and is the cost of having greater opportunity. Nor is it unusual. American graduates commonly accumulate debt anywhere from US$30,000 to US$250,000 (at least for lawyers and doctors), figures which are often far in excess of the graduates’ expected first year salary.

The cost of a university education in Chile depends on one’s major. For instance, philosophy, history and education students pay far less than medical students, perhaps as little as US$4,000 per year versus US$13,000 per year. At my university, which is private, business administration and economics students pay around US$7,800 per year. At any rate, the cost of private university education in the USA is vastly higher than in Chile. It is simply a leftist lie to state otherwise. It is not uncommon for private universities in the USA to charge well over US$25,000 per year.

The reported average cost for public (“domestic”) university education is US$3,400 per year. Yet even the “fees” charged by otherwise “free” state schools in the USA, or through paying “in-state” tuition, is as high or higher than what Chileans pay for public university education. This fact is true even if one considers the differences in GDP per capita in both countries, which is around three times higher in the USA.

It is absurd to decry that the fact that Chileans spend the equivalent of seventy-two per cent of GDP per capita on education. Chileans should be exuberant that their citizens are now so wealthy that they can afford to spend so much on education and improve the living standards of their children. The Marxists are looking at things backwards.

Whether Marxists and radical leftists like it or not, Chile’s prosperity is due in large part to the free market policies which were instituted after Marxist President Salvador Allende was dethroned. While capitalism and markets are not perfect, they do provide the best means for overall prosperity possible in a fallen world. To impose a Marxist policy is to expose Chile to greater misery, poverty, classism, uneasiness and abuse.

The protesting students were sadly mistaken. Yet their influence then and now is far from overwhelming. Life in Chile goes on pretty much as normal as ever before. Aside from seeing frequent headlines regarding the issue and the protests in 2011, and even if one happened to be in downtown Santiago and see an actual protest, there was little disturbance in negotiating everyday life here.

No country is perfect. Chile has its own set of problems. But they are not overwhelming problems. And I imagine the radical left in your country is just as pesky as it is in Chile, if not more so. At least in Chile there are far fewer leftist policies on the books than in the Welfare States of the First World. So do not let the 2011 protests—which were (undoubtedly) made larger-than-life on North American and European television or other news media—give you pause about making the right move and immigrating to Chile.

In closing, I would like to announce the publication of my new book Expatriates to Chile: Topics for Living. You can read more about this book, as well as my recently-updated first book on Life in Chile, in the footer below.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:

A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)

Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

Snowfall in Santiago

2011-08-20T22:45:00.003-04:00

On August 18, 2011 it actually snowed in northeastern Santiago. A few inches fell and stuck. Even Providencia and other parts of lower-elevation Santiago had snow. The snowfall was so rare that no one I spoke to could remember there being a snowfall in Santiago itself. The mountain scenery was beautiful, as the photographs below show. Kids were making snowmen on the grass. Palm trees were seen coated with snow. So much for global warming. Unfortunately, I could not get my camera out in time to take the pictures of the snowfall (which covered the streets and houses in the pictures below). These were all taken a day or two later.

My thanks to Christian for sending along these photographs from Vitacura.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:

A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)

Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

A Pleasant and Efficient Visit with the Cops

2011-06-27T11:41:00.001-04:00

When is the last time you shook a policeman's hand, appreciative of the good work he had done for you? I live in Chile and I just did so.

In America, I would never think of doing the same thing. Cops are to be feared there. They are not helpful allies in the fight against crime. In many urban areas, an American is more likely to be victimized by the police rather than helped by them. The internet and You Tube are chock full of reports of police abuse in the United States. It is becoming a common reality of a politically correct society rather than a shocking exception. Europe is not far behind with cops beating people with clubs in Barcelona and Northeastern Italy.

In America, "the land of the free," Jack-booted thugs in uniform break down doors and intimidate innocent people. They plant GPS tracking devices on their cars without informing the person under surveillance. They violate the rights that Americans have guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. They will arrest a person for dancing, taser him for having a "bad attitude" or imprison him for suspicion based on a false accusation of an opportunist.

On the other hand, if a crime is committed, the cops are often no help. They will not come to defend you most of the time. Nor will they, much of the time anyway, try to apprehend a criminal that assails you. They will often discard a matter brought to their attention by declaring that it is "civil." Other than handing out traffic taxes (tickets), American cops can be counted on to be seen but not heard. And most Americans are satisfied with that arrangement as fear of cops continues to grow.

In Chile, things are different. Not only are the cops not corrupt like they are in every other Latin American country, they are actually helpful and efficient.

Examples abound. A couple of years ago I was driving my car in the south of Chile. At a routine stop a carabinero (Chilean cop) found that my car registration had not been paid (about US$40 on my used car). I had no idea. Normally, my car would have had to have been impounded on the spot. Instead, the policeman told me that he would act like he never saw me but that I had better get the tax paid right away. So he sent me on my way. I was very pleased, and I paid the tax the next day.

I have been lost, too, driving in some remote area of Chile. When all else failed, I proceeded without hesitation to the carabinero station to make my inquiry. Such events have almost always resulted in success.

In other cases I have been cited by the carabineros for traffic infractions. But to their credit, I was guilty as charged. And in some cases I got off with just a warning. The point is that in Chile the cops still treat you like a human being, and they understand that you can make a mistake at times. They are not itching to leap at an opportunity to flex their muscles or put you in your place.

There is not a latent urge in the cops here to have chance to show their might or use force, hurting citizens. Plus, as my wife says, if they did become that way, Chileans would likely rise up and lynch them on the spot! It is only those like cowardly Americans who put up with such evil.

Today, I had to visit the police station to report fraudulent use of my credit card overseas. The bank's fraud department had spotted the problem and directed me to make a police report, known as a constancia in Chile.

I entered the building and walked into the room where the three carabineros worked to take such reports. They are busy, mainly with reports of car accessory theft or car damage for insurance purposes. I interrupted one of them to inquire if I was in the right place. He affirmed that I was. So I sat down and waited.

My wait was prolonged when the station's server went down for 10 minutes. But other than that I was out of there in short order. The carabinero took the information from my credit card, my national ID card and the bank's fraud department's findings and entered them into his system. I left with a printout showing a case number.

The cop did his job so well and efficiently that I shook his hand and wished him a good day. He responded in like manner, courteously saying goodbye.

One of the benefits of living in Chile is that society is civil. Cops are not marauding bands of thugs to be fear but rather people who are willing to help. As I said earlier, one can even stop and ask a cop for directions (without fear) and he will usually give a helpful reply. How does that reality compare with where you live? When is the last time you thought about approaching a cop for directions?

Do you have reason to fear the cops where you live like so many Americans do? If so, maybe it is time for you to consider immigrating to Chile, not only on account of having better cops, but because of the many virtues that the country provides.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:

A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)

Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)

Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

Volcán Demuestra Potencia Chilena

2011-06-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

De nuevo, Chile es el enfoque del mundo. Otro desastre natural, otro éxito para Chile y más publicidad positiva. Como en el caso del gran terremoto y tsunami de febrero de 2011, Chile ha demostrado al mundo que está listo y preparado para enfrentar desastres, con un mínimo de víctimas. Como en el caso de los 33 mineros, el gobierno junto con las fuerzas privadas, ha rescatado a los que estaban en peligro.

