Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the complexities of expat life in Latin America, discussing the 'gringo advantage' and 'gringo disadvantage,' the risks of using WhatsApp, and the challenges of dealing with local police. He also touches on geopolitical tensions, the role of NGOs, and the growing influence of cryptocurrency in El Salvador. The episode concludes with a discussion on the U.S. criminal justice system and the importance of having a 'plan B' for expats.
Johnny begins by discussing the concept of the 'gringo advantage' and 'gringo disadvantage' for expats living in Latin America. He highlights how being far from the typical tourist trail can enhance the gringo advantage, while gringo disadvantages include being targeted for petty crime due to stereotypes about gringos being wealthy. Johnny also emphasizes the importance of using WhatsApp for expats, noting that it's a necessity but also a security risk due to data collection. He explains how expats with bank accounts and internet access are often targeted by marketers and cold callers, and how speaking Spanish can sometimes be a way to avoid these calls, though it's not a guaranteed solution.
Next, Johnny discusses the challenges expats and tourists face when dealing with police in Latin America. He explains that speaking Spanish to a cop can lead to being targeted for a bribe, as Latin American cops often assume gringos are wealthy and may not understand the local context. He also highlights the contrast between nervous tourists and long-term expats, who are more accustomed to the local police behavior. Additionally, he critiques the portrayal of El Salvador's president, Bukele, in Western media, arguing that the media is biased and that Bukele's use of Bitcoin as legal tender has been misrepresented.
Johnny then shifts to discussing the geopolitical tensions between the West and El Salvador, particularly focusing on the actions of President Bukele. He highlights how Western nations, including the EU and the US, have used NGOs to influence foreign policy and change governments. Bukele's response was to impose a 30% tax on foreign money entering established NGOs in El Salvador, which led to backlash from the EU and the US. Johnny also mentions the EU's recent loss of significant Bitcoin investments and criticizes their hypocrisy in lecturing Bukele. He then shifts to discussing El Salvador's growing cryptocurrency presence, including Tether moving its headquarters there and the potential implications for the future of crypto regulation. Finally, he touches on a controversial proposal involving the incarceration of US citizens in El Salvador's prisons, drawing parallels to historical US territorial agreements like Guantanamo Bay.
In the final segment, Johnny recounts a story about his former neighbor, Bob Anstead, a Chicago Tribune journalist who covered the Cook County court beat. Bob shared insights into the U.S. criminal justice system, noting that most individuals who end up in jail are repeat offenders who had to be arrested and arraigned in court multiple times before receiving a sentence. Johnny emphasizes that the system is not as harsh as it seems, and that many people who end up in jail 'deserve' to be there. He also discusses the recent riots in Los Angeles, which he attributes to illegal aliens and their supporters, and criticizes the Mexican president for expressing solidarity with the illegal community. Johnny concludes by reflecting on the failure of hope for change and the importance of having a 'plan B' to leave the U.S. if necessary.
In the final segment of the episode, Johnny discusses his views on illegal immigration, expressing no sympathy for those who enter the U.S. illegally and criticizing the ease with which some individuals obtain legal residency through marriage of convenience. He shares a story about a woman who married an American citizen in New Jersey to gain a green card, highlighting the hypocrisy and the existence of a 'buy your paperwork' industry. He also touches on EMP attacks and the importance of protecting electronic equipment, noting that in Latin America, many people live in metal houses that naturally shield against such attacks. The segment ends with a call to action for listeners to contact him for more information or assistance.
Episode Notes
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the complexities of expat life in Latin America, including the 'gringo advantage' and 'gringo disadvantage,' the risks of using WhatsApp, and the challenges of dealing with local police. He also discusses geopolitical tensions, the role of NGOs, and the growing influence of cryptocurrency in El Salvador. The episode concludes with a discussion on the U.S. criminal justice system and the importance of having a 'plan B' for expats.
For more episodes, seminar information, resources, and the full archive, visit ExpatPlanB.com.
