He uses his goon squads to deal with opponents. It gets written up as street crime and with so much of it, who’s to say it isn’t.
The true problem is this:
When you tell people that wealth is criminal, it takes away the moral prohibition against violent crime. But it isn’t the wealthy who really suffer in this case, they can afford security. Its ordinary people who must walk the streets and face the constant threat of attack. Venezuela has always had street crime and it has always nourished the notion that wealth is ill-gotten; the ruling elite of Venezuela have been socialists for the last fifty years at least. But the message that wealth is criminal has never been spoken so nakedly from the highest office in the land, and the result is hell on earth.
The resentment against wealth bites everyone, because everyone has more than someone. And, again, once the moral prohibition against violent crime has disappeared its the vulnerable who suffer, not the wealthy.
The irony is that the Chavez family and his inner circle use their power to profit from this as oligarchs always do.
“Chavez also demeaned work, urging the poor to take his handouts. As a result, 40% of Venezuela’s 20 million workers are now unemployed, with seven of eight not wanting work, according to the National Statistics Institute.”
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Incredible, %40 unemployment, with employment being out of fashion and lawlessness encouraged.
Well, let’s look on the bright side. I’m gather FARC has given up on Columbia. Why bother? Chavez has given them his blessing to do their worst in Venezuela. Pretty damn dumb of him, as it looks like they might be taking him down in the near future.