¿Por qué Chile puede disfrutar de este éxito? Por la buena planificación, la sabiduría y la prudencia. Primero que todo, las defensas chilenas hicieron bien su monitoreo del problema, chequeando la frecuencia de los temblores y la presencia de gases sulfúricos, para finalmente evacuar a las pocas personas que estaban en riesgo. Segundo, la gente chilena tuvo la sabiduría y la prudencia de no construir muchos hogares cerca de los volcanes. Los que lo hicieron, sabían y asumían los riesgos de hacerlo. Como en el caso de construir edificios que pueden resistir los terremotos fuertes, los chilenos han demostrado su capacidad de evitar mayor problemas a través de una buena planificación.

Todo esto anuncia al mundo admirado, que Chile es un buen lugar para vivir y establecer negocios. Hay muchas otras razones para preferir este país en la región—con mayor razón ahora, debido al nuevo Presidente Socialista Humala en Perú. Chile ofrece baja corrupción, fuertes y seguros derechos de propiedad, bajas barreras de entrada a los mercados, regulaciones moderadas, tratados de libre comercio y un estable Estado de Derecho. Ahora bien podemos añadir a la lista, el buen manejo con volcanes y otros desastres naturales.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:

A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

¿Puede Soportar Chile la Caída de los EE.UU.?

2011-06-22T15:41:00.003-04:00

Estados Unidos está infestado con fuertes problemas. Con más de 14 billones de dólares de deuda nacional, figura como líder mundial en deuda per cápita. Su tasa de desempleo está sobre el 9% por cifras oficiales, proporciones trágicas para ese país, aunque las fuentes alternativas coloquen la cifra en hasta el 22%. Desde 2008, los valores de propiedades han caído en 50% (o más dependiendo de la ciudad), y los precios no se han recuperado en absoluto.

Estas cifras indican una persistente dificultad en “la tierra de los libres.” El problema no radica en su gente amable y responsable, la cultura generosa, honesta y diligente, y la productividad alta. Por el contrario, el dilema de los Estados Unidos deriva de la mala administración del país: es decir, pésimas e irresponsables políticas monetarias que producirán mucha inflación, y legislaciones y decretos neo-keynesianos que han resultado en más deuda y más estancamiento. Es sólo por la virtud de que el dólar es la moneda reserva del mundo que las políticas inflacionarias han sido toleradas. Pero esto no durará. Lo peor es que no hay otra solución antes que colapse la economía en forma aún más fuerte. Los republicanos no pueden salvarla. Por eso, nuestro vecino del norte experimentará cambios drásticos pronto.

La gran pregunta para Chile es: ¿Estamos listos para enfrentar la caída de los Estados Unidos? Por lo general, la respuesta es, creo yo, “Sí.” En Chile tenemos un sistema bancario más responsable que lo que se encuentra allá. Tenemos una deuda nacional bajo del 6% del PIB. Tenemos mucho empleo, comparado con otras épocas. La economía chilena es sana y el gobierno está dedicado a fortalecer nuevos negocios y la economía de mercado. Además, está la mayoría de la actividad económica basada en la explotación de recursos naturales, insumos y alimentos que serán usados por el mundo de igual manera bajo crisis o bajo auge. La única cosa que debemos mejorar es nuestra flexibilidad en (1) comercio exterior, no confiando en vender tanto a los Estados Unidos, y (2) redactar contratos en una manera que pueden resolverse con oro, plata o monedas más estables como el franco suizo y el dólar de Singapur. ¡Estemos preparados!

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Educación Superior con Fines de Lucro

2011-06-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

Las universidades mismas operaran “sin fines de lucro” porque practican un truco en que los dueños reciben todas las utilidades a través de una inmobiliaria. Las universidades privadas arriendan el campus de la inmobiliaria a un costo muy alto, efectivamente pasando todas las ganancias a los dueños. ¿Y cuál es el problema? ¿Por qué mi amigo el Sr. Lavín no quiere reconocer la realidad chilena públicamente?

Si no lo hace solamente para agradar o pacificar a algunos marxistas chilenos, no vale la pena. Su programa socialista ha fracasado, como la gran mayoría de los chilenos saben. Las universidades privadas existen porque son rentables para sus dueños, y la gente también gana porque existen ahora más oportunidades de estudiar. No hay vergüenza de tener tal sistema.

La política pública que decreta que las universidades privadas deben ser sin fines de lucro, es ridícula. Los fines de lucro provocan que los empresarios produzcan con mayor calidad a costo menor, un servicio cada vez más eficiente. Y este hecho indica un ilustre futuro para la educación superior chilena. Por eso, sería mejor si el Sr. Lavín usara su tiempo en idear una manera de eliminar la política tonta, en vez de intentar negar la realidad chilena. No hay necesidad en tratar de complacer a los izquierdistas ofendidos porque no vivimos bajo la “gloria” de socialismo universitario. ¡Ya la hemos superado!

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Yes, the Puyehue Volcano Erupted: So What?

2011-06-22T15:39:00.003-04:00

Another disaster. Another success story for Chile.

Here is a summary why the eruption is not a big deal: (1) it did not affect many Chileans, (2) the ash mainly blew to Argentina (soiling lakes, agricultural land, cities and closing airports), (3) there are no bigger cities which were affected by it and (4) Chile was well-prepared. Chileans are not worried about the eruption. It is not even on the front page any longer. You should not be worried about it either. Here are the cold, hard facts.

Located in Chile's 14th Region, directly west of Osorno and Río Bueno, 2,240 meter (7,349 foot) Volcán Puyehue began a sudden eruption on June 4, 2011. The volcano is located about 550 miles south of Santiago in the Andes range. The eruption continued most of the month, but was subsiding as of June 22, 2011.

The government initially evacuated 600 people from small towns and villages near the volcano, a number which increased to 3,500 after the eruption began. Government efforts appear to have proven quick, orderly and effective.

Our contacts in Osorno (some 100 km away from the volcano) said that the sky was overcast in Osorno and nothing could be seen at the time of the eruption. The Puyehue volcano has erupted many times before, seven times in the 20^th century alone.

But eruptions are not common: only 11 eruptions occurred between 1759 and 2011, or once every 23 years on average. Not much to worry about.

Of course, especially when not erupting, snowcapped volcanoes are one of the most beautiful features of Chilean scenery. Picture books are widely available in Chile which show spectacular green hills rolling around pristine lakes with these volcanic peaks in the background.

Eruptions on rainy days produce spectacular scenes and photographs too, with fire and smoke being mingled with bolts of lightning (especially vivid at night). They also produce a lot of ash and smoke, and occasionally lava flows. Chilean television and newspapers captured some fantastic images of the plume of ash and smoke.

