amideislas

Unfortunately, Spain and a few other countries are historically and factually unique in the widespread corruption that exists here, which trickles down to the street level. Shit flows downhill, my friend. We and many others deal with it as "routine" course of business. Once you learn how to "manage" it, then it becomes "tolerable" as most other people here have learned.

Exactly my point, yet it appears to remain largely acceptable amongst the population.

Madoff is in Jail, as he should be. Whatever remaining assets have been liquidated and distributed to the victims. While there wasn't anywhere near enough to fully compensate them (the very nature of ponzi schemes), at least the government didn't simply take the remaining assets for their own use. Do you really think that if the same thing happened here, the remaining assets wouldn't just "vanish" into the "public sector"?

I wonder when Endesa's executives will be taken to the mat? How about the politicians that enable their extortive practices? When will the Telefonica monopoly end? (the largest and most profitable, yet least customer-servicing telecommunications company on the planet, by the way).

When will it be deemed "unethical" for government to issue a building licence, then later arbitrarily decide that the building is "illegal" and require thousands in "payments" for various "licences", which are nothing more than some moron in a government office stamping a document? (or the other alternative, simply give a nice "gift" of €50K or so to your "abogado", who happens to be the mayor's second cousin, for all the much-appreciated "assistance" which he's so unselfishly provided to you).

When will it become unethical for a politician to garner public support for a massive (and often unneccesary) public works project, using deceptive and misleading tactics, which ultimately is awarded to his brother-in-law's contruction firm?

When will it be deemed "unethical" for law enforcement to stop anyone for any reason, to search their car in hopes of finding "something" to charge them with (or collect cash for)?

True, Spain isn't the only country exhibiting such characteristics, but on the other hand, I really don't believe there are many places that would so freely tolerate some of the things that take place here.

Lynn R

I completely agree with you - snobbery does exist everywhere. I simply wanted to make Amideislas aware that she doesn't know nearly as much about American culture as she thinks she does. The fact that she had never heard of the cotillions proves it, thank you for confirming that they still go on - in the Southern states as well as in the Midwest and Texas. It's rather laughable that she thought they might be a Hollywood thing, Hollywood society would be an anathema to the DAR types who keep these traditions going.

amideislas

Well, again, dismissing my admission I've never heard of it and don't know anything about it simply to prove your point.

And despite so much having been written and portrayed about the "elite" English culture, and the well-known, and indisputable traditional English adversity to the Americans' "unrefined" and "distasteful" demeanour, here we are claiming that Americans are "snobs".

I don't know about you, but that sounds sounds typically "snobbish" to me, and behaviour indicative of exactly that which so many would label everyone else. Hipocrits being hipocritical. A lot of that going around these days.

I love irony.

jackytoo

I expect a lot of Americans have never heard of them too, hardly representative of American life. I bet most of you haven't even been to the USA. As for most French wine being made in China

tommy.irene

I wish you and all the family a very good time in Spain..

But what im reading on this thread..Your safer in Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria ..as i have not seen any of the things happen here.. .........

amideislas

Last word to Boston lady:

You seem to lean toward the more conservative side of US politics, and I really don't care much except that I do feel that US politicians (particularly the republicans) often seem completely out of touch with reality. The democrats don't seem far behind in that category.

As my good German friend (who's never been or has any desire to visit the US) espoused to me not long ago, apparently 50% of the US population now lives in poverty - and the recent rhetoric from the presidential candidates seems to support that notion.

Nontheless, I was recently watching the results of the Iowa republican primary elections (or whatever you call them). The BBC had an interview with the (republican) governor of the state of Iowa, who innocently caused a bit of a "faux pas" by saying something like "Here in Iowa, you'll find many people saying what recession? Because our economy has remained strong throughout the crisis, due to republican leadership".

Well, as it turns out, Iowa does indeed have a low unemployment rate, and high standard of living - about the best in the US in fact. But it's due to the fact that they are a net exporter of agriculture, primarily grains, wheat, corn... and .. they produce a massive amount of the US' ethanol, which is cleaner-burning renewable fuel supplement added to the petrol in the US. In reality it wouldn't matter whether the leadership is republican or democrat. Iowa was simply in the right place at the right time.

Well, as you might expect, shortly afterward, many republicans were "distancing" themselves from their party brother, because the notion that the US economy is NOT in complete shatters is absolutely counter to the republican battle cry. Regardless of whether its true or not, the economy is always an election winner. And that, my friends (for the sake of the election) makes the US the single most impoverished nation on earth (at least until the elections are over).

