WHY THE NEW WEBSITE?

RonaldJWatkins.com has existed for some 25 years. I obtained it in the beginning primarily to protect the URL that is my name. I also acquired RonWatkins.com for the same reason. For most of the previous decades RonaldJWatkins.com has been my author website, informing visitors about my books and generating interest. RonWatkins.com was my ghostwriting site, designed to promote the business that was my primary livelihood for many years. But all things change. I’ve been largely retired for the last seven years, living a quiet life in the Andes of South America and no longer ghostwrite. I have done some of my own writing; more about that later.

But RonaldJWatkins.com and RonWatkins.com weren’t my only websites. For some ten years I had SunnyBlog.com. There I posted my opinions on a wide range of current subjects. It was linked by Instapundit and others more than once. I enjoyed doing it but I never rose above 1,000 unique visits a day and in the end decided I really had nothing to offer to visitors that they couldn’t get elsewhere.

The revised RonaldJWatkins.com will again host my views on social and political issues. I have a broad range of interest and will write about those as well. I’ll also be including reviews of books I’ve enjoyed. I’m a voracious reader, consuming three to five books a week and look forward to sharing.

This new version of my website also offers visitors an opportunity to assist in the writing of my latest book, a sci/fi adventure, THE LOST CITY OF ZANTHOS 3: Book 1 of the AI Alien Chronicles. Click above on Book in Progress then post your suggestions on how the plot should unfold. It’s a chance to be part of writing creative process. No fame, no money, just the satisfaction of having taken part.

Finally, along the right hand column you will see a selection of my books, going back some 30 years. Feel free to click on the cover, visit the Amazon page and if you like what you see, buy the book. You’ll be helping me out but more importantly you’ll have an enjoyable time reading the book. From time to time I’ll post a featured book for special attention.

That’s it. I’ll be posting and linking at least once a week, perhaps more often depending and welcome your comments.

Cross Death Puts Ecuador at a Political Crossroads

Corruption has taken over the political agenda of several countries, large and small, in Latin America. From the Rio Grande down to the south of the continent, the last decades have been marked more by money than by principles. Presidents prosecuted, fugitives, arrested, serving sentences. And no end in sight, with some accusations being true, others not so much. That is why nobody is surprised by the disenchantment, in general, of citizens with politicians, and the overall loss of confidence in democracy.

In Ecuador, a new soap opera – or drama – has just begun. We do not know when it will end or how. In a multi-ethnic country, where more than 10 languages are spoken, with the US dollar as national currency and deeply divided between the jungle and the highlands (between “monos y serranos”, as they identify themselves). With a little more than 250,000 square kilometers — about the size of the U.S state of Colorado — and almost 19 million inhabitants.

As of late, President Guillermo Lasso, who completed two years on May 24, has made use (for the first time ever) of a constitutional amendment introduced in 2008 by former president Rafael Correa. Correa, today a fugitive from justice, created this mechanism which allows Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly, controlled by the opposition, which was attempting to remove him from office, and call for general elections. The mechanism is called the “cross death”, due to the mutual annulment of the presidential and legislative power, since both must go to elections. And it could also be qualified as a sort of “presidential suicide”, since the current opposition will probably keep the parliamentary majority, while Lasso has decided not to run for reelection.

The basis of the cross death is Constitutional article 148, which states:

The President or President of the Republic may dissolve the National Assembly when, in his or her judgment, it has arrogated functions that are not constitutionally within its competence, prior favorable opinion of the Constitutional Court; or if it repeatedly and unjustifiably obstructs the execution of the National Development Plan, or due to serious political crisis and internal commotion.

Although opposition sectors claimed circumstances did not warrant the cross death, the Constitution Court ruled against them, allowing the measure to go into force. From his redoubt in Belgium, Correa also objected to the cross death, claiming there was no internal commotion, only the threat of impeachment for Lasso. He took the opportunity, however, to rally his unconditional supporters, estimated at around 20% of voters, to point out that it was necessary to take advantage of the opportunity to “send Lasso and his parliamentarians home”.