Volcanic ash and smoke normally blow into Argentina, but there is always some ash fall in areas of Chile adjacent to the volcano. Typically, towns and cities more than, say, 40 kilometers west of the volcano are unaffected. For a few days in mid June, some ash reached Chile's 9th region on account of a wind change. But this phenomenon did not last long. Ash also fell in Concepción over the June 25-26 weekend due to a temporary change in winds, but the ash fall was not significant. Airport closings in Buenos Aires continued for weeks, however, including the July 8-10 weekend.

About 36 hours after the eruption began, some ash started to fall on nearby Lago Ranco, Chile due to a change in prevailing winds. But the eruption activity had already slowed considerably, mitigating the amount of ash fall. Most of the ash pictured in photographs published on the internet were taken in places like Bariloche, Argentina, which was covered with several inches of ash and its airport closed.

Too bad for Argentina: the bulk of Puyehue’s ash and smoke went east, as of the second day of the eruption. Reports say that it arrived at the Atlantic Ocean about 36 hours after the eruption began.

Argentina usually gets the brunt of Chilean volcano activity due to prevailing winds. It provides yet another reason why Chile is considered a “net exporter of natural disasters.”

Such was certainly the case with the eruption of the Chaiten volcano in 2008 and 2009 a few hundred miles further south. In that eruption, southern Argentina was coated with volcanic ash. But only the town of Chaiten (population 4,000), immediately adjacent to the volcano, was affected in Chile.

With the Puyehue eruption, there has been serious ash fall in little Chilean towns and villages near the volcano. There had been a sulfur smell and many tremors (230 per hour) near the volcano for the 48 hours prior to the eruption in those places.

Hint: it makes little sense to buy beautiful property in Chile right next to active volcanoes. That should be a no-brainer. Most people do not do it.

The villages evacuated were: Futangue, Pitreño, Trahuico, Riñañihue Alto, Ranquil, Chanco, Espulafquen, Las Quemas, Licán, Moqueal, Rucatallo y Mnatilhue. Other than Riñañihue, close to Lago Ranco in the 14th Region, none of the rest of these places appear on my map. So I am not entirely sure where they are, although the newspaper says that all the evacuations were in the 14th region.

These villages must be tiny. There have been no confirmed lava flows so far, but the government suspects that one could start and affect the adjacent villages in the lava flow’s potential path. Once again, Chile has been prepared in the face of emergency.

Volcanic events in Chile give reason for pause. But thankfully, there are no substantial population centers located near volcanoes. Like with earthquake and tsunami preparedness, Chile has found ways to cope with volcanoes and the potential disaster they can cause, making Chile a relatively safe and desirable place to live.

Final note: make sure to remind your favorite "climate change" proponent that volcanoes pump more CO2 into the atmosphere than dozens, if not hundreds, of years of human activity. Nature must have an awful lot of carbon credits!

You can see impressive photographs of the eruption here. The ones with the ash mixed with lightening are really nice.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:

Acreage for Sale in Central Chile

2011-06-04T12:39:00.016-04:00

Here are some large properties (farm or forestry properties) for sale in central Chile, mainly land suitable for farming and forestry in the 7th and 8th Regions. They can also be subdivided and developments placed on them. Prices were computed using an exchange rate of 467 pesos to the dollar. Purchases will be made in Chilean pesos and hectares are utilized rather than acres in Chile. Hectares are converted to acres for the benefit of Americans used to thinking in terms of acres.

Each property has its own charm and beauty. All have substantial water, especially those in the 7th and 8th regions. Unless otherwise noted, in plantable areas the temperature does not get below 28F. Think of the region where these properties are located as the Southern Hemisphere's equivalent of California's Central Valley.

If you have an interest in knowing more or seeing one of these properties, please contact Dr. Cobin at jcobin@policyofliberty.net. Unless otherwise noted, he has visited each of these properties personally and can provide significant information on them. In Chile, buyers pay a 2% commission to realtors. Dr. Cobin is not a realtor. He is a consultant that will work with realtors (mostly Spanish-speaking) on your behalf. Please have a map handy or click this link to see a map and scroll down to the maps that have Talca and Concepción on them. There is also one property near Santiago, due south.

Property description: Ñuble River
Nearby town: Chillán

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 1,976
Price per acre: US$3,901
Total asking price: US$7,673,000
Percent active farmland: 0%

Percent active grazing land: 94%

Percent potential farmland: 94%
Percent usable for forestry: 94%
Water available: Lots, usable (big) river and creek frontage
Land form: mostly flat with some plateaus reaching 100 feet hgher
View: Andes peaks in the distance
Hours drive to Santiago: 4
Nearest airport: Concepción, 1 hour

Property description: Yungay

Nearby town: Yungay

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 1,729

Price per acre: US$6,069

Total asking price: US$10,493,000

Percent active farmland: 99%, corn, oats, wheat

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 0%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: rolling hills

Water available: Plentiful, irrigation system installed, profitable working farm

View: Andes peaks not far away

Hours drive to Santiago: 4.5
Nearest airport: Concepción, 1 hour

Property description: Bulnes (interior)

Nearby town: Bulnes

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 1,149

Price per acre: US$4,335

Total asking price: US$4,981,000

Percent active farmland: 22%, grains and various

Percent active grazing land: 40%

Percent potential farmland: 99%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: mostly flat with some rolling hills

Water available: Plentiful, irrigation system installed, working farm

View: Andes peaks not far away

Hours drive to Santiago: 5
Nearest airport: Concepción, 1.5 hours

Property description: Bulnes (Ruta 5)

Nearby town: Bulnes

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 1,023

Price per acre: US$6,936

Total asking price: US$7,096,000

Percent active farmland: 48%, grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.

Percent active grazing land: 5%

Percent potential farmland: 99%

Percent active forestry land: 22%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: mostly flat with some rolling hills, easy access to Chile's main highway Ruta 5

Water available: Plentiful, irrigation system installed, working farm

View: Andes peaks

Hours drive to Santiago: 4.5

Nearest airport: Concepción, 1.25 hours

Property description: Santa Barbara Río Bio Bio

Nearby town: Santa Barbara

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300, but min. temp. can get to 20F

Number of acres: 1,129

Price per acre: US$1,040

Total asking price: US$1,174,000

Percent active farmland: 4%

Percent active grazing land: 1%

Percent potential farmland: 98%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: mostly flat with 3 km of riverbank (Bio Bio, Chile's 2nd largest), some hillside 200 ft. high

Water available: Huge, shares in large-rapidly moving canal

View: Andes foothills, nice broad view

Hours drive to Santiago: 5.5

Nearest airport: Concepción or Temuco, 2 hours

Property description: Santa Adela

Nearby town: Curicó

Region: 7th

Approx. days of sunshine: 310

Number of acres: 1,853

Price per acre: US$867

Total asking price: US$1,606,000 (US$214,000 discount if the house and 106 acres are not taken)

Percent active farmland: 0%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 20%

Percent usable for forestry: 80%

Land form: unspecified

Water available: 16 liters per second (canal Majadilla)

View: Andes and Rio Mataquito

Hours drive to Santiago: 2.5

Nearest airport: Santiago, 2.5 hours

Property description: Fundo en Parrón (comuna Rauco)

Nearby town: Curicó

Region: 7th

Approx. days of sunshine: 310

Number of acres: 835

Price per acre: US$897

Total asking price: US$749,465

Percent active farmland: 32%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 0%

Percent usable for forestry: 68%

Land form: Varies between flat, soft knolls and steep hillside; I have not visited it.

