© www.adventistreview.orgShattered city street from the April 16 earthquake.
"It's the worst tragedy in 60 years," said Defense Minister Ricardo Patino. "We're facing the most difficult phase right now, which is rescuing victims and recovering bodies."
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa must now manage a tremendously difficult recovery and rebuilding effort, at a time when the OPEC nation's oil revenues have greatly diminished. The government estimates that the damage from the earthquake exceeds $3 billion, and are reducing GDP expectations by 3 percentage points, in the wake of the incident.
To meet the resource shortfall created by the tragic earthquake and exacerbated by a flat oil market, the President Correa on Thursday announced a one-time tax on the rich to pay for relief and reconstruction efforts. Any individual with assets in excess of $1 million will be required to contribute 0.9% of their wealth, while lower earners must hand over a day's salary for every $1000 of their monthly income, up to $5000.
In addition to the one-time tax on the wealthy, President Correa has expressed a willingness to sell off state assets to ensure resources get to earthquake victims struggling to survive in destroyed communities.
Despite heroic rescue efforts and attempts by Ecuador's government to rally the necessary funds to address the catastrophe, residents in rural sectors of the disaster zone say they have yet to receive food, water, or emergency medical aid. Ecuadorian officials quickly moved supplies into populated areas impacted by the earthquake, but damaged and impassable roads continue to limit aid convoys seeking to reach to remote areas.
Never have I been so disappointed in sott.net. The level of ignorant assumptions, of lazy journalism, and of haughty so-called ¨American¨ arrogance, in the above sott.net comment is without measure.
IS ECUADOR JUST ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC SOCIALIST STATE that it deserves so little thought as found in this mindless comment?
No. It is not. The government of Ecuador is in fact one of the most advanced in the world because the future of all governments is resource management. That government is currently lead by President Correa who has demonstrated to the entire world how to intelligently manage the resources of an entire country.
There is no more reason to replace such an effect resource manager as he is than there is to fire the CEO of a successful company. Nevertheless, recognizing the governments stuck in the past, such as the United States of America, with it´s utterly useless and oh so seriously outdated Constitution, which the ¨American¨ people ignorantly worship, and even the ¨capitalist¨ (read greedy and selfish citizens) in his own country, are hopelessly mired in the past, President Correa is relinquishing his position in the government.
That is a shame, but the PAIS Alliance has great depth. Otherwise it could never have written the most enlightened Constitution in the entire world, one I have prayed to God to live under. Let us as citizens of the world come to the realization that the purpose of governments are not to dictate how people live. If there in fact were any substantial difference between the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, it is there vision of how the people in that country should live, but this is an antiquated concept of government. The only real purpose of governments is to manage the resources of the country. The difference is night and day. And this is why Putin is such a great leader. He is entirely focused on resource management. And for that his people are thriving.
Ecuador is to the world in 2016 what the United States of America was to the world in 1776. It is a shining example of the true purpose of governments. It is, in a word, the future, the way forward for all the peoples of the world.
To not see this is an unspeakable ignorance. To be blind to the existence of one of the most progressive governments in the world is nothing less than disgusting. Damn whoever made this comment. Damn you to hell. If whoever wrote this were awake to the reality for which sott.net supposedly exists, he or she would know that ¨the gathering¨ of the surface dwellers destined to survive the immanent destruction of the world is happening right this moment in Ecuador. It is the Ecuadorian people who will repopulate the world in the aftermath of what is about to happen. So do me a favor, you despicable creep, you pathetic excuse for a journalist, stay right where you are, in the land of the walking dead.