Uncle Doug

I'm probably being too picky here, but tax avoidance is perfectly legal and almost everyone engages in it to keep their lawful taxes as low as possible. Tax evasion is when you hide the fact that you owe lawful taxes. That's illegal.

Looks like the car rolled before it hit the pole. It is a strange place to have gone off-roading this morning.

Thank you for that information. Since the pole is down, it might take a while before we get our power back

Was this at Alto Dorado? Good work in solving the crime and apprehending the thugs.

Instead of new public projects, Panama ought to try to complete their current ones. Reducing government inefficiency would help, too. It takes forever to get permits for private projects.. The labor laws are so stacked in favor of the employee that it is easy to take advantage of the employer. Foreign investment in Panama is not actively encouraged. There is a lot that Panama could do to encourage growth, but I don't see any of those measures being discussed, let alone implemented. The exodus of North Americans living on tourist visas hurt the economy, regardless of any other merits of the new immigration policies. It could have been handled differently. Panama ought to explore the reasons why 47% fewer companies were created last year. From the La Prensa article: Last year we managed to hold a meeting with the Economy Minister, Dulcidio De La Guardia , on the issues that concern the private sector, but we have not been able to find a new date to resume the talks, he said. Are you kidding me? What does the Economy Minister do to earn his salary?

It is possible that he's simply trying to outlast the Varela administration while sitting in a Miami jail cell. I don't know why he would think he would fare better under a new administration after the elections, but I suppose it may provide new opportunities to bribe, oops I mean convince, new officials that he should not be prosecuted.

I'm sure he won't be granted bail. He has requested that before. But, if he's decided to keep fighting extradition, his next step is to appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and he'll probably get two separate chances there. Assuming he loses twice, he's entitled to appeal to the US Supreme Court, who may or may not choose to hear the case. In short, if he wants to delay extradition, he can probably do so for at least one more year, perhaps three.

I've seen them occasionally around Boquete, especially during the recent fair. Thanks for sharing that knowledge.

I've never heard of Lynx officers. If you know, are they a branch of the Policia Nacional, or an entirely different entity?

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Does anyone know if the new terminal will end the need for the separate domestic terminal (which I never understood in the first place)?

It's the EU who wanted this law in order to take Panama off of the "black" and then "gray list" of foreign tax havens. They want it to be a crime in Panama to do what they consider to be money laundering or tax fraud or tax evasion of taxes that are owed to the members of the European Union. They don't really care if Panama collects its own taxes or not.

I don't really understand the significance of this. Yes, out of its own self-interest, Panama should have made evading Panamanian taxes a crime. But imagine you are a Dutch businessman who somehow uses the Panama financial system to evade Dutch taxes. How is Panama supposed to know foreign tax law? It's obviously a crime in Holland. Panama is going to arrest you and prosecute you for tax evasion if and when you set foot in Panama? You're going to be sent to La Joya for breaking a Dutch tax law? Panama should arrest you if there is an international warrant and return you to Holland. Going beyond that seems impractical if not impossible.

His goose was cooked the day the Trump administration authorized the surprise arrest of Martinelli before the initial extradition ruling in Miami. Without any political friends in the US, it is merely a judicial question whether Panama provided enough evidence that crimes were probably committed. That question has already been answered in US courts.

Lemme guess, lemme guess. A vehicle with no working brake lights stopped in front of the big rig to make a turn?

There seems to be no independent audits or the equivalent of an Inspector General for the Panamanian Ministries or oversight in the awarding of government contracts. Or perhaps I'm wrong, and the corruption extends into that process as well. There is corruption in every government and no shortage of people of any nationality willing to embezzle, take kickbacks, or otherwise steal government funds. But there is a difference between countries in their willingness to tolerate it or take aggressive action to prevent it and punish it. And if the corruption extends into the country's judiciary, reform is nearly impossible. Overwhelming pressure from the citizens is the best hope.

That was an impressive number of police to assemble for the operation. I guess that was the point to prevent any violence during the raid. It would be nice if they followed up by investigating the prison staff, too. These items don't get into the prison without some of them being complicit.

I don't have good news about the weather, but yesterday afternoon there was no road work being conducted in Los Naranjos between downtown and the Alto Lino loop. It was still a bit bumpy but it was better than trying to navigate the Feria route.

Doing the annual license plate renewal ritual today, I had to pass the fairgrounds twice. It wasn't as horrible today around noon as I expected. Yes, some moron always seems to park mostly in the street turning it into a one-way game of chicken with oncoming traffic, but it was less than a 5 minute delay each time for me. And police were actually writing tickets for the vehicles that were parked well into the traffic lanes.

Actually, I heard that yesterday from a knowledgeable source, as well. For some reason, the Bus Drivers Union put up a big stink about it and it's not going to happen. I don't know if construction had begun before that decision, but I assume so.

I'm still wondering how a bus from Santiago will get to the new bus terminal at Federal Mall.

These kind of assassinations are almost always a result of a deal gone bad in the criminal underworld.

When Panama finally figures out that street addresses are a good thing, then we are talking progress. Until then, it's, um..... quaint. I'd personally spend less time on the streets if I had a clue where I was going. Just sayin'.

I wonder why tracheotomies are apparently commonplace in Panama. I thought this was an emergency procedure only.