Water available: unknown

View: Andres range

Hours drive to Santiago: 3

Nearest airport: Santiago, 3 hours

Property description: Fundo en Villa Prat

Nearby town: Curicó

Region: 7th

Approx. days of sunshine: 310

Number of acres: 2,497

Price per acre: US$1,286

Total asking price: US$3,212,000

Percent active farmland: 60%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 0%

Percent usable for forestry: 40%

Land form: Flat (60%) and hillside slope (40%); I have not visited it.

Water available: unknown

View: Río Mataquito and the Andres range

Hours drive to Santiago: 2.5

Nearest airport: Santiago, 2.5 hours

Property description: Parcela 57 Sagrada Familia

Nearby town: Curicó

Region: 7th

Approx. days of sunshine: 310

Number of acres: 44

Price per acre: US$10,403

Total asking price: US$457,388

Percent active farmland: 98%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 0%

Percent usable for forestry: 0%

Land form: Flat; I have not visited it. The sector has an important microclimate.

Water available: Canal Quillarino y Canal Santa Alicia

View: Río Mataquito

Hours drive to Santiago: 2.5

Nearest airport: Santiago, 2.5 hours

Property description: Sagrada Familia

Nearby town: Curicó

Region: 7th

Approx. days of sunshine: 310

Number of acres: 2,507

Price per acre: US$683

Total asking price: US$1,712,000

Percent active farmland: 2%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 16%

Percent usable for forestry: 41%

Land form: Hilly with some plateaus; data on this property is sketchy. I have not visited it.

Water available: unknown but likely considerable

View: Andes distant view

Hours drive to Santiago: 2.5

Nearest airport: Santiago, 2.5 hours

Property description: Río Planillo

Nearby town: San Fernando

Region: 6th

Approx. days of sunshine: 320

Number of acres: 4,446

Price per acre: US$520

Total asking price: US$2,312,000

Percent active farmland: 0%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 50%

Percent usable for forestry: 60%

Land form: Foothills of the Andes; data on this property is sketchy. I have not visited it.

Water available: unknown but likely considerable since near Rió Planillo

View: Andes foothills view

Hours drive to Santiago: 2

Nearest airport: Santiago, 2 hours

Property description: San Gregorio

Nearby town: Parral

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 543

Price per acre: US$4,768

Total asking price: US$2,589,000

Percent active farmland: 46%

Percent active grazing land: 5%

Percent potential farmland: 99%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: flat with 1 km frontage on Ruta 5

Water available: yes, rights in canal plus wells

View: Andes in the distance

Hours drive to Santiago: 3.5

Nearest airport: Concepción, 2 hours

Property description: Salto de Laja

Nearby town: Yumbel, Los Angeles

Region: 8th

Approx. days of sunshine: 300

Number of acres: 1,087

Price per acre: US$5,202

Total asking price: US$5,655,000

Percent active farmland: 0%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 99%

Percent usable for forestry: 99%

Land form: flat, close to Ruta 5

Water available: yes, internal creek that originates and terminates on the property, plus other sources

View: Andes in the distance

Hours drive to Santiago: 4.5

Nearest airport: Concepción, 1.5 hours

Property description: Laguna Aculeo

Nearby town: Talagante

Region: RM

Approx. days of sunshine: 330

Number of acres: 1,529

Price per acre: US$1,734

Total asking price: US$2,651,000

Percent active farmland: 16%

Percent active grazing land: 0%

Percent potential farmland: 35%

Percent usable for forestry: 16%

Land form: Touristic area; data on this property is sketchy. I have not visited it.

Water available: some

View: Andes distant view

Hours drive to Santiago: 1

Nearest airport: Santiago, 1 hour

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Bert's Criteria for Why He Selected Chile

2011-06-04T10:02:00.005-04:00

The nineteen criteria that Bert used to make his selection of Chile, Iquique in particular, are as follows:

First, he had to find a country that had substantial resources so that it can continue to increase its wealth as opposed to other countries where substantial decreases in wealth or standard of living will result in violence (as is occurring in various parts of the world). In the US, he thinks those reductions (already occurring) will be very substantial and that they will result in violence.

Second, the climate had to be such that if there were no power or fuel that both his neighbors would feel no need to take his fuel/resources to stay warm. He has no heating or air-conditioning equipment in my Chilean condo as it is not needed.

Third, latitude--a large portion of the food in Iquique is grown a couple of hundred miles to the north at 18 degrees south latitude near Arica where he have numerous friends, so they can grow pretty much year round. Iquique is 20 degrees south latitude or about 220 miles to the south.
Guantanamo Bay Cuba--is on the southern coast of Cuba. and is located at 20 degrees latitude north (the same is Iquique is 20 degrees latitude south). The Pacific Ocean also provides an incredible amount of food as per the fresh fish he bought at the shop next to the small yacht club where he keeps his kayaks, and spends his time on their private beach. The Humbolt current is just offshore bringing cooling waters up from the South Pole. This keeps and makes the climate, one of the best in the world with winter being high of 61 and low of 55 and summer high of 81 and a low of about 67. (He used to live near San Diego California when he was a USMC infantry officer.) Humidity in his condo is 53 percent, meaning no mold, mildew or smell.

Fourth, electricity--he also wanted a reliable source of electricity and much of our power here comes from a magma/geothermal plant to the south.

Fifth, even more important, he wanted a country that did not promise its citizens more than it could deliver so that when those promises were not met--as in the situation in the US--there would not be the inevitable violence that historically follows a substantial reduction in the standard of living.

Sixth, the retirement system--social security--you may remember (as per the US debates on the reform of Social Security) that the Chilean Social security system is privatized and is the envy of the thinking Western world.

Seventh, medical care in Chile has two tiers. The private sector provides excellent care. The public system is not so great but it does provide a wide array of services and those that use it seem to like it. In short, unlike the US, which spends close to $7,000 per person per year on medical care, it is affordable for the government to carry. In the US where the states pay at least part of Medicare. Medicare payments according to a hospital executive he met on an airplane, are not being paid by the State of California.

Eighth, the military is patterned from the Germans, and many German's live in Chile. The police are a military branch like the Army. The Chileans also have a bunch of new F-16s and they strongly believe in a defense capability. A friend of his, that lives near him in Iquique, kayaks with him, and is active in the church that he goes to; is instructing the Chileans on the use of their new F-16 fighters (he is a major in the USAF--he says the Chileans are pretty good pilots and are getting better. Any army that wants to try to invade across the desert would be a tempting target for the Chileans. They have an infantry presence in the area as well.

