Venezuela going wrong ?

jimmoyer

jimmoyer
Apr 3, 2005
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Winchester Virginia
www.contactcorp.net
Venezuela's Leap Backward
Hugo Chávez steers his country toward the socialism of the 20th century.

[SIZE=-1]Wednesday, January 10, 2007; A12[/SIZE]
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BEFORE HIS reelection as Venezuelan president last month, Hugo Chávez declared that his goal was to receive 10 million votes and thereby a mandate to greatly accelerate what he calls a 21st-century socialist revolution. In the end, despite a one-sided campaign that left a majority of Venezuelans believing they might be punished if they did not cast their ballots for him, Mr. Chávez received only 7 million votes; an opposition candidate won 4 million. The president's push to transform his country nevertheless is well underway -- and the model looks a lot like Cuba in the 20th century.

In the past couple of weeks Mr. Chávez has shaken up his cabinet to eliminate quasi-independent voices, said he will form a single ruling party and announced plans to govern by decree in the coming year. He has said he will close down the country's most popular television network, which has been critical of his government, eliminate the independence of the Central Bank, and nationalize telephone and electricity companies -- including one partly owned by Verizon and another by Alexandria-based AES. The commercial code will be changed; one minister said the intent is to place new limits on the profits of the remaining private companies. Though some private media will remain, Andres Izarra, the head of a state network and a close collaborator of Mr. Chávez's, declared that the regime's plan is "a communications and information hegemony for the state."

The flurry of activity has provoked understandable qualms among Latin America's democratic leaders, some of whom have bent over backward until now to give Mr. Chávez the benefit of the doubt. Jose Miguel Insulza, the Chilean who was elected secretary general of the Organization of American States with Venezuelan support, issued a statement last week saying Mr. Chávez's promise to revoke the license of RCTV "gives the appearance of a form of censorship against free expression" and "has no precedent in the recent decades of [Latin] democracy." The unfailingly vulgar president responded by publicly calling the OAS leader " pendejo," a Spanish word that could be translated as "idiot" but is not nearly so polite.
Some will see in Mr. Chávez's actions a threat to U.S. interests. Certainly, those who caution that it is unwise to count on Venezuela to continue supplying up to 15 percent of U.S. oil imports have a point. If assets of U.S. companies are seized without fair compensation, Venezuela should be subject to penalties. But the main threat posed by Mr. Chávez is to Venezuela's 26 million people. If he follows through on his threats, they can look forward to steadily diminishing freedom and -- if the history of socialism is any guide -- national impoverishment.


Just like Cuba, whose vaunted medical corps did not produce a
good enough doctor (they got one from Spain) to see Castro, you'll
see the same failures get good propaganda from the liberals in Hollywood.
 

MikeyDB

House Member
Jun 9, 2006
4,612
63
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Thanks Jim that explains the situation in Venezuela...now could you help us understand the often heard chant from America that George Bush "stole" an election or two...
 

hermanntrude

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jun 23, 2006
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Newfoundland!
when i read this article it makes me wonder what reason GWB has for engineering a war against venezuela. It seems any time a "dictator" arises, GWB attacks them. Often afterwards we discover he had another agenda, usually oil-based.

does venezuela have any oil perchance?
 

Logic 7

Council Member
Jul 17, 2006
1,382
9
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Venezuela's Leap Backward
Hugo Chávez steers his country toward the socialism of the 20th century.

[SIZE=-1]Wednesday, January 10, 2007; A12[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE]
BEFORE HIS reelection as Venezuelan president last month, Hugo Chávez declared that his goal was to receive 10 million votes and thereby a mandate to greatly accelerate what he calls a 21st-century socialist revolution. In the end, despite a one-sided campaign that left a majority of Venezuelans believing they might be punished if they did not cast their ballots for him, Mr. Chávez received only 7 million votes; an opposition candidate won 4 million. The president's push to transform his country nevertheless is well underway -- and the model looks a lot like Cuba in the 20th century.