In only 11 years, between 1996 and 2007, Ecuador has had seven presidents of the republic. Therefore, former President Rafael Correa, who had managed to grant stability to the country over two constitutional periods (2007-2017), modified the Constitution that had come into force in 2008. By introducing this escape valve, he prevented the military from knocking on the door of the presidential palace in the face of social mobilizations, strikes and street violence that characterized part of the twentieth century.

Ecuador, the country located in the “middle of the world”, was home to leaders and caudillos such as General Eloy Alfaro, twice president and father of the liberal revolution, who inspired the guerrilla movement of the 80’s, “Alfaro Vive, carajo”. And to José María Velasco Ibarra, famous for his oratorial skills, who was elected no less than five times with his famous phrase “Give me a balcony in every city, and I will be President again”.

Ecuador has also been a pioneer in indigenist matters, with the classic novel “Huasipungo”, by Jorge Icaza published in the 30’s, which shook the conscience of Latin America; as well as home to the famous paintings of master Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999). Relations with its southern neighbor, Peru, have not been easy for Ecuador: they fought the last war in South America – the “Condor War” – between January and February 1995, with around 500 dead and where, as in Magical Realism, both countries declared themselves victors.

This is the first time since the current Constitution came into force, that the mechanism of dissolution of the legislative and presidential power is used. President Lasso will govern until December by decree, without opposition, while the Constitutional Court will be his overseer that will be able to approve or reject the projects of the executive until the new Parliament takes office. It is expected to function as a counterweight to the immense power with which the current president will be able to govern. We will witness a political and legal exercise that has rarely been seen in Latin America. Ecuador will put its constitutional and political strengths to the test. With the campaign already underway, most political observers initially believed Correa’s political party, “Citizens Revolution”, has the best chances of winning. However, recent political polls cast that outcome in doubt.

The political picture in Ecuador has changed dramatically in recent years. In last February’s elections to renew mayors and regional prefectures, President Lasso’s government suffered a quantitative and symbolic defeat by losing the cities of Quito and Guayaquil, among many others. His party, CREO (Creando Oportunidades) which in 2019 still controlled 32 mayorships, was reduced to 10. The populist Social Christian Party, which supports business interests, was defeated in the Guayaquil mayoral race for the first time 30 years by the Citizens Revolution candidate.

Surely, former President Rafael Correa, from distant Europe, follows events minute by minute and with the hope of victory for his party. But he has no possibility for himself, personally. At least for now, since it means returning to the political arena due to the eight-year sentence that weighs on him for corruption and bribery during the years of his presidency.
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Fernando Ayala is an economist who has held posts as ambassador, Deputy Director of Strategic Affairs and Undersecretary of Defense in Chile.

Virtually No Inflation in Ecuador

Inflation in Ecuador remains below three percent while there is virtually no unemployment. This comes as no surprise to me as I anticipated this when making my decision to retire here ten years ago. A consequence is the significant increase in my Social Security check in January will mean an actual increase in my buying power instead of a retrograde as it is for recipients living in the United States.

So why is inflation so low here? First, Ecuador is energy independent. We have hydroelectric power [Okay, it only operates at half its projected potential thanks to the incompetent China contractors who built it but it’s half more than we had before.] Ecuador also produces its own oil. There is no meaningful suicidal political movement against pumping oil. Unfortunately, the government never keeps its promises to preserve the Amazon where the oil rigs are located but it doesn’t slow development a bit. Being energy independent means outside economics do not drive its cost up and, as the U.S. is learning, energy costs drive up all prices for everything.

