Posted on 06/08/2016 11:17:55 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Thousands of Venezuelans living near the border discovered years ago that smuggling heavily subsidized food into Colombia made them far more money than the meager wages from regular jobs.
But with crisis-hit Venezuela suffering drastic food shortages this year and local resale prices spiraling, some have decided to flip the business model: zipping into Colombia to buy flour, rice and even diapers for desperate shoppers back in Venezuela.
"There's nothing left in Venezuela, what's left is hunger. Colombia is what's saving us," said one 30-year-old smuggler who now rides his motor bike to shop in Colombia's buzzing border town of Puerto Santander.
"Colombia is what is saving people," said the smuggler, a former construction worker who asked to remain anonymous to avoid arrest. He says he keeps some food for his wife and three children but sells most of it to markets in Venezuela's Andean border state of Tachira or in the capital, Caracas.
Leftist President Nicolas Maduro last year closed crossings into Colombia to try to end the smuggling he said was bleeding Venezuela dry.
But the about-face in smuggling routes in the last few months was clear one morning late last week when Reuters journalists saw hundreds of people streaming into Colombia to buy food, medicines, and basic hygiene products.
(Excerpt) Read more at widerimage.reuters.com ...
It’s disgusting the number of people who truly, honestly believe that socialism will be a God-send, and that Bernie is a saint.
Arm yourselves inside and out, people. It’s about to get rough.
Arm yourselves inside and out, people. It’s about to get rough.
The biggest problem Venezuela faces is actually very similar to the same problem we face here
Both countries have very large percentages of their populations that are idle able bodied unemployed who have been totally dependent upon government welfare so long they have no idea of how to work any more and are pathologically unable to support themselves or their families.
This is a real problem when the other peoples money they have been living off of runs out.
Venezuela's there , we are soon to follow as our system is clearly unsustainable
Socialism is a massive lie and it preys on ignorant people. That picture is Exhibit A. Those kids had to attend public schools and liberal colleges to be dumbed down to such ignorance.
“...dependent upon government welfare so long they have no idea how work any and are pathologically unable to support themselves...”
Amen to that. I do volunteer work at halfway houses for men, and while many times of them are working diligently to find jobs, support themselves, save money and find their own place to live, there are just as many that are exactly as you describe them.
What they need to do is smuggle in weaponry and start killing anyone who still works for or is loyal to the Maduro regime. Barring that, expect the status quo (or worse).
I hope President Trump offers every welfare recipiient a minimum wage job picking cotton the old fashioned way-by hand. Get rid of welfare. THEN we can find out what’s going on. Same with the Muslims.
Under Chavez the regime imported thousands of Cuban internal security agents. They are now embedded in key places in the society. The regime is not going to go away quietly.
This country is lost,...it’s lost it’s damned mind.
The 5th person from the right in the front row....is that Valerie Jarrett?
It’s either ValJar or Eddie Munster.
Interesting. Apparently it’s against the law for private citizens to bring food and medicine into the country, hence the need to “smuggle” them in.
When your citizens are starving to death and dying from lack of basic medications, I wonder what the rationale is for forbidding their purchase in a neighboring country?
Very frustrating to have spoon feed grown adults the most basic skills and expectations of responsibility. The toughest part is coming to the realization that you care more about their lives and futures than they do.
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