In the past couple of weeks Mr. Chávez has shaken up his cabinet to eliminate quasi-independent voices, said he will form a single ruling party and announced plans to govern by decree in the coming year. He has said he will close down the country's most popular television network, which has been critical of his government, eliminate the independence of the Central Bank, and nationalize telephone and electricity companies -- including one partly owned by Verizon and another by Alexandria-based AES. The commercial code will be changed; one minister said the intent is to place new limits on the profits of the remaining private companies. Though some private media will remain, Andres Izarra, the head of a state network and a close collaborator of Mr. Chávez's, declared that the regime's plan is "a communications and infor]




Nationalize telephone and electricity companies is damn smart, congrats chavez, you are Number one.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
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Chavez has made no secret of his intentions. He won the election fair and square, by a large majority. The Americans want him to fail and will do their best to make sure he fails. I'm surprised Chavez is still alive. He won't be for long.
 

hermanntrude

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jun 23, 2006
7,267
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Newfoundland!
just because he's a socialist it doesnt mean he's an evil dictator. I want to watch to see how it goes. We all suspect the US will poke it's nose, rifle, grenade launcher and several hundred battalions into it though.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
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Is it a coincidence that both Iran and Iraq at one time had democratically elected leaders who wanted to nationalise their oil industries?
 

jimmoyer

jimmoyer
Apr 3, 2005
5,101
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Winchester Virginia
www.contactcorp.net
MikeyDB, I was fascinated with that 2000 election most of all.
Our constitution actually stipulates that if the State legislature hands a disputed vote count
AND the state legislature votes to override, the fate of the election is to be decided by
the House of Representatives ----not the Supreme Court. In 1876, this actually happened
and it was called the Corrupt Bargain involving you guessed it --- the same state, Florida AND
Louisiana. And again a popularly elected Democrat Sam Tilden lost to the Republican Rutherford B Hayes
on America's Centennial Birthday.

Man, did I ever wish for the circus of the House of Representatives.
This country is strong enough to handle it, but I'll bet Congress breathed a sigh
of relief missing that bullet.

The Supreme Court took the bullet, on the grounds of the 14th
Amendment clause of equal protection of the laws and due process, because Florida
was going to count some of the votes in some counties---counties mismanaged and
mis-runned by the Democrats who had the same screw ups during the Clinton years, but
because the vote was not close in Florida the problems were ignored.


Anyway your acid reflux of bushwackery always makes me smile. Bitter sarcasm consistently done
gains a charmed life all of its own, and is only one or two chakras away from true emancipation, true
nirvana.

I wonder why Castro had to get a doctor specialist from Spain and not from his own
much ballyhooed medical corp ?

And you guys are completely right about USA meddling.
The best thing we should do is stay out of Chavez' way. Let's let time tell if he really screws things up.
I'm betting he'll do that all on his own, having not understood ECON 101.
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
44,168
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USA
Why didn't Castro have a Cuban Dr. and chose a Spanish one?

The US Embargo of course. It's ALWAYS the US's fault.
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
44,168
95
48
USA
Chavez has made no secret of his intentions. He won the election fair and square, by a large majority. The Americans want him to fail and will do their best to make sure he fails. I'm surprised Chavez is still alive. He won't be for long.

He'll fail on his own and he will be ousted or be like Cuba... isolated as another backwater nation who won't get with the times.

When Castro kicks the bucket you will see his country get with the program and the Glorious Revolution will be part of history.
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
21,513
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Minnesota: Gopher State
Venezula going in wrong direction?

Not as far as Venezuelans are concerned. After all, Bush said that the avowed purpose of his regime was to promote democratization throughout the world and this is the direction the majority of Venezuelans want for their government.

Therefore, Bush and his supporters should be applauding with rapturous joy at Venezuela's political direction.

OK, Republicans -- let's hear it for Chavez!

Hip, Hip - Hooray!!!

 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
21,513
65
48
Minnesota: Gopher State
Adult illiteracy is declining, the middle class is expanding, the standard of living is improving -- all hallmarks of success. The only thing that would hurt would be efforts by the CIA to undermine its stability by promoting drugs and subversion. Otherwise, it's a good bet Venezuelans will continue to support Chavez.

After all, democracy is grand! :)