20 replies to this topic

[Rogerdodger]

Venezuelan military seizes major retail chain...


When will we learn that catering to the greed of the masses is neither leadership nor statesmanship?

CARACAS — Thousands of Venezuelans lined up outside the country's equivalent of Best Buy, a chain of electronics stores known as Daka, hoping for a bargain after the socialist government forced the company to charge customers "fair" prices.
President Nicolás Maduro ordered a military "occupation" of the company's five stores as he continues the government's crackdown on an "economic war" it says is being waged against the country.

Chávez often theatrically expropriated or seized assets from more than 1,000 companies during his 14-year tenure. This, among other difficulties for foreign firms, led to a severe lack of foreign investment in the country which, according to OPEC, has the world's largest oil reserves.

"This is more like government-sanctioned looting," said 42-year-old Caracas-based engineer Carlos Rivero. "What stops them going into pharmacies, supermarkets and shopping malls?"
Not all were for the bargain hunting. One taxi driver screamed at the waiting crowds as he went past a Caracas branch of Daka, accusing them of "abusing" the system.
"I have no love for this government," said Gabriela Campo, 33, a businesswoman, hoping to take home a cut-price television and fridge. "They're doing this for nothing but political reasons, in time for December's elections."
Maduro faces municipal elections on Dec. 8. His popularity has dropped significantly in recent months, with shortages of basic items such as chicken, milk and toilet paper as well as soaring inflation, at 54.3% over the past 12 months
Economists are expecting a devaluation soon after the election, likely leading to even higher inflation.

Doctors say Venezuela's healthcare in collapse...

Almost everything needed to mend and heal is in critically short supply: needles, syringes and paraffin used in biopsies to diagnose cancer; drugs to treat it; operating room equipment; X-ray film and imaging paper; blood and the reagents needed so it can be used for transfusions.
Last month, the government suspended organ donations and transplants. At least 70 percent of radiotherapy machines, precisely what Gonzalez will need once her tumor is removed, are now inoperable in a country with 19,000 cancer patients - meaning fewer than 5,000 can be treated, said Dr. Douglas Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 10 November 2013 - 10:48 AM.

[stocks]

Venezuela - Total Economic Collapse Underway

1. In May of 2009 Chávez Seized Assets of Oil Contractors after which Chavez stated "our people will never again be anyone’s slave".

2. In June of 2010 Venezuela Nationalized U.S. Firm's Oil Rigs. "A former soldier inspired by Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has made energy nationalization the linchpin in his 'revolution'. He has also taken over assets in telecommunications, power, steel and banking."

In May of 2012, USA Today reported Venezuela's PDVSA oil company is bloated, 'falling apart'.

3. As with all government takeovers, output plunges and costs soar.

4. In March 2103, Venezuela devalued the Venezuelan bolivar by 46.5% and created a new currency exchange control regime.

5. On November 5, 2013 Venezuela tightens control of foreign exchange

6. Army seizes goods, imports dry up, merchandise unavailable at any price. Currency collapses additional 90% on black market.


For now, meat and produce availability will depend on whatever the government can confiscate from local growers. However, agricultural products will not last long because fertilizer and feed will vanish at government set prices.


Read more at http://globaleconomi...ks21ijavoo1A.99

[Rogerdodger]

If insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly but expecting a different result, then collectivist-statists (if not just plain old pandering) are just plain nuts.

"The late President Hugo Chavez’s socialist revolution has reached a point of no return, where what little private investment is left vanishes completely and Maduro has no choice but to fully embrace a statist model, before the total collapse."

Access to dollars is strictly controlled, causing a dire effect on manufacture and imports, while the government sells certain goods at subsidized rates and prints money to try to combat inflation.
Fails every time it's tried.
But at least it's "FAIR"... and the misery is shared with "EQUALITY".

What Venezuela Can Learn From Miss Universe
The Miss Venezuela contest “is one of the few remaining places where Venezuelans can watch honest competition and hard work play themselves out, The fact is, the Miss business is that rarest of thing in the Bolivarian republic: a meritocracy, known for its level playing field and transparent rules, where talent and dedication and competitive advantage rise and generally are duly rewarded.”