Second, Ecuador is food independent. We have some of the most fertile topsoil in the world and can grow anything. True, we import a fair amount of our fruits from Chile as the quality is better but we have plenty of our own fruits. We grow all our vegetables and produce all of our meat. Cattle are grazed in the Amazon [There are no feedlots in Ecuador.] and the use of growth hormones, massive antibiotics and blackened chicken coops are not only illegal but unconstitutional. Food here is entirely natural and what a difference it makes in health and taste. If you haven’t experienced it, you can’t imagine how different. We do import some luxury food items but they appeal to a small niche of consumers and have no meaningful effect on inflation. The only catch in food is that we do not grow wheat. There is a tiny movement to encourage bread production from bananas [I’ve never had it but am told it is wonderful.] but it hasn’t taken off. So far bread prices are relatively stable and I expect the government to subsidize wheat if necessary to prevent social unrest if bread prices rise significantly.

Third is real estate. No Ecuadorian with any sense trusts the banks here. During the economic collapse of 1999 nearly everyone with any money lost their fortune and were left with real estate. The banks are not insured by the national government and even if they were no one would trust them as Ecuador routinely defaults on its sovereign debt. The consequence is that cash is kept out of the country, Panama and the U.S. primarily, and the rest goes into apartments and houses for rent. Taxes on real estate are ridiculously low [ten dollars a year] and no one insures property as it is virtually fire proof and protected by armed guards. You can sit on unoccupied property indefinitely and many do. Cuenca, and I believe the rest of Ecuador, is awash in available apartments and houses and as a result rentals are very low, very low. Add to that incredibly low utilities and there you have it.

And that’s pretty much it. There are imports of course but they don’t have much effect on the cost of living for most people. If cars go up in price, don’t buy one, or buy a used one. Replacement parts for certain heavy equipment will go up as will the equipment itself but these costs are minimal against the entire economy.

If in considering this you recalled that the United States can be energy independent but has elected not to be you are getting it. It is food independent but as a big country it needs energy to transport it to the consumer.

Countries usually are what the elect to be. Sometimes outside forces dictate otherwise but most of the time they don’t. Ecuador has placed itself into a position to manage inflation, other countries, the U.S. and Europe, have decided the opposite.

The Global Warming – Climate Change Hoax

I suspected the argument for people changing the world’s climate was a hoax when the media made the big switch from the hysteria about the coming new Ice Age to a new hysteria about the end of the world from over heating. The switch was very abrupt. Then the proposed solutions had almost nothing to do with the claimed problem. All they did was increase government control over our lives at all levels and increase our taxes.

Climate is always changing. The weather during the twenty years of our youth does not necessarily represent “normal” climate, if such a thing exists. The world is always getting warmer or colder, the same for wherever you grew up or live now. When the global warming extremists ostensibly abandoned the term “global warming” they’d so fervently embraced for decades and substituted “climate change”, which could mean almost anything, I knew they were liars and just so many political activists. Interestingly, when it serves their immediate aim they instinctively revert to “global warming”. Habits are hard to shake, especially bad ones.

My belief it was all a hoax was enhanced when the so-called experts were caught lying by falsifying data and releasing heavily skewed charts that cherry picked dates to support their cause. If reality is on your side you don’t have to lie. Perhaps being a former judge made that an easier decision for me than for others.

As I see it, mankind is slowly destroying the planet, but we aren’t doing it with CO2 gas. There’s no correlation between it and an increased global temperature.

We are destroying our home planet with plastic and with the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in the products we use everyday as well as by the continued industrialization of our food. There has been no need to artificially reduce fertility with vaccines, if that’s what’s occurred and I suspect it has, because our steady poisoning of ourselves has lower sperm counts into the species extinction level.

Sadly, I see no prospect of meaningful change. Too many companies make too much money from destroying mankind to stop. Just as the Romans slowly poisoned themselves with the wide use of lead we are going down the same road. We never learn.

Read this to learn more: Watts Up With That?

The Rise of Bitcoin

Though both the traditional stock market and Bitcoin are down these days many financiers and investors are of the opinion that some crypto currencies and in particular Bitcoin are the future. So-called hard money like the U.S. dollar has existed in digital form for some time and this is used to transfer upwards of $5 trillion dollars every day rather than transport actual Greenbacks. Even the U.S. Treasury has acknowledged that a significant percentage of dollars put to use are never actually printed. Though the government denies this is in fact digital money that is what it really is as it only exists in electronic form.

