Romulo Lopez Cordero

Very tired after a long weekend, but still with some energy to surf the web.

La salida de la dolarizacion

Hace casi año y medio publiqué esto y de nuevo Correa comienza a hablar del bimonetarismo. Como analicé aquella vez en abril del 2007, esta medida es el Caballo de Troya para abandonar la dolarización. Ir al enlace para leer.

http://www.cambiemosecuador.com/2007/04/bravo_dr_correa.html

When Ecuador Elected a Free Market President

Atlas’s president, Alex Chafuen, has a story about when he first met my father, Romulo Lopez-Sabando,  in 1985. Alex asked him what the biggest challenge for free markets in Ecuador was. My dad replied, “Winning the country’s presidency”.

My father was president of the Chamber of Industries of Guayaquil, where he fought alongside Leon Febres- Cordero,( former president of the Chamber and a Congressman) for free market reforms. Their efforts were so successful that in 1984, Febres-Cordero won the presidency. Not only did he win, he won while preaching a free market message. The left called him “the most insolent oligarchy’s messenger ” for being so straightforward in his arguments for free markets.

Ecuador talked about free market reforms in Latin America  before Argentina, Peru, Brazil or Venezuela; on a continent where the only other free market option was Chile under Pinochet’s dictatorship. As is always the way, Ecuadoreans have been the first ones to talk about many reforms, like dollarization and privatization, but the last ones to actually implement these reforms. No free market reforms or privatizations were ever accomplished (except for a bank privatization) under Febres-Cordero’s government. Their only success was fighting against the guerrillas, and literally wiping them out. His government became the favorite whipping boy of the Ecuadorean left.

Later on, as mayor of his hometown Guayaquil, he recovered his political image by transforming the city from an ” American Calcutta” (no offense to Calcutta)  into a decent and livable place. I had the chance to ask Febres-Cordero (thanks to my dad’s friendship with him) why he never implemented any free market reforms during his presidency, given his admiration for Ludwig Earhart’s reforms in Germany. His only response was that the special interest groups made reforms impossible.

You can view Leon Febres-Cordero’s obituary in the Washington Post. I might add, that due to his failure to implement the reforms he  so ardently called for, it has been difficult to promote free markets in Ecuador. He was a great leader for Ecuador, but his great opportunity to implement lasting reform was squandered. His is a classic example of Hayek’s warning to Atlas’s founder, Antony Fisher against getting involved with politics in order to advance reforms.

It was not until recently, thanks to the steady work of Dora Ampuero (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Economia Politica established in 1991) and others (too many to name here) like my father, university students, Movimiento Libertario in Quito (Juan Fernando Carpio) and most recently Fundacion Ecuador Libre (winner of a 2008 Fisher Venture Grant), that the bad reputation left by Febres-Cordero has slowly been cleared away.  Little by litte the people of Ecuador are coming to appreciate the need for free market reforms, especially after the Pro-Chavez-Castro regime of Rafael Correa.

Originally posted here

The Benefits of inmigration

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) features an interesting article appeared some time ago on theWSJ on the net benefits of inmigration. 

La tragicomedia de la deuda.

Ver mi ultimo comentario sobre el análisis de la deuda de Gustavo Coronel.

http://www.cambiemosecuador.com/2008/12/tragicomedia-ec.html

See my last comment (spanish) about the analysis by Gustavo Coronel regarding Ecuador's debt repudial.

http://www.cambiemosecuador.com/2008/12/tragicomedia-ec.html

links for 2008-08-31

• Ecuador estado cuasi fallido: Cambiemos Ecuador
  Cuanto más para ser uno de los top 60 en el índice de estados fallidos?
  (tags: Ecuador failed states)

links for 2008-07-19

• Your Bike? Awesome. Your Camera? Awesome. You Thinking what We’re Thinking?
  Cool project to do.
  (tags: portable projects camera bike)

links for 2008-07-12

• "Iranian missile photoshop" photoshoppery - Boing Boing
  Where is Godzilla
  (tags: Iran Missile Godzilla)
• Rose and Son: 1925 | Shorpy :: History in HD
  DC look like a very poor place
  (tags: Washington DC 1925)

links for 2008-07-04

• Hostages Freed in Colombia Returning Home - NYTimes.com
  An amazing story.
  (tags: Colombia Farc)

links for 2008-07-03

• Mandatory employee blogs: one way to boost knowledge
  An interesting idea.
  (tags: blogs employee)
• Uninterruptible Power Supply Options for Nonprofits
  Good comprehensive guide to UPS's
  (tags: UPS)

links for 2008-07-02

• Noticias24 :: Actualidad » Evo se bajó del avión con una escalera de pintor
  Very, very funny
  (tags: Evo Morales glitch airplane)
• Would they also have Castro rum and Stalin vodka?
  Very funny
  (tags: Che)
• BBC Mundo | Cultura y Sociedad | Agónica muerte en la Amazonia
  So close too late, heartbreaking story.
  (tags: jungle)
• Chinese Bloggers Scale The 'Great Firewall' In Riot's Aftermath - WSJ.com
  (tags: creativity censorship)

links for 2008-07-01

• "Ways and Means: Over four decades, Russell Means has led an insurrection, posed for Andy Warhol, aspired to be an assassin and been arguably the most influential public figure in fighting racism against the American Indian. Now, in his quest to start his
  Over four decades, Russell Means has led an insurrection, posed for Andy Warhol, aspired to be an assassin and been arguably the most influential public figure in fighting racism against the American Indian. Now, in his quest to start his own country, the
  (tags: indian nation)
• “Si critico al FMLN no es para defender a la derecha”
  Interesting transformation.
  (tags: Villalobos)
• Castro advierte a Chávez para que no se fíe de Correa
  Farse?
  (tags: Correa, Chavez, Castro)
• Chuquisaca: el triunfo de una mujer quechua de pollera o una nueva pieza en la revuelta contra Evo Morales
  Another proof that the leftist front is leaking.
  (tags: Morales Bolivia)

links for 2008-06-30

• Preoccupations - I Freed Myself From E-Mail’s Grip - NYTimes.com
  I don't know if I can live without email.
  (tags: communication email productivity research rss technology work)
• BBC - Newsbeat - Technology - 'Life' auction brought back down to earth
  Interesting way of moving away.
  (tags: ebay)

links for 2008-06-28

• Annals of Medicine: The Itch: newyorker.com
  I thought it was awful just reading the beginning, but it actually is a very good article about how our brain works, I could stop feeling itch while reading it btw.
  (tags: science brain health perception neuroscience medical)
• Featured Workspace: Backyard Shed Turned Home Office
  I want one office like this.
  (tags: office home DIY productivity)

links for 2008-06-27

• Explicando cómo funcionan las ilusiones ópticas
  Genius, worth seeing the video.
  (tags: optical illusions)
• Classic Clips: Bill Gates Chews Out Microsoft Over XP
  (tags: Microsoft Windows usability humor)