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Topics
Gringo Advantage, Gringo Disadvantage, WhatsApp Security, Cold Callers, Language as a Tool, Dealing with police in Latin America, Cultural and language barriers for expats, Critique of Western media portrayal of El Salvador's president, Geopolitical tensions, NGO manipulation, El Salvador's cryptocurrency initiatives, Bitcoin and financial policy
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:31 Gringo Advantage and Disadvantage 00:01:59 Smartphone and Internet Access 00:02:44 WhatsApp Data Collection 00:03:46 Cold Callers and Marketing 00:05:20 Spanish as a Defense Against Cold Calls 00:06:09 Why Speaking Spanish Can Be Risky with Cops in Latin America 00:07:28 The Nervousness of Tourists vs. the Composure of Long-Term Expats 00:09:25 Critique of Western Media's Portrayal of El Salvador's President 00:11:57 Western Nations and NGO Manipulation 00:12:29 Bukele's Tax on Foreign NGOs 00:12:37 EU's Backlash and Bitcoin Loss 00:13:59 Tether's Move to El Salvador 00:15:15 Trump and Bukele's Deportation Deal 00:17:15 Incarceration Proposal and Legal Implications 00:17:58 Introduction to Bob Anstead and the Chicago Tribune 00:18:02 Bob Anstead's Role as a Journalist 00:18:08 Bob Anstead's Death and His Work at the Chicago Tribune 00:18:13 Bob Anstead's Coverage of the Cook County Court Beat 00:18:16 Bob Anstead's Observations on the Criminal Justice System 00:18:22 The Average Number of Arrests Before Jail Time 00:18:30 The Need for Multiple Arrests Before Jail Time 00:18:33 Johnny's Reiteration of the Criminal Justice System 00:23:36 The Titanic Was Going Down: A Metaphor for Illegal Immigration 00:23:40 Kudos to Those Who Got Out of Dodge 00:23:46 Johnny's Concerns About Being Cancelled for His Views 00:23:52 Johnny's No Sympathy for Illegal Immigrants 00:23:54 The Legal and Illegal Path to Residency
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder Hello there all you ex-pad wannabes I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to The Exped Files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started You know over the years we talked a lot about the gringo advantage For example the farther you are from the gringo tourist trail the stronger your gringo advantage is We've also talked a bit about the gringo disadvantage, too You know gringo prices in addition since most all Latinos consider us rich Latino bad boy
[00:51] Isn't no good nicks will target gringos making us more likely victims of petty crime. That's what you call it gringo Disadvantage that's why it's always recommended you dress down use no jewelry and sort of mosey around Latin America looking like 10th grade geography teacher come on who'd want to rob a 10th grade geography teacher turns out It's almost always gringos with bling who get targeted because bad boy Latinos believe all gold jewelry worn by gringos is real Unlike the junk jewelry. They're so used to seeing other people wear anyway What it boils down to for every hundred gringo advantages you can list. There's probably one gringo disadvantage I mean, what's not to like about that being down here in Latin America is just a win-win for every gringo expat I'm bringing this up because once you think you've discovered all the gringo advantages there might be
[01:41] Suddenly another gringo advantage pops up that you just hadn't accounted for For example everyone down here in Latin America has a smartphone even your lowly gardener Cleaning lady and tortilla seller on the corner and they'll spend hours a day swiping through Instagram and tick-tock crap Don't get me started on that But here's the thing Every expat down here has a bank account or two and most will do online banking connected to their smartphone Of course, you'll have an internet plan Healthcare insurance most likely car insurance utility plans and all those can be accessed through your smartphone When you initially sign up for all that stuff They'll ask you for a working email address and your phone number which almost always ends up being your what's up number, too You've heard me say this before what's up is an absolute necessity
[02:28] It's like breathing air down here for Latinos that is and as an expat You'll have to have what's up or you won't be able to get a plumber But what Latinos don't seem to understand is that what's up is continuously gathering all your data No surprise. You knew that already So, you know not to put sensitive documents like your passport cellular contracts and legal documents on what's up right What'd you say? I can't hear you, right? Now as far as you're concerned you had to give your own phone number out when you signed up for utilities insurance Bank account, etc. Now in doing that, of course, and since whatsapp is not secure Your phone number for sure is going to end up in the hands of marketers as you'll soon find out