Ninth, One can own weapons in Chile, including pistols, with some fairly minor paper work. But getting a concealed weapons permit, as I have (and need) in the US, is most difficult. I feel safer in Chile also than he does in the US and the police are efficient and not corrupt. The US judicial system and law enforcement is going down hill quickly as the crime rate overwhelms attempts to provide better protection. This is another reason as an attorney, he feels safer down in Chile.

Tenth, there is a fair amount of English spoken in Chile. The amount is increasing, as the government wants its citizens to be able to speak both English and Spanish. Also Spanish is an easy language to learn and our US English speaking colony in Iquique is growing. [Ed. note: I am not sure that most bilingual people, like me, who constantly struggle to perfect Spanish after 15+years, would agree that Spanish is an "easy language to learn."]

Eleventh, low tariffs--in case you wanted to set up an international business and wanted to manufacture things here and ship them out. Iquique is a duty free zone. [Ed. note: low tariffs make importing easier since the costs of goods for sale will be lower and retailing them easier. In other words, barriers to entry into competitive markets are not high. Punta Arenas also has a tax-free zone where, like Iquique, there is no tariff paid nor value added tax paid.]

Twelfth, Bert likes being on the Pacific Ocean for a number of reasons, including his sea kayaks which he keeps at the local/cheap yacht club as well as the climate and food supply source. Iquique is a world class resort with beautiful beaches and a casino as well as great restaurants. [Ed. note: I am not sure that Iquique is a "world-class" resort. The weather is perfect and water sports like surfing and kayaking are wonderful. But there are many other beaches in Chile which are far more beautiful and well-serviced in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Regions: for example, Bahia Inglesa, Las Tacas, Zapallar and Santo Domingo.]

Thirteenth, spiritual life--Bert works with several groups of outstanding Christian missionaries (Anglican, Baptist and Methodist) and there is much to be done by those that feel that they are put on the earth to glorify His name as we bring many in Chile who do not know the Lord to the Lord.

Fourteenth, costs of getting around--Bert lives on the same side of the city as the airport. Iquique is a port city of 250,000 people. One can use the coastline to figure out where he is located in most cases and trips to anywhere you want to go are cheap and short. The shopping centers carry everything you can get back in the US. Taxi traffic inside the city is very good and very cheap. He has a particular cab driver who takes care of him and my friends and is incredibly, friendly, reliable and cheap. He sees no reason to have a car in Iquique although his condo comes with an underground parking place if you want to spend a little extra for the space and a car. The yacht club costs US$90 per month and is located only 3.5 miles from his condo.

Fifteenth, ease of access by air--there are non-stop flights from Miami, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles or Toronto, Canada to either Lima, Peru or Santiago [Ed. note: a great capital city and another great reason to live in Chile!]. One can go to Santiago, Chile to the south and back up to Iquique–1300 extra miles each way or (the way Bert goes) from Lima, Peru. LAN used to fly directly from Lima to Iquique (IQQ) and this cut off about 7 hours from the trip down. Hopefully service will begin again. One leaves about 2 p.m. and arrives about 3:50 the next morning using American or Delta. Time is the same in Chile and the US (Eastern Time) for about 5 months out of the year.

Sixteenth, People are very friendly and helpful. Due to the existence of the fact that a very large percentage of the population is European, one does not stand out in the crowd and people think you are local. In the elevator in my condo, or at the pool or exercise/weight room, they automatically start speaking Spanish to me. [Ed. note: in all fairness, that might be because they cannot speak English. Also, the bulk of white people of European descent life in Northeastern Santiago, Viña del Mar and Regions 9, 10, 11 and 14. Northern Chile, including Iquique, has a far higher percentage of indigenous peoples.]

Seventeenth, the economic system was set up by the Chicago Boys (Chicago School of Economics) to make sure that the country continued on a strong free market basis. Bert understands that there need to be some super majority votes to change this.

Eighteenth, a place where the prices are still cheap with a view of the ocean. As a real estate developer and landowner, Bert believes that the most sought after piece of property in the world is a property (a high rise) with a view of the ocean with outstanding climate and a stable government. He believes that this kind of property will be sought after more than any other as Asia and the rest of the world starts to grow again and looks for some very scarce real estate as described above. He wants this kind of property so that he can resell it at any time and make a profit or at least get his money back.

Nineteenth. According to various magazine article special features: Chile is the most stable and democratic country in South America, with a free-market economy and a very favorable attitude towards foreign investment. The government is currently offering numerous tax exemptions and incentives to develop many untouched regions of the country, and recent free-trade agreements signed with the US, EU, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Korea and China. No restrictions are present on foreign investment and land ownership, and in the UN Corruption Index 2002, Chile ranks an impressive 17th out of 102 countries (just behind the US).

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Chile Has 20% of Best Latin American Firms to Work for

2011-06-01T20:14:00.010-04:00

According to this article, Chile has 20 of the top 100 multinational companies to work for in Latin America. That is quite substantial when one considers the small percentage of Latin American population that Chile's 17 million people make up. Brazil has 191 million, Mexico another 113 million and Argentina has 40 million, just for starters. A whopping 580 million people live in Latin America, and Chile makes up only 2.9% of it. Thus, it is quite extraordinary that Chile would have 20% of the best firms to work for. It is another testament to the benefits of a market-based economy. The 20 companies are:

1.- Kimberly Clark
2.- Telefónica
3.- Renault - Sofasa
4.- Quala
5.- Google
6.- Caterpillar
7.- IBM
8.- ACE Seguros
9.- Sodimac
10.- Accor
11.- McDonald's
12.- Plantronics
13.- Belcorp
14.- Diageo
15.- Novartis
16.- British American Tobacco
17.- Marriott
18.- DJ Orthopedics
19.- SC Johnson
20.- Gerdau Aza

One plausible explanation for the disparity is that Santiago is the most attractive venue for planting a business in Latin America. Chile has the lowest level of corruption, strongest property rights and most business-friendly environment (including public policy) than any other country south of the United States border. Therefore, Santiago likely attracts more high quality businesses than other places in Latin America.

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Chile, Where No One Has to Make a Trip to the Dump

2011-06-01T20:03:00.006-04:00

I am quite sure that Santiago has a landfill, somewhere, but I have no idea where it is located. And there is really no good reason why I should know because in Santiago (and most of the rest of Chile) free disposal services for recyclable items come to you.

Are you remodeling your house and have lots of debris? No problem: just set it outside and someone will take it away within a day or two, if not hours.

That's what my good friend found out recently. He is an expatriate who is used to working on his own house. And, taking up a major remodeling project of the house he bought, he began to accumulate a lot of debris. He began wondering how he would dispose of it. "There must be a dump somewhere." Then his wife, who has lived with him in Chile for over a year, said: "Why not just try bringing it to the curb?" Indeed, "Why not?" He did so, and all of the debris disappeared.

Part of Chilean efficiency is due to the fact that Chile is a country full of scavengers. There is no need to separate trash to be recycled since people will automatically appear on trash day to sort through the trash and take the booty away to cash in at recycled resources centers. Poorer people see great wealth in the trash of wealthier people and provide a community service while practicing their craft.

