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Having just returned from Ecuador on the sixth of January, 2010, here are a few updates for the site, and some information. This is not meant to be investigative journalism, but merely what I saw and what I picked up from the newspapers and television news while there. I was arranging for writers for our Spanish-language websites, but I did travel around a bit and follow the news. Any opinions expressed are my own.
This is a complicated subject. It seems that the poor are better off than a few years ago, thanks to the initiatives of president Correa. At the same time, prices are up for many basic things. Amazingly, the malls are still full, but then again, there may be a lot of window-shopping, as we've had in our malls here.
New subdivisions are still being built in many parts of the country. At the low end are the government housing projects, which have small homes starting at around $12,000. A nice three-bedroom house in a private subdivision is likely to be closer to $70,000.
Correa was just reelected last year for another four-year term. In general, the middle class hates him and the poor love him. It is tough to know what to think when hearing the arguments for and against. I can say that there are many people against the "new socialism," which is good news for the future. But on the other hand, some of what he has done may look as though it is anti-capitalism when it is really just correcting the injustices of the past (oil companies did not gain access to the oil there honestly in my opinion, for example, so taking more of their profits seems entirely justified).
Fortunately there is little talk now of taking homes owned by foreigners. There is some talk of converting to a new currency to replace the dollar, but I suspect that this would cause a nationwide failure of the banks as people took out their dollars. Because of that, it seems unlikely that there will be a change soon.
From what many people told me, there is more crime in recent years, at least in Guayaquil. Poverty may not lead to crime by itself, but it is a contributing factor, and there may be an increase in poverty in recent months, although the statistics are hard to come by.
I still saw many signs advertising lunch for $1.50 or $1.75. On the other hand, the fancier places and even the upscale coffee shops seem to be even more expensive than in the states.
There are many more options in medical care than I am used to seeing here in the states. The poor have the public hospitals, which I am told have pretty inferior care, but are better than nothing. Then there are the private hospitals and clinics for the lower middle class, the upper middle class, and the wealthy. I went to a specialist in an upper-middle-class area for an arm problem and it costs me just $50.
