Readings:
- https://socialistproject.ca/2017/10/b1496/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/01/05/costa-rica-celebrate-70-years-no-army/977107001/
Costa Rican Socialism:
- Universal public healthcare system (“Caja”)
- The military has been abolished
- The police are kept to a minimum
- About 7,500 officers for the entire country
- For comparison: Chicago has over 11,000, MKE has about 6,800
- Universal public education, k-college/trade school
- If you graduate from trade school, the government offers a job guarantee
- Public housing for the homeless
- The government encouraged Nicaraguan refugees to come to Costa Rica (although the situation has become more politically volatile since fascists from “Free Costa Rica” started attacking Nicaraguan refugees in August)
- About 20,000 Nicaraguans have applied for asylum since summer this year because of Daniel Ortega’s crackdown in Nicaragua. Over 10,000 have been admitted already
- Strict environmental protections
- 80% of CR is designated public land, including all beaches
- Wildlife is protected from predation, preserving biodiversity (CR has 5% of the WORLD’S species)
- Drilling for oil (which they have) is completely illegal
- Massive renewable energy projects in solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric
- The country will be totally carbon-neutral by 2020
- Costa Rica has a multi-party system with three major parties claiming socialist orientation: Broad Front (a hard left, democratic socialist party), National Liberation Party (a member of Socialist International, NLP is a more “moderate” democratic socialist party than Broad Front: their umbrella includes democratic socialism, neoliberalism and Third Wayism), and Citizens’ Action Party (a social democratic or so-called “Christian Socialist” party)
- New President (from Citizens’ Action Party) is fighting for same-sex marriage rights (which the Supreme Court of the country ruled all provinces must recognize)