Er, Socialism? Vox Video Skips Reason Why Venezuelans Are Leaving Their Country

Johnny Harris of Vox reported on the enormous numbers of refugees who have fled from Venezuela and crossed the border to live in Colombia. Since Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, one might wonder how it came to be an economic basket case where inflation is so high that the paper currency needed to buy a roll of toilet paper would actually be more useful to use in the desired function than the product it is supposed to purchase.

Here is Johnny Harris reporting on the what but never on the why of the Venezuelan refugee crises. Of course to do so would put into question a certain political belief system possessed by most, if not all, of Harris' fellow Vox correspondents:

Top 3 reasons they’re leaving.

1. Bad weather.

2. Better beaches elsewhere (BTW, I just looked and you can get some great deals on beachfront property there)

3. Too many liberals

Yeah, it was all Maduro's fault. Blame him and not any particular economic system which must not be named since we are supposed to believe Venezuela would be a Worker's Paradise if only Hugo Chavez had not died even though the country was falling apart before he departed.

Vox won’t say that Chavez socialized the equipment of foreign oil companies without compensation.

Vox won’t say that Chavez socialized private radio and TV stations in Venezuela so as to silence their opponents and detractors.

Vox won’t say that Chavez gave away oil and gasoline to Cuba’s Castro brothers for who knows what purpose (probably for the use of Cuban hit squads).

Vox won’t say that Chavez used the profits of the state oil company for government purposes and failed to spend any of it to maintain or buy new or replacement equipment effectively driving the company in to ruin.

The state oil company if run properly could have been an engine to drive the country to new levels of prosperity but Chavez and Maduro have used it as their private piggy bank to line their pockets and the pockets of their supporters.

Socialists took a prosperous nation with a bright future and turned it into a basket case in only a few years.

We’ve got socialist scum aplenty in this country who want to try their luck with our lives and property ... and they call us Deplorables.

“Since Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world....”

I stopped reading right there...this is utter BS, and is not even close to the truth. Venezuela counts oil not yet even discovered as reserves. Here is a 2-year-old article discussing an apples-to-apples comparison of oil reserves, with the US being on top, followed by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Brazil, Iraq and then (finally) Venezuela. https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Has-Worlds-Largest-Oil-Reserves.html

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