Lessons from a country with no army

Their national motto, Pura Vida, means “pure life”, but the sentiment goes much deeper. Of course, the observations of a short term visitor are influenced by context and somewhat subjective. However, attitudes and behaviour at street and shop level count for something.

There is a pleasant calmness that is reflected in the smiles of strangers and the helpfulness and competence of their services. My halting Spanish was universally greeted with patience and encouragement. On the three-block walk to my school there were no less than four social services: a dental clinic, a social aid office, a public gymnasium and pool, and a health clinic. Their policy settings make it possible to assume that, given modest expectations, one can work, learn, and explore opportunities without having to worry much about big issues like health care and retirement.

In comparison, the US economy seems ever more dependent on getting literal “Bangs!” for their bucks. Especially since 2001, the military seems more evident each time I return, and society more polarised. Parading generals on the podium at both national conventions struck me as both odd and ominous, as is the constant comparing of military records among candidates. Just a few decades ago, flag flying wasn’t a daily feature of suburban pride. A local pastor in my very Democratic state says it is not possible to publicly question the presence of nearly 370,000 soldiers at US bases in 150 countries.

In 1986 the US military budget stood at $286.1 billion. Over the years, this has ratcheted up: in October, in the midst of deliberation over the bank bailout, the US Congress passed a supplementary $615 billion defence spending bill. Neither presidential candidate considered this worth mentioning in relation to the financial crisis and bail-out. There is very little mainstream questioning of what is now the full-blown “military industrial complex” President Eisenhower warned about many decades ago. This has also been called “the hidden hand” of the economy, for it impacts on every dimension of the social economy, but especially the national debt.

Some economists argue that military spending is now driving the economy, as during World War II. A report by Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes earlier this year calculated that Iraq war expenditures already committed to will lead to a $3 trillion bill, virtually all of it borrowed money.

More nuanced films such as In the Valley of Elah reveal the longer term impacts on society of military violence overseas. Returned soldiers have much higher rates of gun crimes and suicide. Other socio-economic indicators in the US are now slipping, reinforcing the theory that military spending is incompatible with investment in social infrastructure. Life expectancy has dropped in some lower income US counties, along with literacy levels. US citizens are no longer the world’s tallest; neo-natal deaths and teen-age pregnancy rates are nothing to brag about. Inequality has widened considerably. Obama may have shattered the racial ceiling, but in 2005 the median per capita income stood at $16,629 for blacks and $28,946 for whites.

These deepening divisions show up in casual conversations. Health care is always mentioned as problematic, even by those who have adequate coverage. It has become a major determinant of life choice, as people will take or cling to inappropriate employment just for the “benefits”, such as paid leave or health coverage. There is a sense of both concern and bitterness, and some resentment of the elderly, with their secure Medicare and Social Security entitlements. Defined benefit pensions gave way long ago to more individualised and risky retirement options.

These tensions combine with the vast complexity of a mass consumption society. Everything is possible, but finding information about the cornucopia of offerings is challenging. The flood of advertising material and choices to be made is close to overwhelming, even for an Australian already saturated with much of the same. The expanding complexity of discovery, decision and transaction eventually becomes a tangled knot. Everyone wants everything, now. No wonder that indebtedness has become a normal way of life, for individuals, all levels of government, as well as large corporations. Frugal types like myself find it amazing that some businesses depend on regular credit card borrowings to meet their payrolls.

The sojourn in Costa Rica was refreshing and enriching from every perspective. The US was, as always, both stimulating and intimidating.

With Costa Rica about to ratify a free trade agreement with the US, their policies are likely to be more entwined in the future. Some of Costa Rica’s more bureaucratic institutions might loosen up. One trend is already well underway: significant numbers of Americans and Europeans are moving to Costa Rica, in search of a pura vida. Some set up businesses, others retire and contribute their skills to the local community, such as the free English conversation afternoons at the local cultural centre in Grecia. In the western province of Guanacaste lavish resorts are bringing in big investors. Actor Mel Gibson is one of many celebrities who have bought land there. Who wouldn’t be tempted by this lush tropical country, where the temperature and wealth distribution have a relaxing evenness? We were.