I see such scavengers every week while walking through my neighborhood, working diligently sorting through trash cans and debris piles. Apparently these scavengers can eke out a decent living since the profession is widespread and popular.

They figure that anything left on the curb is fair game. It is their version of on-time inventory.

That fact means that one should be careful not to leave anything he wants outside of his front gate. Anything not nailed, glued or bolted down will be taken--unless the scavenger happens to be carrying bolt cutters that day, in which case it all might go! One will consider his property stolen while a scavenger qua thief will look at it as more booty discarded by the wealthy.

This same friend had a planter leftover from the previous owner, full of plants. The other guy was supposed to come pick it up after closing but never did. So my friend decided to move this planter just outside his front gate. The ornament fit nicely in the allotted space and actually looked pretty good. But my friend did not take into account that the scavengers looked at it differently. It was precious booty and they took it.

First they "stole" the plants. Next they came later and "stole" the planter, dumping the potting soil on the ground. Seeing stages one and two happen, my friend is now waiting for someone to come and "steal" the dirt.

My Chilean wife says that thieves sometimes do this staged "stealing" in order to stake out a house. If there are progressive little takings and no one seems to complain or try to fix things, then the probability is higher that the house is empty and can be ransacked.

Most Chileans tend to lie, just little lies mostly, as well as to cheat--and many even steal. So there is no reason to be surprised by any predatory activity by scavengers. It is a lesson that newcomers must learn.

I found listening to my friend's tale to be quite humorous and so typical of how life in Chile works. That is why there are no coin operated newspaper stands, and even why so many ATM machines get robbed. If you leave or "abandon" something in what a scavenger considers to be public space you can kiss the thing goodbye in short order!

There is an efficient side to all of this sort of activity. If one lives in Northeastern Santiago or upscale beach areas, he will find clean streets, immaculate actually, with hordes of scavengers lurking about waiting for the next carrion to appear. Like piranhas, they work quickly and without much noisy ruckus. And knowing how the system works, a newcomer should be able to avoid things being "stolen" and also to appreciate the environmental services provided by free market scavengers.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

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A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

Business Opportunities in Iquique

2011-06-01T12:11:00.004-04:00

   Business opportunities abound in Chile, and one of the best places to do business is from Iquique. We are not talking about beginning a business in some Third World backwater. We are talking about installing an enterprise in the New America, in a country with a First World capital and quickly modernizing provincial towns like Iquique.
   We are talking about setting up in a country with low corruption and strong property rights, a country dedicated to making business flourish, where a new business can be opened in just a week. Sure, there is some regulation and annoying labor laws apply in some cases, but starting a venture in Chile is far easier than in many other countries. The government, keen to attract new businesses, offers special visa programs for investors and even provides small subsidies for startup companies.
     Chileans who are residents of the remote ends of the country are eligible to buy products duty-free. That means they pay no import tariff (6%) and no value added tax (19%) on goods purchased in specified duty-free zones. They are also able to buy used cars shipped in from abroad, an option unavailable to Chileans living in other parts of the country. The duty-free areas (zonas francas) are located in Iquique and Punta Arenas.
   Chileans who are resident in other parts of the country are eligible to buy $1,000 of goods tax-free while visiting Zofri in Iquique or Zofra in Punta Arenas. (Zofra stands for Zona Franca.) Just remember that Lan Chile airlines has a limit of 23 kg per person of checked luggage and 8 kg for carry-on bags.
   The duty-free zone in Iquique is much larger than its counterpart in Punta Arenas. Not only does the Iquique metro area have nearly twice as many inhabitants than its southern counterpart, northern cities which can also benefit (like Arica, Pozo Almonte, Pica, and Putre) are vastly larger in population than southern cities that can use the free zone (like Porvenir, Puerto Natales, Cerro Castillo, Puerto Williams, and Cerro Sombrero).
   Plus, Iquique is a port used for extensive international trade. Large numbers of trucks arrive from landlocked Bolivia and Paraguay to buy wholesale and tax-free in Iquique. Warehouses full of Chinese products are seen in Iquique for sale primarily in Bolivia and Paraguay. Brazil is also involved in the trading.
   The trade is so robust that the governments of Chile, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay decided to install a 3,650 mile asphalt highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific which is nearly completed (the Bolivian part is the last to be completed and has a projected finish date at the end of 2011). The Atlantic ports are Santos (near Sao Paolo) and Matto Grosso in Brazil and the Pacific Ports are Iquique and Arica in Chile.
   Bolivia and Paraguay lie directly east of Iquique. And Iquique is the port of call for these two landlocked, Third World countries, which have respective populations of 10.9 million and 6.3 million. (Chile's population is about the same as both of these countries combined.) As a result, we can clearly see why Iquique is much larger and booming as a free port town than Punta Arenas.
   Chileans in the 15th Region (Arica, Putre) and the 1st Region (Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Pozo Almonte, Pica) can benefit from tax-free purchases in Iquique's ZOFRI retail mall. (ZOFRI stands for Zona Franca Iquique.) They can also buy new and, better yet, used cars from North America, Asia and Europe at greatly reduced prices over those found in Santiago.
   To qualify for tax-free buying, a Chilean must prove his residency in the 15th or 1st regions by showing proof of employment in the region and an address within the region. I suppose that pensioners can show that they are retired and living in either place as well and qualify for the benefit.
   Note that the same benefit is available to residents of the 11th and 12th regions in the south (Coyhaique, Puerto Aysen, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, Cerro Sombrero, Porvenir, Puerto Williams, etc.). These southern cities feature very long days in the summer and very short days in the winter (especially Punta Arenas, Cerro Sombrero, Porvenir, and Puerto Williams) and cold, damp and windy weather. Iquique is far different since it never rains or get cold in the Atacama Desert port.
   I was walking through Zofri last week and I was surprised once again to see the high cost of certain items. There must be dozens of items with few importers and few retailers, allowing those who are in the market to charge outlandish prices and make huge fortunes. Remember, Chile is a country low barriers to importing products.
   Fortune can be made in the taxed retail business, too, most of which is centered in Santiago, Viña del Mar and Concepción. But Zofri simply provides a fine example of how a prudent businessman can make money by selling products at lower prices to Chileans, Bolivians and Paraguayans.
     Brazil would probably like to profit by selling goods to Paraguay and Bolivia as well, but to do so it will have to find a way to compete with free port Iquique's lower prices. Being a full member of Mercosur does not help Brazil's situation either, beleaguering it with regulations and mandatory tariffs, but perhaps the new corridor will open up some new trading opportunities and exceptions to its current trade policy.
     The Zofri mall is full of every sort of household item you can think of: appliances, electronics, computers, hand tools, kitchenware, personal grooming products, linens and towels, curtains, groceries, fabrics and sewing equipment, clothes, cosmetics and perfume, cheap jewelry, stationery supplies, musical instruments, furniture, lighting, crystal and decor. It is a bustling microcosm of retail realities in Santiago, booming with consumers who are spending as a result of strong economic growth.
   Yet there is still room for competitors to move in and make big money. Consider bringing in electronic products for instance. One can literally make a fortune since many of them carry premiums to prices in the USA for electronics like GPSs, notebook computers, radar detectors, clock radios, shavers and digital cameras. There is obviously still a lack of competition, or perhaps there is an unseen monopsony effect (i.e., only one buyer of imported products on the wholesale level who then sells them to Chilean retailers). Either way, market conditions spell profitable opportunity for incoming businessmen.
   The business opportunity carries staggering proportions. And importing to Chile offers other attractive features at times. Many imported goods can be free of duties to Santiago or other places in Chile if they are brought in under international free trade agreements from countries like New Zealand, Canada and Singapore. There are also limited benefits to bringing in goods from the USA and Europe.
   Check with a customs agent specialist in Chile to find out which countries and goods get special tax breaks. You might also check out this link.
   Zofri is divided into two main sections: (a) the retail mall and auto dealerships and (b) the wholesale distribution warehouses section. The latter is far larger and offers strictly wholesale prices (rumored to be around 40% lower than those found in the retail mall next door). Buyers are required to make a minimum purchase of goods of US$500 with the express purpose of reselling the goods (at retail prices). Such stipulations effectively prohibit most Chileans from patronizing this section of Zofri. The photos below show wholesale houses on a couple of the interior Zofri streets taken in late May 2010.

