Good to hear from you, Nicollo! Hope all is well!
As I hear it from a buddy who's wife is Venezuelan, the whole family is over here. "Extended" family. They are quite well-to-do and could manage the "escape". They are trying to get everyone out while they still can.
Chavez is a nut, and has the support of the Latino Red Triangle. I don't think they have much of a chance without Northern intervention. I'm worried for Colombia and their people, they are also targetted by these slime.
Prayers for our family, friend and loved ones down South...
That's the heart of the matter. These anti-US rantings and attempts to knife us in the back mask and obscure the domestic terror campaign about to be unleashed on Venezuela. This guy is no different than saddam, his self opinion is the same, his international diplomacy is the same, and his domestic hold on power will be the same. If left in power, Chavez will go mad with power and arrogance, just like saddam.
Why Venezuela? That's easy. It has oil, which means it has wealth that requires little work or skill to spend.
This guy is a spanish speaking saddam, take him out now, before 30 years of progress in Venezuela is destroyed.
It's so sad, Bob.
I never had much faith in the quick fix of market reforms down south, and I'm afraid what advance there has been will be defeated with impatience and populist rhetoric. Yes, the free market works, but only as part of a larger system of freedom and justice.
Best wishes to your VZ friends, and warm regards to you!