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Episode-1633- Listener Calls for 8-27-15 — 16 Comments

  1. Never seen the movie, but loved the short story “Harrison Bergeron”… I can still picture the beautiful, then tragic end in my mind… A story everyone should read, but I think might be a key story for young teens to read.

  2. One thing interesting I’ve heard from places that have raised minimum wage to $15 per hour: many workers are requesting that their hours be cut, so that their income stays the same. Why? So they don’t earn too much and lose their government benefits.

  3. Jack, I’m glad that you have touched upon PR. I moved here at the end of 2012 from Austin, TX. I came here for various reasons, but the main one was being closer to my wife’s family (we didn’t have any family in TX) after having our second child. My honest advice to continentals that wish to move to PR: come and visit before you make the plunge.

    Details are as follows:

    * My wife is Puerto Rican. Being married to someone who was born and raised (partially in Florida as well) is a big help, both with the language and culture. Her father is a retired FBI special agent, so her family is very bilingual and more “Americanized” than most. If you or your spouse is not from here, like Jack said, you will stick out. That doesn’t necessarily paint a target on your back, but you should be aware of it and take steps to minimize it, like learning Spanish, dressing less flashy and not so “touristy”.

    * I speak Spanish (not 100% fluent, but pretty darn good) and if plan to live here, you should learn to speak Spanish as well. It will make living here much more enjoyable. Both English and Spanish are offical languages here, so getting things like a Driver’s License and going to the bank can be done in English, but going to markets, hardware stores, etc will prove problematic if you can’t communicate with the locals. Also, I can honestly say that the people of Puerto Rico are very warm and welcoming if you assimilate into the mix. Don’t walk around with whats called here the “Ugly American attitude” of being above the locals. It comes off as being arrogant and your not making your life any easier.

    * As far as crime goes, the majority of it is in the metro area. This includes San Juan, Carolina, Rios Piedras, Caguas. Of the 3.7 million that live here, 3 million live in this concertrated area. Avoid. I live in the northwestern coast, and I love it here. Very rural, laid back surfer town/vibe, less big city problems, big American/Gringo influence from the surfer culture. If I were to live somewhere else in PR, I would go for the south west corner, like Cabo Rojo or Guanica. It is very arid and dry, almost like central Texas. Avoid the east coast altogether. Too much BS. The center of the island is very mountain like, and very agriculture centered. The city of Cayey has very cool tempertures and cool morning mist. HOWEVER, if you plan to live in the center of the island, your Spanish better be damn good, as most people here do not speak much English. This is the boonies!

    * As far as growing food goes, PR still has a very rural vibe to it. In the neighboorhood I live in, you are allowed to have a max of 5 hens with no hassles from the authorities. It more rural areas, it is very common to see chickens, horses, goats, and cows hanging out. Growing is very easy, as the tropical weather lends itself to this. However, have a BB gun ready for iguanas. They are like Caribbean deers, and will destroy your garden.

    Conclusion: I like it here. It is different, but in many ways the same as living in the mainland. We have Wal-marts, Home Depot, MacDonalds, and all that kind of stuff, but the mom and pop hardware store, auto part store, and road side markets for fruits and veggies are still strong. The bad rap that Puerto Ricans get in the mainland for being lazy is very much not noticed by me here. Some of the smartest and hardest working people I have met are just normal dudes here, making it happen with what I call “Caribbean Engineering”. Where I work, everyone shows up at 6-6:30 in the morning and works until 7 at night, no complaining. There is a sense of community here as well, similar to what you would experience in a small town in the US. It probably stems from everyone here is of the same “race” (I hate using that word, but I trust you know what I’m trying to say) where as in the States there is so much cultural diversity that a Korean immigrant isn’t going to make that connection with a black American, who in turn isn’t going to connect with a golf club Republican, and they aren’t going to have much in common with the flaming liberal spouting off about the merits of cap and trade. Just my opinion.

    If you plan on moving here, it helps if you are marrying into the culutre like I did, or are quick on your feet and learn Spanish and get into the local pace of living here. If you keep your mind open, a smile on your face when conversing with locals, and don’t let yourself get into the habbit of comparing everything to how “things are done in the States” then you wil do just fine. Plus, for the single fellas reading this, the women here are beautiful! Nuff said!

    For the family man, the beaches are great, the caves are cool, the rain forest in Rio Grande is neat, the mountains are magestic, and I would say overall, the culture of PR is very Christian and family orientated. Hope this helps with anyone considering moving here.

    • Thanks for the reply Jack! My wife and I have been listening to you for a few years now, and we love your business & liberty related podcasts. I can say that it helped give us to the push to start our own little business here, Isla Pops. Look us up on Facebook, Instagram, etc if anyone is interested. Thanks again for all of your work and sharing your knowledge!

  4. If anyone has any specific questions regarding life in PR, I will try my best to answer them as best as I can.

  5. RE: Life Insurance. The Radical Personal Finance Podcast has several longer form (about 1 hour) episodes on how to think about the life insurance. Worth your time if you are seriously considering this.

  6. Great podcast! I’m pretty new to this whole thing, but I find your podcast very appealing. I’m 21 years old and after this. I’m actually considering to stock on a few gold/silver coins. Any good books that I can pick up and learn more about this?

  7. Sometimes, Jack, you try to come off as bashing both Republicans and Democrats, and both liberals and conservatives. Your real bias occasionally shows up, though, and it diminishes your credibility. No fan of Hillary, but let’s keep the email issue in perspective. If you think any of the Republican candidates are somehow more ethical or honest than Hillary you’re sadly mistake…
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clintons-potential-gop-rivals-used-personal-email-accounts-1426205325
    Anyway, keep up the interesting work. Agree with some of what you say and disagree with some, but that’s a good and challenging thing.

    • You know you talk like a man with paper asshole right. To call out criminal activity of one criminal in no way absolves the criminal activity of others.

      You also confuse honesty and ethics. I don’t consider Trump ethical, I do consider him honest, but an honest thief is still a thief. Sanders is the same, the man is HONEST as the day is long, he is also a class warfare socialist of the highest order and is fine with the force of the state being used for theft, in other words a second honest thief.

      If me saying anything negative about Hillary to you implies any support for say republicans it is YOUR bias not mine.

      To be blunt though, Hillary is a scum bag traitor. She has blood on her hands and this email thing is nothing but an attempt to cover it up. If you did what she did you would already be in an Orange Jumpsuit.

      Her server was requested by the FBI in an official investigation, she sent it, after it was sent to a professional group to wipe it clean and insure nothing could be recovered. Brother, that is a CRIMINAL OFFENSE and a high one at that.

      They are all scum, but some are bigger scum that others. Or perhaps MORE SUCCESSFUL SCUM.

      They are all traitors. I am sorry you are confused.

  8. What’s the name of the artist and song played at the end of this show? What a great song!

  9. Can you please do a show explaining how mathematics and music is nature as mentioned on this show?