Author does have a point. Becoming dependent on the govt teat results in a lazy helpless population. Hunger is a great stimulant, OTOH.
Yeah... I posit that we oughtn’t so much pan the metaphor, as be careful about its use. Don’t take its misuse lying down.
Leftism served up a whole bunch of stuff that rode on high oil revenues. Where are all the “sustainability” gurus when it comes to the political world? All it took was Saudi Arabia selling at sacrifice prices (probably with no more malice than the wish to starve out their enemy Iran) to bring Venezuela’s world crashing down, when it didn’t have to.
The “cooking lessons” are those of establishing a free (”rightist”) government. If there was anyone competent in the USA now, they would be in talks with Venezuela about this. The US wouldn’t have to take over anything, simply advise.