Chavez's destructive agenda

Washington Times ^ | May 21, 2007

[Tailgunner Joe]

"We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it," said Venezuela's strongman president, Hugo Chavez, in a televised address in January. Mr. Chavez had won re-election the month before after a campaign in which he promised to more aggressively advance socialism in Venezuela. Included in this push is what Mr. Chavez calls land reform: the redistribution of Venezuela's arable land from large farms to cooperatives, often nothing more than squatter homesteads. The Chavez government encourages the practice by offering loans de facto grants, as they are regularly not repaid to co-ops. Mr. Chavez argues for land redistribution in his usual Marxist rhetoric of social equality and class struggle, but the Venezuelan government also hails the practice as an essential step toward agricultural self-sufficiency.

The irony, if history is any guide, is that this kind of land reform promises to make Venezuela even more dependent on imported food. Mr. Chavez's brand of land reform is a proven failure, and in some cases, has led to disaster. One example that the Venezuelan leader is quite familiar with is Cuba, where the collective farming that Fidel Castro introduced proved ruinous.

Land redistribution has been ongoing since 2005, and the results are starting to emerge already. By some estimates, Venezuelan farmers produced 8 percent less food in 2006 than in 2005. Sugar cane production in particular is down, in one northwestern state by 40 percent. Landowners are trying to sell their property, knowing that if the land is taken over by one of the cooperatives financed by the Chavez government, they will not be compensated.

[Abcdefg]

Didn’t Uncle Joe try forced agricultural collectivization in the Ukraine during the 1930s?
How did that work out?

[syriacus]

We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it,"

God has the final word. Prayers for the people of Venezuela.

[stopem]

""We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it,"

Oh for a moment there I thought he meant this Country and our politicians, who "can't"(?) or WON'T prevent it?

[Old Retired Army Guy]

I believe Mugabi did the same thing in Zimbabwe. We know how that turned out.

[mainepatsfan]

According to Walter Duranty it worked out fine.

[VeniVidiVici]

Xuygo "Mugabe" Chavez

[betsyross1776]

When will Chavez wind up asking the US for aid. All the socialist nations live off us. China was starving until Walmart came to town, now they are living just as good as us or even sometimes better.When is Chavez going to line up in the food line, mark my words I am right about this.

[2banana]

One word - Zimbabwe...

[Bringbackthedraft]

Land reform can work IF you can get the people to work the farm. Lazy farmers end up starving. Just dividing up the land and turning it into a collective will require overseers to make the farmers work. (Sounds like the ole south to me.) The produce will be collected and the majority of it will go to feed the populated cities. This will also require a state run transportation system. There will be no real incentive for the farmers to produce if they can’t benefit from it. The price will be controlled by the state not the market. I’m sure Chavez is getting ready for the resistance to the programs he wants to introduce by arming his supporters. Its going to be Zimbabwe all over again. Venezuela was a nice place to visit, don’t think I want to be there now. I have friends that own homes there, I believe they are quite worried about what is going down. One of my in-laws lost their cigar factory in Cuba, they were never compensated for it. I see the same thing coming in the near future in Venezuela for those who own real estate there.

[paratrooper82]

The same socialist practices are going on here in the USA. Zoning control, environmentalist: wetland control, green buffers, critical dune control, forest preservation control, farmland preservation, purchase of development rights,(transfer of private farmland to government controlled farms) sprawl (housing development) control, cluster housing, drive thru ban, soil erosion control permits, ban on the size of flag poles, the size of flags, junk ordinances, nuisance per se ordinances, smoking bans, minors cannot work on farms without permits, unless you are an illegal felon who has sneaked into the Country, Local master plans that do not mention or acknowledge the existence of private property, grass length on private property cannot be more than 4”, and many State have a nuisance weed ordinance, try and explain that one. The bottom line here is, the elimination of all private property, to be controlled and owned by the Government. There is no difference between what the socialist Chavez is doing, and what the Agenda 21, zoning control socialist are doing right here in the United States.