Chávez Restyles Venezuela With '21st-Century Socialism'

The New York Times ^ | October 30, 2005 | JUAN FORERO

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS, Venezuela - Firmly in power and his revolution now in overdrive, President Hugo Chávez is moving fast to transform Venezuela's economy by bucking free-market planning with what he calls 21st-century socialism: founding state companies, seizing abandoned private factories and establishing thousands of cooperatives and worker-run businesses.

The populist government is reorganizing the country's colossal oil industry, taking a bigger share from private multinationals. Planners are reorganizing the banking system, placing stringent restrictions on lending while creating state banks. Venezuela is also developing a state-to-state barter system to trade items as varied as cattle, oil and cement as far away as Argentina and as near as Cuba, its closest ally.

"It's impossible for capitalism to achieve our goals, nor is it possible to search for an intermediate way," Mr. Chávez said a few months ago, laying out his plans. "I invite all Venezuelans to march together on the path of socialism of the new century."

According to many mainstream economists, the change is simply a mix of plans taken from the protectionist policies of the 1960's and others adopted from Cuba and countries of the former Soviet bloc. It may not be communism - as detractors contend it is - but it mixes socialism with capitalism and what some call improvisation.

Many of the president's grandest plans are put into practice at the year-old Ministry for the Popular Economy. Planners there have already created 6,840 cooperatives that employ 210,000 people nationwide, many producing for the state.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

David Rochkind/Polaris, for The New York Times
A mural of President Hugo Chávez on the wall of a government complex in Caracas that houses a subsidized food market and two factories.

[nmh]

I would imagine many here would like his flavor of socialism.

[tom paine 2]

The only thing that makes this "work" is the oil money.

[Leo Carpathian]

Can we ship all of our RATs there to ready paradise? They don't have to struggle here, get easy way!

[AmericanChef]

The title on that mural should be: Run, boy, run!!

Sounds like socialism in the 21st century hasn't changed any from the old-fashioned kind.

[Recon Dad]

I was just going to post that this is going to be "Cuba with Oil". Give them two to five years and they will be net importers of everything. They will expropriate all the oil and that will dry up. This is will be the Western Hemisphere's Zimbabwe

[Cvengr]

From elsewhere in the article...

What about competition in this cutthroat industry? "The philosophy is not to compete, but to cooperate with other airlines," said Wilmer Castro, who as Venezuela's tourism minister oversees the airline. "Our policy is to have fares that are lower than the others in the market."

Doesn't read as though they are being very cooperative with other airlines using that policy.

[gakrak]

Hitlery of instance, but she would only have the peoples best interest at heart. You know her line take from the haves for the common good. Amen.

[mbennett203]

"It may not be communism - as detractors contend it is"

And now, a lesson from South Park:

Gerald Broflovski: "See, we live in a democratic society, and it's Democrats that pass sexual harrasment laws, which tell us what we can and cannot say and can or cannot do in the workplace."
Kyle Broflovski: "But Dad, isn't that fascism?"
Gerald Broflovski: "No, because we don't call it that."

Message: You can call something whatever you want, it doesn't change what it actually is.

Second point: So, it's socialism mixed with Communism? In other words, the stage after revolutionary socialism when the planners finally figure out that their ideals in fact, don't work but, they're not willing to admit as much.

And yes, Chavez is the new lefty "it boy." He's barf-tacular.

[muir_redwoods]

"Chávez Restyles Venezuela With '21st-Century Socialism'"

21st century socialism= Instead of your cow going dry, your harvest failing and your crappy car back-ordered for 10 years, with 21st century socialism, your Government Apartment is cold, your phone service works maybe 3 hours a week and your internet is mostly down and even when it is up it's limited to five government run sites and two more from Cuba.

[Rome2000]

Make no mistake about it.

This little bastard is our enemy.

He must be taken out.

Free men will piss on his grave.

[mbennett203]

"This little bastard is our enemy."

I don't need to be told twice, he's friends with every one that has designs on our nation's downfall. The biggest problem is that he has oil to manipulate. He props up Castro, they fund commie guerillas in South America, he looooves terrorists, is consolidating power, and he's building a larger military.

Rumsfeld's keeping a close eye, as I understand it, and that's good.

[JohnLongIsland]

once again the slimes sinks to new levels, this reporting of the news is nothing but a blatant editorial espousing communism. hugo has managed in a short time to destroy rob and bankrupt this once promising country, the poor people live like the cubans, despite all the oil money, and they swallow this communist tyrants kool-aid, or as the slimes doesn't report, are they forced to swallow hugo's kool-aid?

[Chi-townChief]

"I would imagine many here would like his flavor of socialism."

I know quite a few liberals including White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen who absolutely love it as long as they're living here and not there.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It's Hillary Clinton and the "Third Way"

[ThirstyMan]

Hugo creates a top heavy bureaucracy to administer his programs and the administrators will become the corrupt and privileged class. The poor will continue to suffer as the existing free enterprise is punished for having creating job sites by having their wealth stolen by the state. The new improved governmental bureaucracy will then try to put people to work who don't have to work, or don't want to work. No incentive means there is not a need to work.

Nothing new here folks...perhaps the vast oil wealth twist will camouflage the sickness of the system but human greed will soon rise to the occasion and find a way to overcome that advantage.

[nmh]

"Our policy is to have fares that are lower than the others in the market."

Doesn't sound like "cooperation" to me. Sounds more like COMPETITION to me. This guy is nuts!

[nmh]

And as long as THEY have the $$$$ while the peons get a few crumbs now and then .... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ... this guy sounds like a true Demoncrat to me and many RHINOS would like this form of communism.

[grey_whiskers]

It's Hillary Clinton and the "Third Way"

Especially this:

barter system to trade items as varied as cattle

He's going to let the profits from Hillary's cattle futures prop up their economy.

[Humvee]

We all seem to forget about one important political ideology. It constantly changes its veneer but it is always the same - Thugocracy. Alive and well in Venezuela for now. Looks like this dipwad needs to visit Zimbabwe - they could show him how to accelerate the ruination process.