"This is democracy." Chavez announces next steps toward socialism

Houston Chronicle ^ | January 9, 2007 | John Otis, South America Bureau

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela New ministers are sworn in by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, unseen, in Caracas, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. On the wall a picture of Chavez next to a quote from one of his speeches.(AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)

[Red Badger]

In a way, he's right........This is the reality of a true democracy.........

[MinorityRepublican]

Chavez is a communist, too bad we didn't take him out while we still had a chance.

[LIConFem]

"This is Heaven", said the Devil. "Pay no attention the heat, flames and blood-curdling screams. You're gonna love it here!"

[msnimje]

Jimmah Carter must be so pleased.

[avacado]

"We are heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it,"

[rellimpank]

--horrible events--a Castro with money is arising.

The only upside that I see here is that given socialism and the Venezuelan incompetence at operating anything, the production cost of Venezuelan crude oil will be well above the world price---

[Emile]

Well, you gotta give him credit for being honest about his intentions.

Nationalizing industries worked so well everywhere else, I'm sure it'll work for Chavez, too. (\sarc)

[Spok]

War is peace, love is hate, and ignorance is strength.

Long live Big Brother.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Chavez asked the National Assembly, which his allies control, to give him powers to carry out many of his proposals by executive decree.

History repeats itself. Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) party essentially did the same thing in the Reichstag with the Enabling Act in 1933.

Chilling.

[Jaysun]

Okay liberals, here's your chance. Pay close attention to what happens in Venezuela. It'll seem great at first because there's still some money left. But that will soon dry up and everything will get (and stay) far worse than before.

Somewhere along the lines the media has to be controlled with an iron fist (can't let the disaster become apparent). And the real fun - the killing - begins. Anyone that disagrees, tries to leave, disobeys, etc.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"The only upside that I see here is that given socialism and the Venezuelan incompetence at operating anything, the production cost of Venezuelan crude oil will be well above the world price---"

And we are the biggest consumer of it.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Delivering on campaign pledges to move Venezuela toward socialism, President Hugo Chavez announced plans Monday to nationalize the country's telephone and electricity sectors and hinted that he would seek a majority stake in so-called heavy oil projects in the Orinoco River basin.

And after the Venezualan economy is completely destroyed by his idiocy, Chavez and his stooges from the American Left will attempt to blame the US for Venezuela's self-inflicted miseries. The people of Venezuela apparently want this, let them live with the consequences.

[Cacique]

coming to a town near you soon.

[rellimpank]

--Jaysun puts it well--Okay liberals, here's your chance. Pay close attention to what happens in Venezuela. It'll seem great at first because there's still some money left. But that will soon dry up and everything will get (and stay) far worse than before.--

Venezuelan crude will still sell at the world price and the loss will be absorbed by the Venezuelans who put him in office--

[marron]

Since the late 1990s, Houston-based ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco and other firms have invested more than $17 billion into four major ventures in the vital Orinoco basin of eastern Venezuela.

The Venezuelans invited them in because they needed the investment capital, and the technology, to develop this area. The Orinoco Basin has enormous reserves, but its extra-heavy stuff, its not the good stuff everyone is used to dealing with. Chavez himself has re-assured them several times in order to get them to stay and increase their investments. Now he will pocket the fruit of their labor.

With $17 billion invested, they are hostage to their investment, and Chavez knows it.

The US government isn't going to intervene to help a private company, and Chavez knows that too.

In another era, companies in a similar situation would be talking quietly, behind the scenes, to anyone they could find who would be sympathetic to their plight, military officers, spooks, young firebrands on the make, and with that kind of money on the line, who could blame them? If some jerk was going to steal $17 billion from you, what would you be prepared to do to protect it?

[Philistone]

Lemme see if I understand the cycle:

Capitalists produce wealth. Demogogue comes in and nationalizes the wealth. Wealth disappears. Country spirals into poverty. Demogogue overthrown. IMF comes in to bail out country. Demands privatization of public companies. Capitalists come back and produce wealth. Demogogue comes in...

Etc. Etc.

[mjolnir]

In a way, he's right........This is the reality of a true democracy.........

I have to disagree.

It's true that pure democracy can lead to socialism--- that's why Aristotle referred to "vulgar democracy" as "rule of the poor".

But that's not what's happening in Venezuela, where the necessary conditions for democracy have been stripped away by Chavez, who, is not a democrat, pure or otherwise. That's why for as long as he could, he fought the legality of the referendum on him before winning it through dubious means.

Contrary to those on FR who continually repeat that the United States is a republic and not a democracy, it's in point of fact both and always has been (as most of them actually know), and with the expansion of the franchise to men regardless of the status of their holdings, blacks, women, has only become more democratic--- which is a good thing, considering the harm the expansion of the power of our least democratic branch, the United States Supreme Court, has done in the last one hundred years alone.

What Chavez is doing is FAR from "true democracy".

[Our man in washington]

So how much longer until Venezuela's agriculture gets ruined by bad weather? From what I read in the papers, bad weather only affects socialist countries.

[untrained skeptic]

Liberals are divorced from reality. It won't matter what happens. They will still support socialism and any problems will be blamed on attempts by capitalists to prevent Venezuela from becoming a true socialist paradise.

If they weren't divorced from reality, they wouldn't be liberals. That is other than those who simply see liberalism as a facade used to gain power.