There can be such a thing as too much weed! I think that Accompong's post is very wise. I have given you the "hard" facts. If one is still inclined, after hearing the difficulties, to try living in Jamaica long term, read Accompong's post carefully and then plan carefully. As a Jamaican friend told me, "you do not want to be a poor white man living in Jamaica".Some people can live as Accompong does and enjoy it. I would not myself, with the other difficulties, call that living in paradise. A friend of mine lived 8 years in Laos under the communist government right after the war in Vietnam. He had quite an adventure. I had no interest in staying there that long. Most Americans would not enjoy retiring in Jamaica. I am not threatened by logical arguments, in fact I welcome them and try to learn from them, but they do have to be logical. I will take issue with Accompong's assertions about the Jamaican government. They were dictated to by the IMF. If they had not complied with the IMF dictates, the Jamaican economic system would have been in big trouble.Take a look at the latest exchange rate! The highway project isn't too bad. It is,however, a toll road and I wonder about where some of the funding went and how various contracts were let. Giving the Chinese carte blanche to establish a logistics hub is not at all wise. Already, there are serious labor problems with the Chinese. One only has to look at the way the Chinese operate in Africa to see how they will treat Jamaicans. I would like to know how crime is being reduced on the island. I have had friends from UK law enforcement that were seconded to Jamaica in an effort to reduce corruption. They left in despair and expressed little hope that anything could be done in the near future. My friends that were Jamaican police officers left to work in law enforcement in the UK. When they return to Jamaica for visits, they complain of being approached by former colleagues in the Jamaican police asking them to take part in money laundering and other illegal activities. When they retire in the UK they plan to take contracts in other Commonwealth countries as police officers rather than return to Jamaica. Their wives fear for their safety in Jamaica. Jamaica is a very corrupt place. I dream of the day when Jamaica will be similar to Hawaii and I think that someday it will. I just regret that I will not be alive when that happens.
Originally Posted by negrilsand