[03:13] You're faced with the problem of cold callers People in call centers trying to sell you stuff That's especially true. If you have any decent amount of money in your bank account You know available cash just sitting in your account Even if it's just 500 bucks or a grand or two You see you're a prime prospect because the average Latin American has almost no cash on hand and lots and lots of credit card debt But since many gringos carry a nice cash balance every month That's how you and your phone number will get tagged as good prospects It's pretty much a guarantee sooner or later. The cold calls will come You'll get pitched for credit cards car loans mortgages Vacations home equity loans and of course since the caller will always be speaking in Spanish
[04:00] That's when a different kind of gringo advantage kicks in the advantage there is the call center person will know immediately They won't be able to communicate with you You know speak in Spanish for them time is money and wasting their breath on a gringo when they can't communicate with them Well, you can bet on the fact that cold calls won't last more than five seconds. They'll hang up However under certain conditions gringo expats learn enough Spanish so that they answer the phone in Spanish and we'll talk to these guys Not a very wise move. I suggest you don't do it Then unfortunately, you're gonna get the whole rundown the whole spiel of what they're trying to sell you A big waste of your time though. I know a couple of gringo expat jokers who make a game out of it Yeah, they figured out the perfect way to get scratched off a cold callers list
[04:45] Get this when a cold call comes in from a bank or insurance company Whatever the gringo expat with his decent spanish will say in spanish something like the following Well, hello buenos dias. I'm so glad you're called I'm so happy. I don't get many calls, you know, because I just got out of jail Then there'll be a pause at the other end of the phone and that person will say what were you in for? What was I in for? Let's see for non-payment of mortgage and credit card debts Well, guess what? Wouldn't you know it using a line like that or something similar? Is the fastest and easiest way to get your name pulled off call center lists? But as it sits i'd say only maybe one out of 20 or even 50 expats speaking of spanish
[05:31] To be able to pull off that kind of conversation and that's when your gringo advantage kicks in either way, if you speak spanish and proclaim yourself a deadbeat or You answer strictly in english the cold callers flummoxed. He knows he's not going to get anywhere with you Which can also be kind of a foolproof way to get out of a traffic ticket when you get pulled over for whatever Speak only in english and never in spanish except maybe buenos dias No hablo espanol. Well nine times out of ten that cop whether it's a he or she Will after about 30 seconds just wave you on through it's happened to me a hundred times However, if you start speaking spanish to the cop, that's when your gringo advantage will work against you All latinos have it in their mind that gringos are wealthy, especially gringos who travel to foreign countries
[06:21] Think of the logic. Why wouldn't we be wealthy in their eyes? Anyway, since it costs a grand or two or five to travel to a foreign country have a vacation in a foreign land The average latino could never afford that So again, if you speak spanish to a cop that pulls you over you're just asking for him to hit you up for a bribe Because he figures what's 50 or 100 bucks to you a wealthy gringo Plus if a latin cop signals you out as a gringo on vacation Like he most definitely would if you were in cancun or costa rica or Any number of gringo tourist sites throughout latin america? The fact is tourists are absolute pushovers for a bribe when it comes to a cop Plus most cops in gringo tourist areas can speak a little english and they'll have that cell phone translator at the ready
[07:08] Just in case every fresh green gringo or gringo tourist will pay a bribe without much protest at all Why because a gringo has it in the back of his mind that if a cop throws him in jail He's just gonna rot away there permanently most gringos have seen way too many hollywood movies with those kinds of themes On top of that it's been my observation that fresh green gringos and tourists always get extremely nervous when flagged down by a cop Whereas with gringo expats who've been living down here in latin america long term seeing a cop doesn't bother us at all They're almost invisible to us. For example, i've been in a taxi an uber or even my car With a long-term expat gringo or two in the passenger seat We'll be driving along and a cop will pull up right behind us with its cherries flashing when that happens