Edited by Rogerdodger, 13 November 2013 - 11:24 PM.

[stocks]

Venezuelan military seizes major retail chain...


When will we learn that catering to the greed of the masses is neither leadership nor statesmanship?

CARACAS — Thousands of Venezuelans lined up outside the country's equivalent of Best Buy, a chain of electronics stores known as Daka, hoping for a bargain after the socialist government forced the company to charge customers "fair" prices.
President Nicolás Maduro ordered a military "occupation" of the company's five stores as he continues the government's crackdown on an "economic war" it says is being waged against the country.

Chávez often theatrically expropriated or seized assets from more than 1,000 companies during his 14-year tenure. This, among other difficulties for foreign firms, led to a severe lack of foreign investment in the country which, according to OPEC, has the world's largest oil reserves.

"This is more like government-sanctioned looting," said 42-year-old Caracas-based engineer Carlos Rivero. "What stops them going into pharmacies, supermarkets and shopping malls?"
Not all were for the bargain hunting. One taxi driver screamed at the waiting crowds as he went past a Caracas branch of Daka, accusing them of "abusing" the system.
"I have no love for this government," said Gabriela Campo, 33, a businesswoman, hoping to take home a cut-price television and fridge. "They're doing this for nothing but political reasons, in time for December's elections."
Maduro faces municipal elections on Dec. 8. His popularity has dropped significantly in recent months, with shortages of basic items such as chicken, milk and toilet paper as well as soaring inflation, at 54.3% over the past 12 months
Economists are expecting a devaluation soon after the election, likely leading to even higher inflation.

Doctors say Venezuela's healthcare in collapse...

Almost everything needed to mend and heal is in critically short supply: needles, syringes and paraffin used in biopsies to diagnose cancer; drugs to treat it; operating room equipment; X-ray film and imaging paper; blood and the reagents needed so it can be used for transfusions.
Last month, the government suspended organ donations and transplants. At least 70 percent of radiotherapy machines, precisely what Gonzalez will need once her tumor is removed, are now inoperable in a country with 19,000 cancer patients - meaning fewer than 5,000 can be treated, said Dr. Douglas Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation.

Sean Penn, Michael Moore and Oliver Stone pay tribute to Hugo Chávez

6 March 2013

Hollywood figures who became friends with the Venezuelan president mourn a 'great hero' and 'champion of the poor'


http://www.theguardi...llywood-tribute



January 27, 2004

HAVANA — Cuban President Fidel Castro, who has charmed some of Hollywood's biggest names, paid a call to actor Robert Redford at his Havana hotel Monday and discussed Redford's latest film, about revolutionary icon Che Guevara.


http://articles.lati...ent/et-castro27

[Rogerdodger]

East Berlin taught them nothing.

Venezuela seizes more stores...
La VICTORIA, Venezuela — Forcing stores to sell their merchandise for a price that the owners say will put them out of business may sound like a bad idea, but President Nicola Maduro is not angling to improve the economy, Venezuelans say.

"This is going to help him and his party in the short term,''

Gives president decree powers for 'economic war'...
The power to pass laws without congressional approval gives Maduro a political victory in the run-up to December 8 municipal elections, although he still faces a severely distorted economy with embarrassing product shortages and inflation surging to nearly 55 percent.

We need another Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, but good luck finding another leader of his virtue.

"Cincinnatus was forced to live in humble circumstances, working on his own small farm, until an invasion caused him to be called to serve Rome as dictator, an office which he immediately resigned after completing his task of defeating the rivaling tribes of the Aequians, Sabines, and Volscians.
His immediate resignation of his absolute authority with the end of the crisis has often been cited as an example of outstanding leadership, service to the greater good, civic virtue, lack of personal ambition and modesty. As a result, he has inspired a number of organizations and other entities, many of which are named in his honor."

