Agreed that any additional cost to very poor is bad. But subsidies are just an extremely inefficient way to treat the problem. Probably pennies on the dollar spent on the subsidy actually help the targeted beneficiary. As another example - our recent trip (AFTER the diesel went to $2.80) to Tulcan (and then Ipiales) we observed in our taxi ride to the border a HUGE line of at least 50 cars trying to buy gas in Tulcan. The taxi driver said this was typical. The lines were even longer before the price went to $2.80. Many from Columbia simply cross the border to get our cheap gas.

Surely the fight going forward should not be to try to restore the subsidy. It should be to start new programs that can more directly help the poorest among us. School books cost about $40 per student according to Lulu. Uniforms if required cost more. Pretty hard to come up with that money saving nickels at a time using a program that costs the government millions every year.

As far as protesters getting paid...I also have no reliable sources for that. But I know plenty of people who say that some of them are. I do not believe all of them are, and if any of them are paid it may not be all the time. But I do believe some of them get paid (for exactly what - I have no clue).

As far as the government "spinning" things. Hmmmm...Trucks were burned, Tires are burned, barricades are built, rocks and all kinds of stuff thrown at the military people, roads are torn up and need to be reworked, tires are punctured, businesses are closed and on and on. This is not "spin". Ok - maybe they have undercover police for some reason. I don't believe for one second that these undercover police are there to try to do anything as part of some public relation media campaign.

Unfortunately in the economy of Ecuador there is not enough legal money being made - and too much illegal money (from illegal mining and drugs). Given that Noboa is vigorously trying to fight both of these crimes I certainly believe these people will use some of their money to try to weaken (or overthrow) Noboa's government. So do I have proof? No. But I do believe that there is at least some financial backing of these Paro protests from illegal mining and drug money.