Chavez's Economy Spinning Out of Control
- Thread starter Toro
- Start date
In fairness, Hugh did increase social spending, which has decreased the number of poor.
The problem is that his spending has caused a fiscal deficit of 5% of GDP, far higher than anything the Bush - and remember when all those critics said the dollar was going to collapse because of it!
Also, he is driving human and financial capital out of the oil fields, which means not only is Venezuela producing 300,000-600,000 fewer barrels of oil per day than they claim, the amount of capital that is flowing into the country is declining because of his policies of nationalization. That's why, in the article, it says oil has to continue climbing 10% per year or the country will hit a wall. That will not happen indefinitely.
''Gophering'' of facts ---
Census Bureau - 35.9 million below poverty level:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/26/news/economy/poverty_survey/
2005 --- 37 million:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/29/bush-record/
and the numbers continue to increase under Bush
... but, of course, I make up my own stories don't I???
Anybody stupid enough to believe that it takes a socialist to believe it ought to read their own government's facts.
Census Bureau - 35.9 million below poverty level:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/26/news/economy/poverty_survey/
2005 --- 37 million:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/29/bush-record/
and the numbers continue to increase under Bush
... but, of course, I make up my own stories don't I???
Anybody stupid enough to believe that it takes a socialist to believe it ought to read their own government's facts.
Well, I am sure there are Russian and Chinese firms willing to invest in Venezuela, but the problem is expertise. Venezuela has tremendous deposits of heavy crude, similar to the tar sands, which requires cutting edge technology to mine. The Russians nor the Chinese have that technology. Also, Chavez has stated his intent to double production within 10 years, at a cost of ~$100 billion. But PdVSA doesn't have the cash, and neither do the Russians or the Chinese, at that level. Finally, even if they did, they still need people to work in the fields. After the attempted coup on Chavez, Hugh fired something like a third of the workers for PdVSA (many who've wound up in Alberta BTW) and stuffed the company with loyal supporters who have limited or no experience. Thus, there are operational problems at PdVSA, and even if the Russians or Chinese come in, they need workers in Venezuela who are no longer there.
Why does every thread end up being an inditement against the U.S. when certain people show up. I have a good friend who married a Venzuelan woman 3 years ago. She is very happy to be living in Canada. She is terrified about what is happening in her home country.Her family is still there and they want to leave. Chavez,after being elected last time had a law passed that made him leader for life,that tells you much about the man.Venezuela may end up like Iraq,an oil-rich country that keeps the people ignorant and living in poverty and fear.
I think not said:
Since you are a Republican, surely a fellow Republican who agrees it is unaffordable suffices. Therefore, I give you Arnold Schwarzenegger:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c...hive/2006/07/25/BAGEVK4UF51.DTL&type=politics
Would you like a few more fellow Republicans?
How about Republican Mitt Romney's open endorsement of Hillary Clinton's health reform plan?
OK, here's a stunner and I'll let you look it up if you don't believe me: the REPUBLICAN Lawyer's Association.
CASE CLOSED!
I'm not a Republican. That's the extremism in you barking. Everyone that isn't on the Fringe Left (where you belong) is a Republican.
Check those facts Wally. Before the U.S. decided to turn against their Middle East buddy Saddam and invade his sovereign country because he bitchslapped the Kuwaitis for slant drilling into his oilfields, Iraqis were the most wealthy people in the middle east. Not only that but the women there were more educated than in any other middle eastern country and also were afforded more rights than anywhere else in the middle east. As for the fear aspect of your statement... what else would you expect to be done when you are governing three separate ethnic factions, all of whom want nothing more than to destroy the other? Saddam was the only guy who could pull off a relatively peaceful state under those conditions.
Why do people refer to a dictatorship as "his" sovereign country? Is it for special effects?
Name a single source (other than Saddam) that can verify your assertions. Just one. Every single document I have ever read, all make the same claims; this slant drilling hypothesis has not been verified, not even by the UN.
That's quite the apologist argument for someone who was once considered one of the most brutal dictators on the planet, Canucklehead. I realize that there are those who vehemently oppose the invasion of Iraq, but its quite another to defend a man who studied Stalin on how to instill terror in his citizens, whose sons tortured athletes for not performing, and who, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, was responsible for the deaths of up to 500,000 citizens, not to mention the invasion of two neighboring countries in 11 years. And as for the fear statement, I guess you expect tens of thousands of bodies to start piling up in India, where there are many multiples more ethnic factions than Iraq.
As for a few other statements
Iraqis were not the wealthiest people in the Middle East. Saudis, Kuwaitis, and residents of Qatar and the UAE were richer.
Iraq had long claimed Kuwait as the 19th province. Slant drilling was merely an excuse to invade. If it hadn't been slant drilling, it had been something else. Saddam's oil production had been falling since for nearly a decade, so an increase of his oil production by 70-80% was mightily appealing to a man who viewed himself as a modern-day Nedudchanezzar.
Women may have been afforded more rights than elsewhere in the Middle East, though that is debatable if you consider Israel a Middle Eastern country, not to mention others such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Dubai, etc.
Not sure what this has to do with Venezuela though.
And Wally, the Congress in Caracas passed a law that allows Hugh to govern by decree - i.e. be a dictator - by 18 months, not for life. He had done that once before, which is what triggered the coup attempt against him that ultimately failed.
Really?
My apologies --- mea culpa. Honest now, thought for darn sure you said you were a Republican at one time.
I understand how you feel --- I, too, would be insulted if someone called me a Republican. To me, that's like being called Benedict Arnold.
Now, do me a favor and don't call me a leftist. As you well know, I endorsed Ron Paul for prez. So, just as I apologized, now it's your turn to do the same.
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Oh, and one thing more: now you have your proof that Republicans have also called for reform as medical insurance is unaffordable.
And for the record: I DO NOT HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE BECAUSE I CANNOT AFFORD IT!;-)
Well, you can lie back and wait for the government if you want, that's your boggle, or you can move to Canada. When I can't afford something I make it a point to earn more, so I can.
Since when do true Americans wait for the government to take care of them?
Toro,I googled Chavez president-for -life. There is some info on this,and it does seem that particular scenario has been or will be introduced to his rubber-stamping parliament.I am sure that I read somewhere that he has done away with elections.
Look,the above post about Venezuela without any mention about Bush or Iraq.See gopher,it can be done.All it takes is a little cohesive thought. You can do it.Practise,practise,practise.