I find this particularly amusing, since the facts prove that the US is not only in better shape economically than anywhere in Europe, but a recent study by an independent Swiss firm found that even the most "impoverished" of the US population enjoys a standard of living at least 50 times that of 2/3 of the world's population.

Nonetheless, if my instincts are correct, and you are more of a conservative type, I can only assure you that even the most liberal politicians in the US would be flatly labeled "right-wing conservative" here.

Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, is the head of the current conservative ruling party there. Her views, while widely regarded in Germany as "conservative", would be decidedly far more liberal than any politician's rhetoric I've heard from the US so far.

So back to the original point: just remember, you "aren't in Kansas anymore", and what you might expect in "Kansas" is not exactly what you'll find here. That's not an opinion. It's a well-documented fact.

In any case, I wish you a wonderful life in Spain, regardless of its drawbacks, Spain offers so many wonderful aspects of life (particularly the people), that so far, for us outweighs all the drawbacks.

Lynn R

If you want to use words like "hypocrites" and "hypocritical", do at least learn how to spell them, otherwise your credibility may be affected. In case you think that was an isolated slip, there was also "indemic" and "patheticly" from other posts - no, they are spelt "endemic" and "pathetically".

amideislas

Well, be damned... all is lost. And to add insult to injury, all on a meaningless technicality, too. I should have checked the rule book first.

Just one question, would you be willing to pay my electric bills? They're often billed at 3 times what we actually use, but since I've lost, I (assume I am now) believe that under Spanish law that I am "entitled to compensation" for the pain and suffering as a result of inadvertently spelling "hypocrit" incorrectly.

tommy.irene

I hate it when the spelling police get onto you..

JLFS

Well I have a "get out of jail free" card because it is my second language..

cricketman

Me too

But amideislas already lost all credibility when she said in Spain they use female castration as a method of punishment for foreigners



Just proves that her view of the world is entirely upside down and inside out

bostonlady

Thank you for the retort. One of the primary reasons we will be relocating out of the country for the 2 years, is to allow my children to have the opportunity to be able to reply to your comment. From experience, not from reading a tweet or the News.

The majority of Americans that vote Republician never leave the country. Well, the ones who make under $75,000. (even the car manufatures). And they dont drink good wine either...lol...

The seperation between classes has been growing. The people in poverty here live better than those in other countries, I believe that is true, as most have roofs over their heads and access to soup kitchens to get some meals. Thank God that we do have them. But they will be cut soon, when the Republicians take office in 2013. They are sick of giving people hand outs. But that only counts for Americans. We will give Isreal and other Foreign nations our last cents..as we watch jobs go to China and India. We must save face at all costs. Its Reputation that matters...not the fact that the poor can not get proper access to health care. Dentists are a think of the past, as are eye doctors. Its just not in the budget for the poor folks,,,But please I wont even get started on that.

I am not so naive to beleive we have it worse than any other nation but I do believe that we had many many opportunitues to make a better go at it and failed. Racism is rampant. President Obama is a good man and gets slammed down at every turn. And that is not because he is a Democrat. Do a google search and see where the House Majority leader is from...it will give you some insight to there feelings.. The Repubicans would rather watch as the U.S. Credit rating slips down the toilet that to dissapoint any coorporate sponsors.
Believe me I know, I was involved in the Republician Finance Committee for many years...2 many.....

I am looking forward to our move..We are still debating which area. I hope we can visit Tenerife or Las Palmas... I have only seen them in you tube videos...

bostonlady

Not made IN china..Made BY the Chinese people living in France

Domino

you need to get out more into the real world, away from posting on BE.
Corruption, nepotism, backhanders, jobs for the boys, and any others you may want to think of are endemic in all countries, Spain has no monopoly, although it does have a willingness to speak of it.
Even in the smallest state in the world !!

amideislas

I have to admit you're right. Italy and Greece are also "poster children".

But in terms of getting out, well, that's at least half my problem. I've been out, and what I found out there is completely counter to what I've previously been led to believe... The same uninformed, naive and completely nonsensical bollocks that so many Europeans have also been led to believe (as evidenced by the nonsense posted here by others).

In fact, there are a few around here that could use a good dose of reality, and furthermore, to take a good look in the mirror before accusing everybody else of looking just like them.