Edited by Rogerdodger, 20 November 2013 - 10:12 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

What happens when you take an oil rich country and add 15 years of socialist policies?

Equality! Because now everybody is poor and in the dark.



54 percent inflation and a plunging currency!

Why are so many unable to learn from the reality of example after example?

Power outage plunges Venezuela into darkness...

Just As Maduro Lays Out Socialist Vision On National TV...

President caps car prices...

ALONSO: 'Disaster'...

Edited by Rogerdodger, 03 December 2013 - 09:45 AM.

[stocks]

Argentina Loves Socialism

Argentina Devaluation

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported Argentina Devaluation Sends Currency Tumbling Most in 12 Years

50% Tax on Internet Purchases - The BBC reports Argentina restricts online shopping as foreign reserves drop

Argentine peso at new lows as food price controls take effect
Argentina's peso slid to an all-time low on Tuesday as supermarkets froze prices in a deal with the government aimed at shielding poor families from one of the world's highest inflation rates.

The year-long price fix on 200 basic food products signals continuation of President Cristina Fernandez's interventionist policies even as polls show her image has been battered by 25 percent inflation, falling reserves and electricity shortages.

Black Market Purchases Will Soar

Price controls and currency pegs at ridiculous rates cause black markets. With the additional 50% tax on online purchases, expect black market trade to soar.




Read more at http://globaleconomi...XjYE4WtWKqRU.99

[stocks]

6 March 2013

Sean Penn, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover - Hollywood figures who became friends with the Venezuelan president mourn a 'great hero' and 'champion of the poor'

http://www.theguardi...llywood-tribute


January 27, 2004

HAVANA — Cuban President Fidel Castro, who has charmed some of Hollywood's biggest names, paid a call to actor Robert Redford at his Havana hotel Monday and discussed Redford's latest film, about revolutionary icon Che Guevara.

http://articles.lati...ent/et-castro27

Venezuela - Media, Paramilitaries, Abuses, and Some Blood

•The Media Blackout - From yanking a Colombian cable news channel off the air to taking an entire city offline, the government has made controlling the flow of information about the crisis a priority. This comes on the heels of the looming threat to newspapers all over the country, which we have documented extensively. President Maduro has already announced they will pull the plug on CNN En Español, an important source of independent information. Now their journos’ official credentials have been revoked. All told, the past two weeks have been dreadful for the right of Venezuelans to be informed. The result? Tons of rumors, tons of disinformation, tons of uncertainty.

•Paramilitaries: Let’s call a spade a spade: colectivos are paramilitaries. It’s silly that chavistas are somehow trying to minimize the role of these government-sponsored groups that now roam freely in the streets of Venezuela, heavily armed, accountable to God-only-knows whom. They have been repeatedly lionized by the government. They are christened by Ministers as the main line of defense of the Revolution. They talk to the foreign press and gleefully display their weapons and their fire power. Chavista governors give them orders via Twitter. And numerous eyewitnesses tell stories of violence. True – they don’t always shoot live ammo. Sometimes their role is simply to intimidate. Regardless, they are real, and they are not going anywhere.

•Human Rights Abuses - From the jailing of Leopoldo López to the alleged torture of student demonstrators, it seems clear that Venezuela crossed a rubicon in the past few days. This has been a PR disaster for the government, with everyone from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch to (gulp) Madonna weighing in. I don’t know if they care or not, but Maduro’s cast in international public opinion seems set for now. He is an abusive, mustachoed thug. Any lingering claim to the moral high-ground or to hemispheric leadership that the revolution may once have held on to died this month.

Mission Impossible to Stop Capital Flight

On January 23, in Venezuela Strengthens Currency Controls in Impossible Mission to Stop Capital Flight; Airlines Collapse; End of the Line I commented ...

Hyperinflation, and economic stupidity by the leftist government are both out of control. On the currency side, the official exchange rate is 6.3 Bolivars to the dollar. The exchange rate for foreign travelers was just set to 11.36 Bolivars per dollar. The black market exchange rate is 79 Bolivars per dollar.

