[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chávez stressing social programs - ...aimed at training ''new voters''***Chávez was elected in 1998 on a promise to rid the nation of decades of corrupt and elitist rule. He initially enjoyed an astounding 80 percent approval rating, but his policies and attacks on the media, business and the church drove many into the opposition. The past 19 months have been marked by a failed military coup, massive opposition rallies, a two-month general strike and now a signature drive demanding a recall referendum.

Government insiders say that the strike, which cost the economy $6 billion, nevertheless created a windfall: By firing 18,000 employees of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the percentage of oil profits has shifted away from the state oil company to government coffers.

Among the new programs the government has announced:

o Mission Robinson, a $34 million project to teach one million people to read.

o Mission Rivas, aimed at getting high school dropouts to earn equivalency degrees.

o Mission Sucre -- a new university and $100 in monthly stipends for 30,000 high school graduates shunned by pricier schools. The location: former PDVSA offices.

o Barrio Adentro, 1,000 Cuban doctors who offer primary healthcare in urban slums.

o An increase in the minimum wage and a three-month Christmas bonus for government employees.

''What you have is an aggressive strategy to increase social spending,'' said Luis Vicente León, a political analyst and pollster. ``It's interesting that many of these programs began in July -- right when [Chávez] dropped several points in the polls. At the very least, it's suspicious.''***

[The Duke]

To see the St. Pete Times come out with an article that is critical of *any* communist regime causes me to wonder if they're not selling ice skates in Hell this morning(?)