Well, Ponce is back.........

[Ponce]

Just got home ten minutes ago minus a farm in Argentina and with my 98 years old dad in the hospital with some kind of lung infection......just called Cuba but no one is at home.

First of all I don't want anyone to say "I am sorry Ponce", what happens happens and is all part of what makes my, and your, life.

Three weeks ago I got a call from Argentina saying that the government had taken possession of my farm, after I got there I found out that the real state agent and the lawyer that got everything alltogether for me screw up....... they should had arranged the paper work as being sold to a foreigner and they didn't, I had three years to fix the problem but no one told me anything about it........anyway......the real state agent and the lawyer are nowhere to be found and another lawyer (who came out of nowhere) wanted to "fix" the problem for me........told him in plain Spanish to get FUC*K and then I was on my way home on the next plane........1.5 hours later.......I got lucky.

Will let you know later on about my dad as soon as I talk to someone.......

I tested my "special" passport from a third world country and from coach seating I was placed in first class........only way to travel........ Bond, Ponce Bond is my name.

Coming back I was seated next to a very interesting individual and most of what we talked about was about what is to come........he told me that I am doing all the right things to survive what is to come and that I should "preached" to more people.........Amen brothers and sisters, amen.

About the American police force, the local police force will be hired by the government is Washington DC and not by anyone else........different cops from different towns and states will be sent to one particular place to act as cops, not to prevent crimes but to imposed the laws as written by the government, crime prevention and arrest for the same will take second place. At the end of six months the cops will be sent home for a month of rest and more cops from elsewhere will take their place in that town, they don't want to "know" the people but only to impose the law. What I just wrote is from my experience in Cuba and nothing else.

[MNeagle]

That's terrible Ponce! You lost the farm? Was there no recourse at all? i.e. paying back taxes or something? Just terrible.

Sorry about your Dad too. Will you be able to travel to Cuba to see him?

[Ponce]

It wasn't a matter of money but of a legal procedure........all the paper work for the farm was going to the lawyer, had it gone to the farm then my capataz would had told me about it but even he didn't know anything about it...... I let him keep everthing in the farm and to hell with it.......23 cows, 30 pigs and 41 piglets, 5 horses, a bunch of chickens and two tractors......there was a lot more but I was to sick to even take an inventory, I simply told him to take it all.

And no, I won't be going to Cuba........ found that two of my alarms went off while I was gone, will review the tapes later on or tomorrow, feel to sick to do anything but to complain to you guys hahahahah.

[k-os]

Welcome back, Ponce. You have an amazing amount of forgiveness in you.

I have friends with property in Argentina, and they are forever fearful of whomever they rent it to, because of the "squatters rights" there. Most of the time they leave it vacant, because if someone rents it for a certain amount of time, they can refuse to leave, and the owners have no legal recourse.

[sunshine05]

Welcome back. I'm sorry to hear about the problems with your farm....I hope your dad will be okay.

[Ponce]

I finally spoke with someone at home and dad is the hospital........I got a funny feeling, oh well that's life.

A great guy with a great mind and a lot of girl friends all over the place hahahahahahha, whished that I could say "Like father like son" hahahahahahahah.

[joe_momma]

Welcome back Ponce -

(sorry for the sh*t) - this reinforces the scenario - "If you do not hold it....."

Dunno about any hope of getting anything back from Argentian Kleptocrats - but I hope for the best.

[willie pete]

Welcome Back Viejo :D glad you made it back in one piece, sorry about the farm and keep us up to date on your father

[zap]

Damn it, those bastards took the farm! I'm not surprised though it is hard enough owning property here in the state's much less thousands of miles away. Try not to think about it, block it out of your mind :D

Sorry about your dad, and glad your back ;)

[Ponce]

I no longer worry about it, what is gone is gone and will never come back......who? me worried? hahahahahahhahahah.

[StackerKen]

Welcome Back Ponce

[EE_]

The only thing you really own is your reputation and credibility...everything else is borrowed.
At least you still have that.

[cedarchopper]

Welcome back, Ponce.

I'm curious, did you initially go to Argentina looking for property? Did you buy the property and then lease it to a local? If you don't mind, what kind of money do farms the size you are talking about sell for in Argentina? What was your plan for the property? Are property rights weak there for everybody?

Argentina has an interesting history, it was a very rich country at one time and was considered a top immigrate destination for Italians...2nd only to America.

Anyway, glad you made it back safely.

[Ponce]

I bought the property back in 2004 for $118,000 and then added another $70,000 to make it operational, left someone in charged with his wife and nephew.....the chief of police was a Cuban and he also was keeping an eye out for my place, for a price of course.

This farm was making money and was part of the plan behind my plan behind my plan and a place of last resort to go to if it became really bad to live in the US, as it will be.

Besides my dad the only two things that I care about is my cat and my 91 Toy pick up......everything else is only on loan to me and could be gone at any time, as per the farm.