Posted on 09/03/2017 8:45:22 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
Once there was a South American country with a promising future. It had a functioning democracy, a rapidly developing economy and a growing middle class. All the important indicators, including education, health care and foreign investment, were pointed in the right direction.
It was far from perfect, but the mood was hopeful – and with good reason.
But now all that promise is gone. The country is a failed state, a hollowed-out shell of its former self.
Services like power and water are sporadic. The most basic consumer goods--from bread to toilet paper--are in chronically short supply. Crime has skyrocketed. Freedom of the press is almost non-existent. Democracy has been replaced by a virtual dictatorship.
The country is, I’m sorry to say, my beloved Venezuela, a place in which my family has deep roots.
I can tell you what happened to it in one word: socialism.
In 1999, then-candidate for President, Hugo Chavez, promised to lead the people of Venezuela to a socialist paradise. His theme was “Esperanza y Cambio” – “Hope and Change.” “Venezuela is a nation of great wealth,” Chavez said, “but it’s being stolen from its citizens by the evil capitalists and the evil corporations.” This wrong would be righted, he assured the voters, if they elected him. And they did, to their everlasting regret.
Chavez drew inspiration from his mentor, Fidel Castro. Like his mentor, he enjoyed giving speeches – some which lasted as many as seven hours! He even gave himself his own weekly television show where he would spontaneously break into song.
Here’s a rule to follow: When your nation’s leader starts singing on national television, you’re in trouble.
Under Chavez, the government of Venezuela took over industry after industry. The government, he assured everyone, would run these businesses better than private enterprise and...
(Excerpt) Read more at thecoachsteam.com ...
Feel the Bern !
With the largest proven oil reserves in the world, Venezuela still cannot get out of the grip of socialism. Socialism is nothing more than the practice of looking at yourself in the mirror, not liking what you see, then setting out to blindly, mindlessly, destroy yourself.
Being empathic and charitable is the opposite of being a socialist. Socialism is the political manifestation of jealousy, lack of empathy, and selfishness.
Creating misery and economic ruin. Exactly as it does everywhere it is tried. The more socialism, the more misery.
Never understand how so many are so blinded by the lie that is socialism.
Socialism is looking at yourself in the mirror, then blindly, mercilessly destroying everyone who thinks you're ugly. And after a while, you stop looking at yourself in the mirror.
It can be reversed. Chile is an example of that. Compare Chile today versus what it was under Allende in the 1970’s. For a while, after it returned to capitalism it had one of the highest economic growth rates in the world.
I think under the Chavez-Maduro scheme...they felt that the government could run various businesses better and take a bigger slice of the pie. Socialism can only survive if you have a base of capitalism where products and services keep an economy growing and enough profits to tax upon. In this case of Venezuela, there is no real capitalism left...so the socialism angle runs on fumes.
My long-term view of Maduro...civil war likely occurs within the next two years. Maybe the nation survives intact....maybe they break up into two or three mini-Venezuela. As long as they can dump Maduro and government control over the economy...they can recover.
Coming soon to theatres in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City.
Well said. Beauty is skin deep and always in the eyes of the beholder.
The problem isn’t “sociaism” per se.
It’s because they got away from pure “socialism”
just ask any leftist..
It’s NOT socialism!!!!!!!!!!!! Socialism has never been tried! If it was really tried, as Jane Fonda said, you’d get down on your knees and give thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ask maduro if he has enough papel de mierda.
The ruling elite lives high off the hog with the money taken from the people who they scorn.
The Left thinks Socialism can work irregardless of what happens in sh*tholes like Venezuela. Someone should ask point blank to blowhards like Moore,Sanders,Penn or Glover how’s Socialism working out? I would not be surprised if they said it does and give typical excuses.That pig Chavez was their hero. People on the left need to be led by godless tyrants. It’s in their DNA. The petty tyrant, statist Kenyan, Usurper was the left’s Messiah.
Considering I am currently sitting in Venezuela I can honestly say is they have successful destroyed their country. What is real scary is the amount of idiots in the USA want to go the same route
Everyone is equally hungry... except for Maduro and his enforcers. It’s beautiful. Being unequally rich would be terrible!
They voted to steal ‘other people’s money’ and now the country is broke and starving...
I’m shocked I tell you... shocked.
/s
Hope and Change?? I guess Obama stole the slogan from the Marxist Chavez..I just knew he didn’t thought of it.
"Change" is long-time commiespeak.
Yahoo search results for "Fundamentally Transforming The United States Of America":
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35&p=%22Fundamentally+Transforming+The+United+States+Of+America%22&SpellState=n-2204099546_q-bsN.LA3I3%2F%2FdGaQgkeauogAAAA%40%40&fr2=sp-top
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"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek"-- BARACK OBAMA
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From the website of the Communist Party, USA...
(prior to the election)
"The Communist Party USA views the 2008 elections as a tremendous opportunity to defeat the policies of the right-wing Republicans and to move our country in a new progressive direction.
The record turnout in the Democratic Presidential primary races shows that millions of voters, including millions of new voters, are using this election to bring about real change. We wholeheartedly agree with them."
http://cpusa.org/cpusa-2008-electoral-policy/
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After the election....
A Landslide Mandate For Change
A breakthrough election
Congratulations on an extraordinary history making election!
We can think back with pride to decades of hard work toward our strategic goal of a big enough, broad enough and united enough labor and all-people’s movement that could overcome the ultra-right blockage to all progress. That all people’s movement has come to life, it is dynamic and it has the potential to keep growing.
The election of Barack Obama and a strengthened Congress creates new conditions in our country. There is now the possibility to shift gears and move forward. This new day requires us to further develop our tactics in order to continue to deepen and broaden labor and people’s unity.
There are thousands of experiences that we all have had in these momentous days, some large, some small, all of which express the enormity of change in thinking and readiness for involvement that is underway and that steels us for the battles ahead.
The tears of joy we all shared as crowds gathered to watch the election results here and throughout the world dramatize the new moment we are in.
http://cpusa.org/a-landslide-mandate-for-change-report-to-the-national-committee-meeting-11-15-08/
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July 1, 2009...
Change is Here, Change is Coming
Sam Webb, National Chair, Communist Party, USA:
Let me begin with a simple observation: If the last 30 years were an era of reaction, then the coming decade could turn into an era of reform, even radical reform. Six months into the Obama presidency, I would say without hesitation that the landscape, atmosphere, conversation, and agenda have strikingly changed compared to the previous eight years.
In this legislative session, we can envision winning a Medicare-like public option and then going further in the years ahead.
We can visualize passing tough regulatory reforms on the financial industry, which brought the economy to ruin.
We can imagine the troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan while U.S. representatives participate in a regional process that brings peace and stability to the entire region.
In the current political climate, the expansion of union rights becomes a real possibility.
Much the same can be said about winning a second stimulus bill, and we sure need one, given the still-rising rate, and likely long term persistence, of unemployment.
Isn’t it possible in the Obama era to create millions of green jobs in manufacturing and other sectors of the economy in tandem with an attack on global warming?
Can’t we envision taking new strides in the long journey for racial and gender equality in this new era, marked at its beginning by the election of the first African American to the presidency?
And isn’t the overhaul of the criminal justice and prison system – a system steeped in racism – no longer pie-in-the sky, but something that can be done in the foreseeable future?
All these things are within reach now!
http://cpusa.org/change-is-here-change-is-coming/
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"Barack Obama told supporters that
'change has come to America' as he
claimed victory in a historic presidential election."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/election.president/index.html
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