The end of the line for the Bolivar is at hand. The leftist government nationalized oil reserves, and the result was an immediate collapse in production. The only way Venezuela can import anything is from dwindling US dollar reserves. When those run out, it's lights out for the Bolivar.




Read more at http://globaleconomi...H3cf7VQBqQXw.99

Edited by stocks, 22 February 2014 - 07:36 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Looks like Venezuela is learning from Am-Erika:

Venezuelan President blames media for 'broadcasting hate'...

Passport ban threat...

Opposition, pro-govt rallies grip Venezuela...

Edited by Rogerdodger, 23 February 2014 - 12:46 PM.

[stocks]

6 March 2013

Sean Penn, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover - Hollywood figures who became friends with the Venezuelan president mourn a 'great hero' and 'champion of the poor'

http://www.theguardi...llywood-tribute


January 27, 2004

HAVANA — Cuban President Fidel Castro, who has charmed some of Hollywood's biggest names, paid a call to actor Robert Redford at his Havana hotel Monday and discussed Redford's latest film, about revolutionary icon Che Guevara.

http://articles.lati...ent/et-castro27

Venezuela - Media, Paramilitaries, Abuses, and Some Blood

•The Media Blackout - From yanking a Colombian cable news channel off the air to taking an entire city offline, the government has made controlling the flow of information about the crisis a priority. This comes on the heels of the looming threat to newspapers all over the country, which we have documented extensively. President Maduro has already announced they will pull the plug on CNN En Español, an important source of independent information. Now their journos’ official credentials have been revoked. All told, the past two weeks have been dreadful for the right of Venezuelans to be informed. The result? Tons of rumors, tons of disinformation, tons of uncertainty.

•Paramilitaries: Let’s call a spade a spade: colectivos are paramilitaries. It’s silly that chavistas are somehow trying to minimize the role of these government-sponsored groups that now roam freely in the streets of Venezuela, heavily armed, accountable to God-only-knows whom. They have been repeatedly lionized by the government. They are christened by Ministers as the main line of defense of the Revolution. They talk to the foreign press and gleefully display their weapons and their fire power. Chavista governors give them orders via Twitter. And numerous eyewitnesses tell stories of violence. True – they don’t always shoot live ammo. Sometimes their role is simply to intimidate. Regardless, they are real, and they are not going anywhere.

•Human Rights Abuses - From the jailing of Leopoldo López to the alleged torture of student demonstrators, it seems clear that Venezuela crossed a rubicon in the past few days. This has been a PR disaster for the government, with everyone from Amnesty International to Human Rights Watch to (gulp) Madonna weighing in. I don’t know if they care or not, but Maduro’s cast in international public opinion seems set for now. He is an abusive, mustachoed thug. Any lingering claim to the moral high-ground or to hemispheric leadership that the revolution may once have held on to died this month.

Mission Impossible to Stop Capital Flight

On January 23, in Venezuela Strengthens Currency Controls in Impossible Mission to Stop Capital Flight; Airlines Collapse; End of the Line I commented ...

Hyperinflation, and economic stupidity by the leftist government are both out of control. On the currency side, the official exchange rate is 6.3 Bolivars to the dollar. The exchange rate for foreign travelers was just set to 11.36 Bolivars per dollar. The black market exchange rate is 79 Bolivars per dollar.

The end of the line for the Bolivar is at hand. The leftist government nationalized oil reserves, and the result was an immediate collapse in production. The only way Venezuela can import anything is from dwindling US dollar reserves. When those run out, it's lights out for the Bolivar.




Read more at http://globaleconomi...H3cf7VQBqQXw.99

Sean Penn, Oliver Stone, Michael Moore and Danny Glover Helped to Destroy and Impoverish Venezuela, But They Themselves Won't Suffer

They can still live in their Hollywood mansions, secure in the knowledge that their private property is protected by the police and US military.


http://newsbusters.o...uelan-socialism