Almost everyone buys things or makes payments electronically on the Internet or by swiping a credit or debit card. Those under 40 today routine make day to day purchases from their cellphone using an App. The step to cutting out the dollar involved in such transactions and replacing it with a digital currency isn’t much and scarcely noticable.

Bitcoin, the granddaddy of all crypto coins, is a digital store of value and is emerging as the backbone of all cypto transactions. It will be ever more the case as country after country adopts or accepts the use of crypto in its economy. Individuals increasingly see the wisdom in untethering their finances from a national fiat currency that constantly devalues and is subject to government control. Many governments desire to be free of the U.S. dollar the Swift system for transactions with its expense and transparency to the U.S. government.

Crypto, especially Bitcoing, is the future, not so much to completely replace the dollar and other fiat currencies but provide a safe harbor for individuals and freedom from the U.S. government control of nations.

Read here the Rise of Bitcoin. Whether you plan to use crypto or not you should understand it.

One Doctor Saw This Coming

When the Covid pandemic first struck a very good friend retired here in Cuenca, Ecuador, told me his concerns and fears at what was about to happen. A former Naval Officer and medical doctor who specialized in holistic medicine before retiring to Ecuador, he published an article of concern and prediction in our leading expat website, Cuenca Highlife. He was vilified by many for what he wrote. It turns out that this article, published in May, 2020, was prophetic. Read it and remember this was in the early weeks of the pandemic.

My dear friend was in Mexico the following December, contracted Covid, was hospitalized in San Diego where his wife was refused permission to see him and died of pneumonia at age 90.

https://cuencahighlife.com/covid-19-questions-and-answers/

Cuenca, EC at Christmas

I’ve not written for some time. I can only blame laziness. But it has also been a very, very busy time. I have said from time to time that I never needed a social calendar until I retired. Just wait, you’ll see.

Christmas here in Cuenca, Ecuador comes at the peak of summer. A bit more sunshine, warmer days, so more outdoor activities. Many expats have trouble adjusting to the summer atmosphere but as I’m from Arizona I’m used to a sunny Christmas. The first week in November started the holiday season here with the huge celebration of Ecuadorian independence from the hated Spanish. It continues into December with various religious celebrations culminating in the Parade of the Children on Christmas Eve, one of the great events of South America. Some eight hours in duration with thousands of participants, costumes, dance, floats; first class and truly wonderful. The city fathers tried to cancel it again this year but under protest are allowing a severely restricted version. Hope it will be back in all its glory next year.

Then we have New Year’s Eve. Let’s be candid, Ecuadorians like to drink so put it together. The unique aspect is the burning of the Viejos. These are two-third human size dummies, many based on political figures, sold on the streets. Around midnight you stuff a note listing what you’d like to bury from the outgoing year, then you toss the thing in the street and burn it at midnight. Really. The first New Year’s Eve here we drove into the city from the foothills and it looked like Cuenca was aflame. The city government keeps trying to put a stop to the practice [it is prohibited this year but the Viejo sales are allowed so there’s no doubt what will happen] but they’ve had little success.

In January we have the celebration of the Three Kings visiting Jesus which is a huge celebration here and, if memory serves, is the occasion of a massive secular parade, all done in jest, in which everything, and every politician, is mocked. Great fun.

This is the start of the height of the tourist season and no wonder. A joy to live here.

EXPAT LIFE IN CUENCA, ECUADOR #4

Time for some Pros and Cons on moving to and living in Cuenca, Ecuador where I’ve lived these past eight years. I’ve told friends for some months now that once the worse restrictions of this so-called pandemic have passed there will be a surge of expats into Cuenca. My reasons for thinking this is that many Americans will find they are no longer employable for any number of reasons. They will be faced with a retirement earlier than they expected and when they run the numbers they will see they cannot afford to live in the U.S. except as a pauper. So here are the Pros and Cons of Cuenca.