[07:57] Long-term gringos and expats don't even give that cop a second look. They don't flinch. They don't stiffen up However, i've been in taxis and ubers and even my own car With a newbie green gringo or gringo tourists and their reaction when a cop car pulls up behind us with its cherry lights flashing Sometimes they get so nervous. They look like they're gonna their pants In fact, i've had newbie gringo say to me while sitting in my car As a cop car pulled up behind and flashed his lights Some gringo passengers have said to me in a panicked voice you better pull over And when I say what for the panicked look on their face sort of says Johnny that was not the response. I was hoping for anyway over the years There must have been a hundred or so cop cars pull up behind me with their cherries flashing and that once was I ever pulled over
[08:46] Not once in fact, sometimes 10 or 15 minutes go by with the same cop following right behind me No reason to panic or get edgy. It's just what cops do down here Seems as if they just like to play with the buttons keep the cherries flashing They don't seem to be in much of a hurry to get anywhere in particular Though they like to blast through most red lights though. Motorcyclists and chicken bus drivers like to run red lights, too That said man. I'm telling you you got to keep your eyes wide open when you're going through an intersection down here A red light does not necessarily mean stop nor does a stop sign, but you do that already, right? All right, moving on. Let's talk about el solvador and president buccale for a second I know that up in the states the lame stream media is still pooping on him
[09:33] People send me articles coming from us websites and rags claiming that buccale's bitcoin experiment has failed Worse yet us lame street media keeps calling him a dictator Instilling a certain kind of special martial law stomping on people's human rights, etc. Well, I hope you don't believe all that crap I mean look it's coming from the lame stream media. Tell me what they don't lie about. I mean, they've got an agenda They're bought and paid for by entities like visor. They're completely corrupt and compromised by us Aid money as well, which funds hundreds of ngo's by the way in 2021 You might remember that the european union the eu cracked down on bitcoin holders And when buccale of el solvador bought up a bunch of bitcoin and made it legal tender
[10:23] The world bank the world economic forum, etc Pledged that they would not lend his country a dime unless he gave up on that bitcoin thing in fact back then in 2021 Eu countries and the us and canada de-banked people who used bitcoin Anyway, I remember buccale's response. He said that the european union is an aging over-regulated continent Which only knows how to do one thing collect taxes at a 60 percent tax rate for the average european that ends up in a big Black bureaucratic hole by the way, the number one employer in europe is government Anyway, buccale of el solvador realized long before elan and his doge team that ngo's in his country Were trying to undermine him even when he was first running for president turns out according to available sources. There are
[11:15] 19 active ngo's in el solvador working to undermine him by financing and fronting opposing news sources And organizing protest groups. Oh, and guess what? You can look up all those 19 ngo's and you'll find Nearly everyone gets some funding from us aid, you know that thoroughly discredited corrupt organization that doge Recently exposed and gutted or tried to gut but you know what happens when you don't cut out of cancer out It grows back twice as vicious So anyway buccale has been watching all these ngo's trying to undermine him in his own country Nearly all of them funded with clandestine us money coming out of us aid Anyway, they've been paying for all kinds of organized resistance and hit pieces against the government and that's a big problem all over the west
[12:05] The way the west the us operates to manipulate through ostensibly benevolent ngo's by funding all kinds of operations Against countries and leaders that don't play ball with us foreign policy And of course a lot of those ngo's have succeeded in changing government structures With regime change and all that but buccale is too smart to let that happen So instead of just kicking the ngo's out He's imposed a 30 tax on all foreign money coming into an established ngo in el salvador Good for him. Oh, and guess what? The very next day the eu the european union started to cry And whine telling buccale He would get no more imf money if he penalized ngo's through that tack Oh and the democrats up in the states when they heard of that 30 tax
[12:53] They started to twine and foment the mouth So in the end the eu passed a condemnation resolution against el salvador's ngo tax saying get this It's a threat to civil society and el salvador will regret it So in the end the aging corrupt bureaucrats in the european union Those unelected bureaucrats in brussels who suck 60 percent of their people's taxes They have the balls to lecture a guy like buccale when just a few months ago Germany's biggest bank decided bitcoin wasn't a good investment. So they sold it all off They had a huge stash about 500 million dollars worth. Guess what? They sold it off at 50 000 bucks Yep, they sold it off just a few months ago convinced that bitcoin was dead for the 450th time man