The retail mall looks similar to other malls in Chile, although not as fabulously designed as those in northeastern Santiago, except that one-half of it has no roof (since it never rains in Iquique) but rather gigantic sheets of stretched canvass used to protect shoppers from the tropical sun.

The presence of a duty-free mall lowers one's tax burden considerably. This fact is especially true for retirees who have their capital offshore and receive pensions or other payments from offshore investments tax-free in Chile. Such folks pay no income taxes and can eliminate duties paid on purchases by buying big ticket items like cars, appliances and furniture in the Zofri mall. Thus, the extreme northern and southern parts of Chile end up being some of the lowest taxed places on earth for retirees.

Furthermore, duty-free in good for business and Iquique is already Chile's 8th largest metro area on account of its port, Zofri, and trade with Bolivia and Paraguay. In recent years, central and southern Iquique has become a tourist attraction for beach-going, sea kayaking, sailing, paragliding, and surfing. At least 10 new condominiums of 15 to 25 stories have been built in the last three years.

The Chilean navy and Air Force continue to have a significant presence in the area as well. Even if one considers other parts of Chile to be more beautiful, no one can deny that northern Chile is great for business (the lion's share of Chile's GDP comes from mining activity in the north) and has a great climate with low-taxed living. Accordingly, personal income in Iquique is rumored to be higher than any other comuna in Chile except for Las Condes (northeastern Santiago) and Viña del Mar. As a result of these benefits, Iquique has also become a attractive place for American expatriates looking to retire with warm weather and low taxes.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)
Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

Chile, a Relatively Inexpensive Place to Live

2011-05-31T14:06:00.006-04:00

   Whether comparing cost of living between major city to major city or between provincial small towns, it is evident that Chile has a lower cost of living than Europe or the United States. Chile is a relatively inexpensive place to live.
     That fact does not mean that everything is cheaper in Chile. It is not. But most things that tend comprise the lion's share of the family budget are cheaper in Chile. The famous "Big Mac Index" confirms this supposition. A big Mac in Chile costs around US$1.85, which is substantially cheaper than in most other parts of the world.

