Posted on 04/24/2008 9:12:56 AM PDT by milwguy
Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chávez, is in political trouble. He is clearly hoping that a new expropriation spree will fire up his supporters, at least long enough to keep his allies from suffering heavy defeats in November’s state and municipal elections.
What is certain is that the country’s economy will suffer. Mr. Chavez’s cronies have proved that they don’t have the skill — or the honesty — to run these businesses. Bungled management is responsible for a decline in production at the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, known as Pdvsa. The expropriations, added to exchange controls and price controls, are holding back much needed private investment. Even soaring oil prices aren’t helping. High global food prices and unfettered government spending have pushed annual inflation well past 20 percent, while price controls are producing shortages of basic foods.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
They have an opportunity to deal another blow for democracy in this November’s elections. The vast majority of Venezuela’s state governors and mayors are Chávez supporters. Defeating them at the polls would send a clear message that Venezuelans are truly fed up with Mr. Chávez’s incompetent and authoritarian ways
Who’s going to count the votes? Will Chavez allow a defeat?
He can get a neutral observer like Mugabe or Carter to verify his fair election.< /sarc>
Its a mark of true genius to turn Venezuela into Zimbabwe with oil at $117 a barrel.
Clearly the NYT’s regular editorial board members took Earth Day off, and the replacement temps had some fun while the bosses were away...
Recall what happened when the government in the Bahamas, in their anti-white business push, nationalized the Hatchet Bay Farm on the island of Eleuthra:
http://www.bahamapundit.com/2008/02/the-story-of-so.html
“Levy imported cattle from his Sherman Stock Farm in Massachusetts and supplied milk, eggs and ice cream to the Nassau market for decades. Even after he died in 1951, his plantation continued to employ hundreds and provided much of the infrastructure for nearby Alice Town. In addition to agricultural facilities, the operation featured restaurants, stores, a yacht club and a power plant.
But Hatchet Bay Farm was taken over by the government in 1975 for political reasons. And it’s much-lamented closure nine years later will forever be associated with former prime minister Sir Lynden Pindling’s gloating remark that state ownership had made the farm “the greatest success story in Bahamian agricultural history”. “
“Who’s going to count the votes?” Jimmah will be there again to oversee the election.
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