[13:40] Do they look stupid now that bitcoin's what? 110 000 yeah, right those brilliant european community bureaucrats They stupidly lost a half a billion dollars in bitcoin and they want to lecture buccale All right moving on in more news out of el salvador by the way, you might have known this but maybe not Did you know that cryptocurrency firm tether is moving its headquarters to el salvador? It's in the process right now You know what tether is right the world's biggest stable coin Anyway, they're moving in their physical headquarters to el salvador right now and they plan on hiring 100 Salvadoranians, of course, they're going to incorporate there previously They were incorporated in the british virgin islands By the way when tether ceo was asked whether he had considered alternative locations like the us or the european union
[14:31] He said never in the european union. They're anti-crypto and trump has great ideas with a bitcoin reserve, etc But what happens after trump's term the democrats could negate all the progress the tether token called us dt accounts for about two-thirds of the some 300 billion worth of stable coins in circulation that according to coin gecko.com Anyway, just in case you were wondering if buccale's crypto bet has paid off or not Oh, and before we move on one last thing about el salvador If you recall it was big news a couple of weeks ago when donald trump stirred outrage and worry across the us When he and president buccale had a little meeting in which they made a deal
[15:19] That el salvador received hundreds of deported latin american illegals Remember half the us were overjoyed about it. The other half thought it was a cardinal sin Of course those bleeding hearts in sanctuary cities were bound to wine Funny though how the whiners wouldn't want those guys living next door to them Nor would they buy any of them a free happy meal with their money But they'll spend public money all day long. Anyway, if you remember that meeting between trump and buccale trump Floated the possibility of incarcerating us citizens in those super locked down prisons of el salvador Which by the way, I thought was a great idea and then came all the bleeding heart op-ed pieces Saying things like to ship us citizens to prisons in a foreign country That would break centuries of constitutional law and legal precedent
[16:07] But here's what you didn't know or maybe you did There would be no constitutional questions or problems if the us signed a deal with buccale Like the us signed a deal with cuba more than a hundred years ago in 1903 to take possession of guantanamo bay Which is considered us territory. You knew that right the famous guantanamo bay prison camp and penitentiary It's us property on a hundred year renewable lease Same thing by the way when the us owned the panimal canal zone and idiot jimmy carter gave it back That too was us territory bought and paid for in the teddy roosevelt days So if trump made a deal like that with buccale buy a chunk of land get a perpetual lease It's been done before the same thing goes for embassies
[16:55] Those embassy pieces of land and buildings are considered property and territory of each given country But you knew that already too, didn't you? Wherever they have an embassy it's considered a piece of homeland territory That means if the us made a deal like that with buccale sending american prisoners down to el solvador would not violate any constitutional law or Be any legal precedent because technically they'd be incarcerated on us soil You've probably heard already. It would be a win-win for the us and solvador Solvador would get I think 10 000 bucks a year per us prisoner So they'd be making money and the us would save At least 40 000 a year on each prisoner because they're saying it takes 50 000 a year The average cost of housing a federal prisoner in the united states. So each one you send to solvador saves 40k
[17:43] Hey, i'm all ford. How about you? Well, there are lots of bleeding heart winers out there who beg to differ Oh and for all you bleeding heart winers out there who think it's so unjust sending criminals away for whatever Reason the courts are biased against them, right especially minorities Well, I did a show a long long time ago probably five to seven years ago now I mentioned how my next-door neighbor in chicago was a journalist. His name was bob anstead He died a while back too bad real nice guy. He was a chicago tribune staffer Who worked the cook county court beat for about a year? In other words, he spent a whole year hanging around the courthouse watching people get arraigned go to trial, etc, etc He told me that on average a guy had to be arrested and arraigned in court for 10 different separate crimes