     Why? Santiago and other Chilean cities or towns have much lower cost for many larger, repetitive, monthly household budget items: (1) housing (especially when renting but also in buying); (2) medical (non-chiropractic) out-of-pocket costs, along with costs for dental work, laboratory blood work, orthodontia, and medical insurance (all of which could be as much as 2/3rds less); (3) private grade school and college tuition; (4) automobile and long-term life insurance; (5) pharmaceuticals; (6) taxes (property taxes on agricultural land are a joke and prime real property pays about 1/2% of assessed value; business taxes are a flat 17%; 0% long term capital gains tax; 0%-25% estate tax; 6% import tariff on most goods); (7) up to 80% less for fruits and vegetables and (8) diesel is relatively cheap, which currently runs just under US$5 per gallon.
   What should you expect life to cost in Chile? The answer depends on how you live and how much the eight classes of items listed above figure into your budget. To a lesser extent, one's visa status also has an impact, since permanent residents are able to take advantage of money-saving charge cards and offers that are not available to newcomers. Sovereign Man will soon be rolling out the residency program that I will be running from Santiago. That program will help people achieve permanent residency status.
   What things in Chile are cheaper than comparable products and services in the USA or Europe? Rent, automobile insurance (e.g., a used sedan with full coverage and zero deductible might be $50 per month), medical insurance (the savings are diminished with larger families), medical care and childbirth (having a baby is around $3,000 or maybe $4,500 if c-section), pharmaceuticals (about 30% less, even less with an insurance plan), fresh fruits and vegetables (especially at open air markets), fresh fish and seafood (especially at open air markets), candy (except what is imported from the USA) and sugar, gardeners and household maids, utilities: natural gas, water and electricity, a monthly average of $80 for all three in a luxury apartment in Santiago (perhaps only one-fourth of the cost in most places in the USA), private school tuition, haircuts (which vary widely in price depending on location in both countries), dental care and orthodontia, shoe shining (50 cents typically), dry cleaning, custom picture framing, eyeglasses, traffic tickets, wine, reupholstery services, property taxes on real estate (usually no more than one half of one percent of its value in urban areas, and zero or close to it for many rural areas or anywhere that has poor quality construction), firewood, income taxes (for most people), import tariffs (6% flat in Chile across the board), cost of building a new house per square foot (note: quality differences are apparent between Chile and the USA or Europe), YMCA memberships and day use, therapeutic massage services ($45 is a typical price per hour), skiing (lift tickets close to half price), horseback riding ($6 per hour north of Con Con, near Viña del Mar), lessons for children for some things (e.g., skiing, chess club), domestic airfare (many fares $75 to $150), university tuition ($5,000 to $10,000 per year typically, depending on major an university), cut flowers ($2 per rose on the street corner, less inside a store), amusement park entrance fees, car washes ($4 is a common price for hand wash), interest paid on mortgages and consumer loans, divorce services, legal services generally, vacations (domestic and regional), taxi rides, bus and metro fares (a dollar goes a long way), accountancy services, realtor fees to buy or sell property (usually 4% split between buyer and seller), custom-made curtains, flat repairs (tire punctures), fabric sold by the square meter, especially in tax-free malls in Iquique and Punta Arenas, and lead crystal items all tend to be less expensive.
   Nevertheless, not everything is cheaper in Chile than the USA or Europe. Many products and services run about the same or just a little more: New cars, car registration taxes, phone service, internet service, cell phone service, jewelry, desktop computers, software, computer parts, movie tickets, long distance phone service, bowling, fancy restaurants, new furniture, run-of-the-mill kitchen and laundry appliances (i.e., those of "normal" size for Chile), vacations (international), luggage of decent quality, lessons for children in general (ballet, piano, karate, etc.), toasters, blenders, and other small appliances, plywood and framing lumber.
   But other things are vastly more expensive. Thankfully, these items are only purchased once every several years, meaning that they do not affect the monthly household budget as much. Nevertheless, the wily entrepreneur should be thinking "opportunity" when he sees the prices of such items. One could make a fortune in Chile just learning to import and retail certain goods which are "overpriced."
   Consider bringing in electronic products for instance. Transportation costs are not high to Chile, which exports huge amounts of mining and agricultural products, leaving plenty of container space coming back. Store (floor) space and labor costs are relatively low, too. So why are electronics like GPSs, Windows-based notebook computers, radar detectors, clock radios, shavers and digital cameras so expensive? The only answer seems to be lack of competition, or perhaps there is an unseen monopsony effect (i.e., only one buyer of imported products on the wholesale level who then sells them to Chilean retailers).
   For instance, a Nikon S4100 digital camera (14 megapixel) costs US$289 in Zofri (the tax-free mall in Iquique). The same camera costs US$365 in Santiago (on account of taxes). But this camera can be bought at Walmart anywhere in the USA for US$149, 48% less than Zofri and 59% less than in Santiago. A Norelco (Philips) 7310 shaver costs at least US$53 in Zofri (as seen in three different stores) but can be had for 35% less at a Target store in the USA (US$35). A Sony ICF-318 FM/AM Clock Radio (with 220V plug) costs US$36 in Zofri but in the USA one can get the 110V version for only US$10 at Palmdons or US$13 at Amazon.com, making it as much as 72% cheaper in the USA. What is more amazing is that the prices in both places can be seen online, and yet no one has yet undertaken the arbitrage opportunity to become a price-cutting retailer  in Chile for those products.
   I could give many other examples of electronics products that are way overpriced, inviting competition. Windows-based notebook computers are often more than double the price in Chile than they are in the USA. So are GPSs and radar detectors.
   Moreover, there are many other non-Zofri items which carry an exorbitant price in Chile. High quality paint and painting supplies are outrageously priced. So are top-of-the-line kitchen tools and food processors, which can cost three to four times as much in Santiago. High-quality furniture and high-thread count sheets are both scarce commodities and thus are very pricey when found. Ditto for mid-range watches, guns and ammunition, name brand clothing, motor oil and bank fees for wire transfers.
   But let's put this expensive items issue into perspective and see why it is dwarfed by the large savings on other things. Let's say a person buys (in Iquique or Punta Arenas tax-free zones) one shaver, two digital cameras and one clock radio every five years. He will end up paying US$324 more than in the USA. Let's also say that he pays US$500 more for a Windows-based notebook PC, US$100 more for a radar detector and US$150 more for a GPS system during the same period of time, totaling US$750. Then suppose that during the same five years, he spends an extra US$300 for high thread count sheets and US$1,000 for food processing equipment. He pays US$500 more for a gun, US$250 more for paint, US$200 more for wire transfers and US$500 more for name brand clothing and a watch. The total additional amount spent in 5 years (assuming he does not opt to fly to the USA and buy it all) will be US$3,824, which works out to about US$64 per month. That amount does not qualify as a big budget item but is closer to a utility bill or internet service. When one considers that he is paying $1,500 less for rent or mortgage each month in Santiago than he would pay in a large European or American city (or even US$300 less per month for a provincial home), that his medical insurance now costs only US$400 per month (and covers more) rather than US$1,400 monthly in the USA, and that the sundry other big item savings in things like tuition and car insurance, totaling hundreds of dollars more per month, the overall perspective becomes clear. The monthly savings on big items, not to mention the accumulated savings from the many smaller budget items mentioned earlier, dwarfs the monthly allotment for the higher-priced occasional items.
   Still, the business opportunity for selling those occasional items for less carries staggering proportions. And importing to Chile offers other attractive features at times. Many imported goods can be free of duties if they are brought in under international free trade agreements from countries like New Zealand, Canada and Singapore. There are also limited benefits to bringing in goods from the USA and Europe. Check with a customs agent specialist in Chile to find out which countries and goods get special tax breaks. You might also check out this link.
   On net, however, Chile is still a relatively inexpensive place to live. There may be some expensive items, but they are not frequently purchased and with some careful planning can be brought with your household goods container when you first move to Chile. Moreover, the recurring and big ticket items tend to be less expensive or about the same cost in Chile, making the overall cost of living lower than Europe or the USA.
   So what are you waiting for? Find out what Chile has to offer as a place to do business and as a place to live. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)
Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)

Chile Bests 33 Countries Worth Considering

2011-05-31T13:12:00.002-04:00

By now, readers of this blog know that I am biased. I think Chile is probably the best place in the world to live for most people. Chile is especially conducive for libertarian-minded or constitutionalists who tend to cherish many conservative social and family values, and who are sick of the politically correct and anti-liberty environments of the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Western Europe. Still, there are other places in the world that are not "bad" choices to live. Some have wondered how Chile compares to other places so here I offer my list of top 33 countries by numerical weighting, The "R" signifies countries which would be suitable for wealthy retirees but not necessarily for those who need to work.

10 Chile

10 Hong Kong 10 (if you can afford it)

9 Andorra (if you can afford it) R

8 Liechtenstein (if you can afford it) R

7 Panama (ideal place to open a pizza joint or service business) R

7 Island nations (if you like islands) R. Study your options carefully since each place differs dramatically. Some choices are Mauritius, Cook Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, San Andres, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Aruba, Cape Verde, Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago.

7 New Zealand

6 Singapore (hard place to live socially though)

6 Estonia

5 Lithuania

5 Southern Peru R

5 Paraguay (for large scale farmers who want low taxes and cheap land)

5 Czech Republic

4 Uruguay

4 Poland

3 Colombia

3 Costa Rica R

2 Italy

2 Slovenia

1 Ecuador R

1 Latvia

I purposely excluded Muslim great cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, etc. since they would be too hard to live in even though economically they have virtue. Ditto for Morocco. A number of the countries in the list above are more suitable for retirees (R) or those who want to start a service-oriented business than a professional job seeker.

Dr. Cobin’s book, Life in Chile: A Former American’s Guide for Newcomers, is the most comprehensive treatise on Chilean life ever written, designed to help newcomers get settled in Chile. He covers almost ever topic imaginable for immigrants. This knowledge is applied in his valet consulting service, where he guides expatriates through the process of finding a place to live and settle in Chile, helping them glide over the speed bumps that they would otherwise face in getting their visas, setting up businesses, buying real estate, investing in Chilean stocks or gold coins, etc.

Buy Dr. Cobin’s Public Policy books at Amazon.com:
A Primer on Modern Themes in Free Market Economics and Policy (2009)
Christian Theology of Public Policy: Highlighting the American Experience (2006)
Bible and Government: Public Policy from a Christian Perspective (2003)