Posted on 08/25/2005 11:05:53 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper
HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, popular with the poor at home, offered on Tuesday to help needy Americans with cheap supplies of gasoline. "We want to sell gasoline and heating fuel directly to poor communities in the United States," the populist leader told reporters at the end of a visit to Communist-run Cuba. Chavez did not say how Venezuela would go about providing gasoline to poor communities. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA owns Citgo, which has 14,000 gas stations in the United States. The offer may sound attractive to Americans feeling pinched by soaring prices at the pump but not to the U.S. government, which sees Chavez as a left-wing troublemaker in Latin America. Gasoline is cheaper than mineral water in oil-producing Venezuela, where consumers can fill their tanks for less than $2. Average gas prices have risen to $2.61 a gallon in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Chavez said Venezuela could supply gasoline to Americans at half the price they now pay if intermediaries who "speculated ... and exploited consumers" were cut out. Venezuela supplies Cuba with generously financed oil and plans to help Caribbean nations foot their oil bills. Chavez, in Cuba to attend the graduation of Cuban-trained doctors from 28 countries, was seen off at the airport by Cuban President Fidel Castro. Washington has accused the two leaders of being a destabilizing influence in South America. Chavez and Castro offered to give poor Americans free health care and train doctors free of charge.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Something does NOT sound good about this...not good at all.
Why does this strike me as severe case of meglomania?
So, he wants to lead a socialist revolution in North America as well??!!
Chavez did not say how Venezuela would go about providing gasoline to poor communities.
Of course he didn't because this is all BS.
Citgo, eh.
OK.
No Citgo gas for me.
Your right. It's a simple con. The slave idiots that put up with his crap are just going to get poorer sending off the bait/bribe.
I'm pretty sure Chavez aims to keep himself in the spotlight after Pat Robertson's comments. His pretty blatant "Robin Hood" approach to appeal to lower class Americans will fall on deaf ears. I think you are right BigSky about it being reminiscent of Stalin but even though there is a huge difference in terms of monetary possessions between the rich and poor in this country, the "poor" still have it a lot better here in America than in other countries. Besides, football season is approaching, there are other things to turn our attention to;)
EXACTLY. It's a shell game.
Yeah, by pretending to be a Good Samaritan.
You expected Milton Friedman?
Instead of giving it to the poor, Chavez should take a bath in the stuff and light himself up a cuban cigar.
It's disgusting. Should we anticipate Chavez's arrival in Crawford too? He'd fit right in with the Nazis, Al Sharpton and that disgraceful Cindy Sheehan.
That oughta be interesting, Al Sharpton showing up with a bunch of white racists.
Tell him to stick it up the seat of his pants and light a match.
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