Posted on 10/06/2013 7:27:45 PM PDT by bryan999
The army has been sent into toilet paper factories, fights for basic foodstuffs have resulted in several deaths and new, multi-million dollar oil tankers are sitting idle in dock. And, despite sitting on the worlds largest oil reserves, Venezuelas socialist government cant quite manage to keep the lights on.
Now many in Venezuela are wondering how much longer President Nicolas Maduro, the anointed successor of the countrys firebrand Leftist leader Hugo Chavez, can keep hold of the reins of its crumbling socialist revolution.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Venezuelans aren’t even sure what their currency is worth any more. There is the official rate, the black market rate and the rates they trade to Cuba and China with and the rate they allow tourists leaving the country to get (limited amounts of foreign currency allowed to those leaving the country, wouldn’t want people to escape from Utopia)
Good points. Land/private property laws taken from Spain held most economies prisoner...while a few actually controlled every aspect of the day to day life of the average person.
Costa Rica I think was the first to cast this system off but Chile took it further and today Chile is booming. Colombia is booming and Peru is transforming. Not without problems of course.
But most of SA still adheres to the old systems and the governing class always blames the GRINGOS when things go wrong....but that old line isnt working much anymore.
A free economy works. period. no debate.
They need Gus.
so true givers do not need a government to give for them....... but true takers need the government force to get for them
The big spending Marxists are running out of other peoples' money all around the world.
Lol, it’s like something straight out of the People’s Cube.
Barry wills end US tax dollars to prop it up
That kind of opposition was crushed or murdered years ago. Buy a gun? Only if they are drug dealers and can buy it from Eric Holder.
Good morning, Rrrod, how are things now in Colombia with the government? I know there were concerns with the return of FARC and other issues.
Are things stabilized again? I was very impressed with my last visit.
GladesGuru's entire post!
And now it's here in the US.
That would be Carroll Quigley's "Pakistani-Peruvian axis".
Hey pal, Things are well there. Im back in S Florida for the time being.
The economy is booming, construction is everywhere unemployment is as you non existent. Their SS system is amazing. Money paid in actually went for investments..like natural gas plants, hospitals, resorts and so on.
Most taxis have converted to natural gas and some buses.
FARC has been getting the soft treatment from Pres. Santos but...and this is important, he is under extreme pressure by the US and EU to play nice.
Most Colombians would rather see FARC killed off...totally. Santos has to walk a fine line to keep the economy together.
Venezuela has missiles aimed at Colombia, missiles from Iran.
Medellin is doing great...great city but Bogota has a commie mayor and as always problems.
Dollar isnt as good as it once was but not bad, property values are going thru the roof.
We have prop there, paid for, so we enjoy our life there. Picked up another country place in Armenia and doing a bit of remodeling.
There is sense that gringos are moving in by large numbers but thats not the case. Actually very few Americans there as you know. Realtors push up the prices for foreign buyers.
Food is still cheap, gas is more as well as imported goods.
Crime is not a problem as far as Ive been able to determine.
But there are place, like everywhere, ya just dont go.
Colombians are very pro American...they like to have conversations with us and are very friendly.
Traffic in the major cities is a mess as always, damn motorcycles are buzzing all around. I usually use taxis in the cities.
I still enjoy sitting at an outside bar, having a cold one, watching the world go by...!
“Socialism is envy.”
Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins.
“I think its that whole seductive vision of everybody working together for the cause. A sense of fairness for everybody; everybody has food in their bellies, a roof over their head, the environment is clean, etc.”
In other words, the hope of utopia is emotionally satisfying. No matter historical facts and life realities. Outcomes are meaningless when intentions are altuistic!
“This is easy. Socialism panders to the worst side of the human character greed. Socialists promise all Santa Claus 24/7/365 and it works until other peoples money runs out. Then theres Hell to pay.”
That’s not greed, it isn’t even jealousy. It is ENVY and is a deadly sin.....
Greed is I want more, so I will go get more (in a free market that would be earning more....)
Jealousy is I want what you have so how do I get it? (in a free market it is earning more...)
Envy is I don’t like that you have more than me and I am not willing to earn more, instead you should be punished and destroyed to make me feel better.
“I have great compassion for the people of Venezuela. Most of them are good and just want an honest corrupt free government.”
I don’t think that is the case anymore. I think that most of the good and honest folks have escaped. There may be some that are left, but I’d wager most that could have left.
Not really, greed can be positive in that one is positively advancing their own self interest and it also benefits other people in the long run. Jealousy can be motivating and result in positive results. Both have been demonized, but can be positive.
Envy on the other hand, is always destructive and deadly!
Semantics, I know, but there was a reason that Envy was called out specifically as a deadly sin....
;-)
See my tagline, I’ve had it for some time.
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