New Costa Rican Administration

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

My hope with the new administration -- a political scientist as presidente, and the majority party in the Asemblea -- is that maybe they'll be able to get some important things done for the country.  I don't know what the average time to pass legislation is over the past few years, but the last time I looked into it, it was 36 freakin' months, with a builtin end-of-job date for all the executive and the legislative body of 48 months. Unless there is a continuation of policies from one administration to the next (like we seem to have happening right now) it seems darn near impossible to get important things done in the legislature.

The new presidenta having a background in political science could be a good thing -- but I'm never sure exactly what a political scientist actually is. I guess someone who studies government?  I've been a man of science since a wee lad and never understood where in the branches of science those political scientists fit in. Seems to me like "social sciences" are interesting, but not on the same level as "formal sciences" (like math and logic and computer stuff) and "natural sciences" (like biology, physics, and astronomy.)  Is an accountant a scientist as well?  I'm sure some will argue they are.

Anyway, on a personal level I'm just happy that my eldest got back in as legal counsel for a diputado.  It pays much better than being a regular lawyer for a government agency.  Only bummer is that it has a builtin end-of-job date of 48 months just like the presidency.

Right-wing populism might just be the proper cure for Costa Rica.  Of the current crop of female leaders in Latin America (Claudia Sheinbaum - Mexico, Rosario Murillo - Nicaragua, and Delcy Rodríguez - Venezuela) I expect our incoming Laura Fernández Delgado to be best positioned to actually make positive changes within her realm...  Maybe?  Just maybe?

Anyone else been paying attention to the political machinations of Costa Rica lately?

--

Sam