Pros – 1. This is a traditional society. It’s known as the Bible belt of Ecuador. Frankly, men are men, women are women. Sunday is family day as it used to be in the U.S. Courtesy and respect towards strangers is the norm. Vulgarity is unknown in my experience. 2. Cuenca is cheap. The cost of living here is roughly one third of what it is in the U.S., perhaps now with runaway inflation there it could be one quarter. You will live an upper middle class or upper class lifestyle here. Two friends of mine lived her five years or so, never had to touch their money in the U.S. and recovered from their losses in 2008, something that would never have happened had they stayed in the U.S. 3. Medical care is excellent, especially basic care. You will experience what it’s like to have a doctor be concerned only for you, not influenced by government rules, insurance restrictions or fear of a lawsuit. It is an eye-opening experience. Nearly every drug you’ll want is available without prescription, and cheap. 4. GMOs and antibiotics are not used in growing or raising food. They are prohibited by the constitution. Vegetables are wonderful. They are grown within five miles of Cuenca. There are no feed lots in the country. Chickens are not crammed into cages and live in the dark. The difference in taste, and in your weight, are amazing. 5. Speaking of weight. Because the city is over 8,000 feet above sea level which increases metabolism, because there is about one-third less oxygen digestion is less efficient and because you will walk so much more, you will lose weight. Typically, men lose 15 pounds in the first months. Now if you insist on eating out every day and persist in guzzling beer and wine and take a taxi every 15 feet you won’t drop a pound. But with little effort you can drop 30 to 40 pounds. I’ve noticed this doesn’t seem to happen so much with women. 6. Cuenca is the right size. It’s reportedly at half a million but that includes a vast area around the city. The heart of the city has about 100,000. 7. You don’t need a car. Few expats have them as they are such a hazzle. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, the bus system has its challenges so most expats don’t use it but I do and have no problems, we have a state-of-the-art light rail system, there is just no reason to own a car and it is liberating. There’s more Pros but those are likely the high points.

Cons – Keep in mind that more than half of expats who retire here move within two years. They just don’t find what they want here. Remember, no matter where you live you take yourself and your marriage. I’ve seen more than one 50 marriage fall apart under the pressure of constant contact and a few others that should fall apart. 1. There is more pollution in the very center of the city than I like which is one reason we live on the edge of the center by the river with its steady breeze. Pollution has improved enormously in recent years and its likely you’ll not notice it at all. The city is committed to reducing it even more. 2. There are too many cars on the streets. Ecuadorians love their cars. You won’t. 3. Cuenca is hard to get to and from. There are no direct flights here from the U.S. and won’t be for the foreseeable future. The advantage here is that we aren’t overwhelmed with expats. 4. You need at least some Spanish to get along. With smart phones this isn’t the challenge it once was but the more Spanish you speak and understand the more you’ll enjoy living here. 5. Specialty healthcare is suspect. I don’t know what to make of it as I’ve never needed it. I know one man who had a hip replaced here and is thrilled. Most expats return to the U.S. for such a procedure. The same for bypass heart surgery. There is a state-of-the-art cancer treatment hospital here. I knew one woman who moved here to take advantage of it. Most people I know return to the U.S. for treatment. 6. It can be boring. You need to be self-contained. You will have full access to all the U.S. media and entertainment but that may not be enough. It’s all but impossible to do charity work here and it is impossible to run a company. They don’t permit competition. There’s only one golf course and you have to pay $22,000 to join the country club where it’s at and recently they don’t seem to want to let expats join.

Finally, even though sixty percent of expats intending to stay here for life leave within two years, ninety percent are gone within six years. There are reasons. I’ve listed a few. But for myself and my wife it’s been paradise and having traveled the world there is nowhere else I’d like to live.

Natural Immunity is 700 Times More Effective than Vaccines.

