This place is like California in the 50s

And don't forget to ask the locals about Pinoche while you're down there. You remember him? one of the only strongmen in the history of the world to step down from being a dictator and allow a democratic system to resume.

Belize is a little closer and they speak Engerish, and not Chilienese:-))))

Simon Black is right. In general our society is slowly being turned into a copy of the former Soviet state. Almost every aspect of business is regulated by bureaucrats, and we are told to conform to certain approved lifestyle habits and thought.

C_Miner, I do believe that Franco of Spain was another. The leftists hate Pinochet because he foiled the effort to make Chile another Cuba and wacked three thousand communists, who by the way had also done the same to opponents to their takeover attempt, and would have killed a lot more people if their efforts would have succeeded.

I suspect that Belize is a lot hotter than most of Chile.

I've heard very favorable impressions of Chile from everyone I know who's visited there. The only negative comment I've heard is from one of the nurses I work with whose daughter moved to Chile and has no intention of coming back to BC -- the negative comment is about the length of the plane ride to see her daughter, but her mother understands why she doesn't want to leave.

I just hope that Chile won't have too many moonbats moving there to spoil the place. As far as not needing to wear bicycle helmets, Florida is a state where one doesn't need to do so and motorcycle helmets are optional. Also, the seat belt laws there are rarely enforced.

Somehow I suspect that Chile will be little known to N. Americans as the MSM doesn't want to mention news that contradicts their statist weltanschauung. Pinoche dealt decisively with the Chilean communists and the expected decline into barbarism that the MSM predicted would result never materialized. That's why the MSM rarely mentions Chile.

They make good wine too.

Chile seems like a good alternative if your own country is in decay. Most left wingers are too dependent on the nanny state to move there but it certainly looks tempting for independents that are fed up with the bureaucracy at home. I find the best advice always comes from expats who have no skin in the game.

http://www.expat-blog.com/en/guide/south-america/chile/3771-pros--cons-of-living-in-chile.html

Belize seems to be slipping a bit but probably still safer than most of America. As well, Belize is beholden to the US greenback and will take a beating when the currency finally crashes.

http://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/4088/20/Belize/Expat-Advice-10-Tips-for-Living-in-Belize

Chile is more like Canada before Trudeau and without any Quebec influence.
As far as economics ago Chile was settled largely by Germans and Argentina by Italians and just like Europe the later is a basket case.

Pinochet saved the place from a marxist take over - and is now of course completely reviled by the leftard/progressive set.

It won't take long before the Marxist set take it over again.

We spent 4 weeks in Chile in 2009. Lovely country. I can't speak Spanish (MY problem) and we had some great laughs with Chileans trying to communicate. English speakers are rare. (As I said, my problem, not theirs.)

I'd go back, but there is a downside. In Chile, you are safe from harm and you will never be hurt. But you should not leave things unattended or they will vaporize in a heartbeat. We had a cell phone in the SUV we were driving. It was there when we checked into a good hotel. I drove a bellhop to the underground parking and after parking he was out of sight for 30 seconds while I grabbed something in the back.

One hour later we get a call from a Chilean acquaintance who actually owned the phone. She rec'd a call from the perp who stole the cell...her number was in the address book. He wanted money.

Okay it was a minor theft, but seemed to bear out what we'd been told. Some Chileans will steal your stuff if not careful ... BUT they will never ever harm you.

Having said that, it is a lovely place and I'd go back. The people REALLY are wonderful..most of the time. Tons of fun there. Pretty volcanoes and we did some trout fishing. Good stuff.

Oh BTW... never stay in an actual motel (vs hotel) in Chile. Too funny. ☺ ☺ Motels are used for trysts and rented by the hour. They have special car parking spaces in front of motel rooms with enclosures and gates ... passer bys can't see the parked cars. Reservations are made by phone prior to checking in. Rooms are paid for anomalously in cash via a "lazy susan" with doors that open to the hallway. No guest has to see motel staff. The rooms are used by unmarried lovers and by married couples who need to get away from the children for a couple of hours. Interesting.

// General Augusto Pinochet is an example to us all. //
+

There there.

"This place is like California in the 50s.......

..........AND the US is like Rhodesia in 1974.

Another reason why Obama still has support and his crimes are over looked - the GOP red state support is migrating to off shore refuges leaving a concentrated mass of dependent Dem zombies to feed of the decaying nanny state.

Thanks for the tip I think I'll do some inquiries on Chilean banking and health care.
There are damn few places left in Canada to retire where you won't outlive your savings. The scourge of klepto-socialism and its police state intrusiveness are well entrenched here and will get worse when the Liberals oversee the dominion of kleptocracy.

Since we are talking about the pro's and con's of living in Chile, I found this interesting, so will you if you've read Atlas Shrugged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zD7xR0DGuE