[18:30] Before he ever got sentenced to actual jail time Let me repeat that in case it didn't sink in in chicago A criminal had to be hauled into court at least 10 times before a judge would ever give him jail time So think about it only career criminals would ever get jail time and think of all the times they stole or extorted And didn't get caught. We're just talking about 10 times that they got caught So don't give me that whiny bleeding heart bs about how the us jails are filled with innocent people Who had a bad judge or got railroaded in court? Whatever According to my chicago trib buddy bob everyone who goes to jail Absolutely deserves to be there. I got that from the horse's mouth He said first time offenders even first second and third time offenders almost never go to jail unless they kill somebody
[19:17] Beat up a cop or commit a crime against a very high profile person So living next door to bob for all those years. He told me lots of stories Gruesome stories about repeat offenders yet. They didn't go to jail He told me how cases get dismissed for 101 reasons paperwork errors court dates get screwed up Witnesses don't show an arresting cop doesn't show because he's on vacation people get put under house arrest with ankle bracelets Repeat offenders get probation after probation do a month or two and a halfway house Why because the jails are filled to capacity and then some Besides that some judges are just wimps and are big on parole community service and house arrest My question to you is would you like a guy living next door to you or living in your neighbor who's never been to jail But has been arrested and in front of a judge 10 times. Is he good neighbor material just because he's never been to jail
[20:09] Well, that's what life is like in big city USA should repeat offenders be in jail damn right But that's not how the system works By the way, my next door neighbor the tribune reporter bob was very upset about that Sometimes quite depressed, but he said every new rookie reporter at the chicago trip had to pay their dues on the court beat He said it made cynics out of most everyone Speaking of cynical have you been keeping an eye on the la so-called protests against removing illegal aliens? Yeah, right the activists call them protests. The police call them riots Funded of course by george saurus and his favorite ngo's Which as we know now are partially funded by usa idea and other wasteful deep state us bureaucracies
[20:55] So then what's your take on those riots going down in los angeles? Is that not enough for you to get that plan b move and get the fuck out of dodge? Yep, that's right. Elon and doge had their chance and they were booted out You know us long-term gregos and expats here in latin america We sort of looked at trump and doge and elan as a hopeful sign. We really did. Well, that's gone It faded fast turns out the illegals and the legal supporters Own the streets of los angeles now. Yep. It's all coming to a town or city near you. You can bet on it Oh, and isn't it nice how mexican president claudia shinebaum on sunday? Did a youtube interview expressing solidarity with the mexican illegal community in the us After those terrible raids by immigration authorities in the la area
[21:44] So inhumane they have rights, you know Oh, but a day later when she got a ton of flags. She backtracked a bit Did you notice in all those photos of protests and riots? They're all flying the mexican flag Isn't it funny? I've been down here in latin america decades now and i've never seen one gringo or expat Flying american flag on his house or put one on his car or on his front porch Gringo expats are just a bit more diplomatic than that I bet you anything if one of us would do that someday Pull a stunt like that with the stars and stripes the locals would get highly irritated Take it as an insult. Tell us to go back to where we came from Hmm a big can of worms there. All right, the question is how's your plan be coming? If you've kind of forgotten about it and it's on the back burner
[22:30] Time to dust your plan be off the shelf. Don't you think too bad this la protest stuff and the failure of doge Didn't come along a couple weeks earlier because if it had I bet I wouldn't have had to cancel my august expat insider seminar Yeah, as suspected some emails have been trickling in telling me johnny with trump and cash patel and doge and elon Gave us so much hope we put our plan b on hold Thought maybe we didn't have to get the hell out of dodge after all Well, yeah that put a damper on the seminar, right? Well, all of a sudden people are having regrets about their optimism Hope has faded and plan b's are looking pretty good right now, man What a turnaround in just two weeks. Anyway, as you all know, I cancelled my august 2025 expat insider seminar Though i'm sure we're gonna pick it up again in the future. Don't know when though