The agenda to drive universal vaccinations of the populace has forced the medical community and politicians into a corner when it comes to the question of natural immunity. They can’t say it’s not a reasonable question, nor can they say it’s already been answered properly. They just say this organization or that doctor or some study shows that even those with natural immunity must still get vaccinated. When pressed, they invoke the logical fallacy known as begging the question; they use the affirmative answer to the question of whether people who have recovered from Covid-19 should get vaccinated as the evidence that they should. The numbers don’t back up this claim. In fact, those who have recovered from Covid have far greater immunity than those who are simply vaccinated. Perhaps a quarter of the U.S. population has already had Covid and doesn’t require the jab. So the logical question is: Why insist on it? The answer, of course, is population control and maintaining a perceived state of fear to advance a political agenda. Read it all here. https://conservativeplaylist.com/2021/07/27/delta-variant-natural-immunity-700-better-than-the-vaccine/

The Holocaust Through the Eyes of the Oppressor

In the final months of the Second World War a young German is assigned to a concentration camp by his uncle in an attempt to spare him. “A shocking, disturbingly believable portrait of the Final Solution and the depravity that enabled it.” – Kirkus Reviews, February, 2012

EXPAT LIFE IN CUENCA, ECUADOR #3

With my third entry in this ongoing series let me go to the beginning. Why become an expat? Why leave the country of your birth and nationality to live among strangers in a very different culture, perhaps one with earthquakes and volcanoes? My primary reason for moving abroad was that I always wanted to. I grew up reading Burroughs, Doyle [his lost world stories, not Sherlock Holmes], and later Graham Greene whose books were largely about expats getting into trouble. My goal almost from the first was to retire to another country. As I grew older and saw how narrow the lives of most of the elderly were, primarily from lack of money, I became convinced I didn’t want that for myself.

Being from Arizona I frequently vacationed in Mexico where I met a number of expats. They seemed to be fleeing marriages and/or debts. Later, I made a number of trips to Costa Rica before it was discovered and destroyed by expats and had any number of fascinating conversations with fugitive expats taking advantage of the lack of extradition. Later I had some good fortune. I lived most of year in Portugal working on a book and there got to know a number of British expats. Over a pint I often discussed their reasons for living in Portugal. Most were fleeing what they saw as the decline in British society and its economy. Others had married Portuguese women. Many lived there because it was cheaper and the quality of life was quite high with what fixed income they had.

Later I traveled for work in Vietnam and Thailand. Again, mostly in bars, I meant a wide range of expats, in this case from the U.K. but also from Australia and Europe. Two men I talked to told the same story. One was from Belgium, they other from The Netherlands. They were unhappily married with children. Their company sent them to Vietnam or Thailand. They acquired a local, very accommodating girlfriend who soon had a baby, asked for a work extension, then asked for another which was refused. In both cases they quit their job, found a local one managing in one of the new Western companies opening up and just stayed. They both told me they never told their wives what they were doing, never contacted their families and had no regrets. Well, maybe. I also met a U.S. graduate student supposedly writing his dissertation. He said his adviser cautioned him to come back, that the last candidate who had gone to Asia never returned. This guy had been there six years and was teaching at a regional college. He said he was going back and I pretended to believe him.

Here in Ecuador your average expat is retired from the U.S. or Canada, is married and here with his wife. A surprising number have minority spouses or, as I do, a wife originally from another country who immigrated to the U.S. They say the primary reason they live here is economics. They can simply live a much better life here on a retirement income that would only keep them alive in North America. Some want a foreign experience and always plan to go back home.

I have to agree on quality of life for your income. We live in a penthouse with commanding views of the Andes and Tomabamba River, belong to the country club, travel whenever we want and have absolutely no money concerns. We’re not alone. I know two couples who had serious financial reverses n 2008, moved here, rebuilt their fortune as they didn’t need it to live, then returned to the states.

There’s a lot more to my story: the poor quality of American food, lack of control of medical care, taxes and insurance costs, the increasing leftward movement of all social institutions, lack of tolerance for those not conforming, many more, but I’ll write about those later. Be well, be happy. Life is too short to be miserable.