Moving To Panama

Six steps for jump-starting the U.S. economy

As jittery world markets keep a nervous eye on the unfolding (and entirely predictable) financial crisis in Greece, Congress has a unique opportunity to make “Made in America” matter again. If we are truly serious as a nation about creating the kind of positive legislative and regulatory environment needed to create new jobs — as well as to bring jobs back to the United States from abroad — there are some common-sense steps that we should take right now, along with dramatically cutting non-essential federal spending and reducing our nation’s staggering debt.

With unemployment stuck at a stubborn 9.1 percent, it’s time to finally free American innovation and ingenuity — long held hostage by a regulatory regime which is as great a threat to our prosperity as any foreign regime. Today, U.S. businesses are holding tight onto more than $1.8 trillion in cash reserves. Let’s give them a reason to invest that money in America’s future. Here are six things we should do immediately:

First, let’s ensure regulatory fairness. Rules and regulations imposed by Washington cost Americans more than $1.75 trillion each year or about $15,500 per household. After finishing our top-to-bottom review of all regulations — scrubbing every outdated and senseless regulatory requirement off the books — we should place a moratorium on any job-killing regulations and establish a more fair and transparent review process. Moving forward, we should also require Congressional approval for all major rules and regulations imposing significant new costs on the economy.

Second, let’s encourage innovation and job growth by lowering the tax rate on U.S. businesses to no more than 25 percent. According to a recent report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the United States ranked sixth among 40 nations in “innovation-based competitiveness.” But we were dead last in progress made over the past decade. Dead last.

Third, we need to make intellectual property protection a top priority. By most estimates, the theft of U.S. intellectual property costs our economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year, but the real damage — both in terms of lost jobs and stalled progress — is impossible to calculate. Most sinister, this is deflating to our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit and psyche. From Hollywood to the Silicon Valley, my own state of California has been especially hard hit by this problem. Simply put, our nation’s economy cannot thrive in a world of “no-cost” competitors.

Are many retired Americans moving to Panama having anything to do ...

I have spent time in Panama visiting retirees and nobody mentioned to me the healthcare system as a reason for moving there. The public healthcare system is not that good and Panamanians who can afford to use private systems. That said, privately provided healthcare can be quite good and is much cheaper than in the U.S. However, you can’t use medicare there if you are retired.

Give your answer to this question below!

Panama Canal traffic and tolls

The Moving Picture Boys at Panama

Fodor's Panama

Railway age

The Rough Guide to Panama