[23:18] I guess it depends how bad things get up in the states How desperate people are to get the hell out of dodge? So then what's it gonna take you think war with iran? Maybe looks like it's going that way another 9 11 maybe Right now all I have to say is congrats to all you guys and gals who are permanent expats You got the hell out of dodge before the shit really hit the fan So kudos to all you guys and gals you've known for a long time. The titanic was going down Hmm. I wonder if i'm gonna get cancelled for saying all this unsympathetic to illegal alien stuff It's correct though. I have no sympathy for them at all You sneak into the us as an illegal. That's a felony in my book. You lose your rights you get kicked out Like right now no months and months in a detention center getting free food and health care and having your baby there
[24:08] You're out. You get a free flight back home and you have to eat airplane food like the rest of us budget coach travelers Do I sound kind of irritated like it's my time a month or something? Well, maybe that's because yesterday. I ran into a lady Who just landed here in panama where I happen to be right now She flew down to go to her mother's funeral a sad occurrence, right? Well, she told me her story and she's been living in the states in new jersey She's one of those who a few years ago went online looking for a marriage convenience to get legal residency in the states Found a guy within two days a latino us resident living in new jersey She took out a couple of loans from family members paid the guy 10 grand. They tied the knot now She's got a green card by marriage to an american citizen By the way that latino american citizen she married speaks english about as good as a second grader
[24:55] And he's been living in new jersey for 20 something years And you know when confounded with people like that who brag about the fact that they're american citizens or have green cards down here They call it compra papelas buying your paperwork They explain how easy it is to enter into a marriage of convenience as long as they've got the money Man, i'll tell you that kind of stuff just irks the shit out of me And i've met so many people who've got a family member who've gone to the states that way Now you might say that's one step better than sneaking in illegally and trying to blend in with society At least a person who's paid for a marriage by convenience is there legally now, but under false pretenses However with a legal green card or citizenship by marriage, they could work legally without fear of getting picked up by ICE immigration Yep, those marriages of convenience people buying their paperwork is big business in those big city latin barrios up in the states
[25:46] Sadly i've heard many latin american ladies here talk about how they have a friend a family member who's gone through the process It's created a very lucrative illegal cottage industry yet another contributing factor To the demise of the us one drip at a time. All right moving on Let's take one last email here from kevin An industrial engineer from Plymouth He says johnny. I don't hear you're talking much about emp attacks. That just might happen at any time Especially if there's an all-out war, you know an emp attack destroys all electronic equipment So who will survive he says you will but your electronic equipment won't so you should put your electronic equipment If you know an emp is coming in a metal garbage can or in your microwave oven Don't forget to unplug it first
[26:33] That stuff will survive. He says the big stuff though like your refrigerator your electric car, etc The electronics will probably get fried though. He says in latin america. It's a different story Every poor latino with a laminate corrugated tin house, you see him everywhere Everyone with a metal house is in fact living in a virtual faraday cage. So johnny My advice he says make a deal with your cleaning lady if an emp attack is imminent Hand off your electronic stuff to her and let her store it in her house. It will survive All right, kevin. Thanks for that little bit of tongue-in-cheek advice You just reminded me by the way many of the new solar setups, especially the hybrid inverters Batteries solar panels to work are hardened against emp attacks
[27:20] Great idea because if there is an emp attack the grid will go down But then if you have a hardened solar power system your pv system will keep on chugging along More on that in an upcoming show. So stay tuned You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b we can schedule a one-on-one phone or skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat insider seminar in central america Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan b. Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com nos pemos