Posted on 05/17/2007 5:35:08 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
SAN FELIPE, Venezuela -- Vicente Lecuna jabs a wall map of his Santa Isabel ranch so angrily that the map crashes to the floor. "I used to produce 10,000 tons of sugar cane a year," says the 67-year-old Venezuelan cattleman. "Now it's zero! Zero!" he shouts.
Two years ago, squatters seized about half of Mr. Lecuna's 3,000-acre ranch, setting up a cooperative named "Re-Founding the Fatherland." Far from being evicted, the squatters got loans and tractors from the government of President Hugo Chávez. They then uprooted the sugar cane and decided to try their hand at growing plantains.
"We are building socialism and fighting capitalism!" says co-op leader Juan Nava, standing amid wooden shacks on what used to be Mr. Lecuna's land. The rancher's efforts to fight the takeover in court have gone nowhere.
If the rhetoric smacks of the 1960s, it's because Mr. Chávez dreams of transforming Venezuela just as Fidel Castro did Cuba. Mr. Chávez has already sharply cut private companies' role in Venezuela's lucrative oil industry, and uses the state oil company to funnel billions of dollars to his social projects. He has nationalized the leading telephone company and the main electric utility. He speaks of wanting to drive a stake through the heart of capitalism, limiting the role of money and installing a barter system.
Now Mr. Chávez is taking his revolution to the Venezuelan countryside. "We must end latifundios," he said in a televised speech in March, referring to large agrarian estates. "The people order it, and we will do it, whatever the cost." Then he announced the seizure of a land area larger than the state of Rhode Island.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Let’s play
“Guess the Leftist Excuse for Why Chavez’ Collectivism is FAILING”.
1) Haven’t given it enough time.
2) American Imperialism.
3) It’s not “real” Socialism.
...
Go ahead, Freepers.
A cost often, tragically, paid in blood.
Thay all do, eventually. It's the poverty, misery and mass murder that they leave in their wake.
Yes you are 100% correct -
It worked in Zimbabwe.
Let’s play
“Guess the Leftist Excuse for Why Chavez’ Collectivism is FAILING”.
4) Because of the Jews.
5) Bush’s fault.
6) Not enough money given to public schools.
Bingo. They’ll be looking for food handouts inside of a decade.
Way to go, Hugo! It worked so well for Zimbawe (sp?)!
A cost often, tragically, paid in blood.
And fertile farm fields turned to salt...
Yeah, those land grabs worked so well for Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) and Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua).
Let's not forget - and announce at the Republican Convention in '08 - that Jimmy Carter went down there and offically sanctioned Chavez' victory. If it wasn't so tragic, you could almost call it comical.
One last thought - the menace is headed north to the U.S. Stay safe - stay armed.
Did you notice this part? “Cuban fertilizer-making techniques” - now what would that be. lol
What is the Spanish word for “Kulak”?
Gathering the human feces from the floors of Cuban hospitals. (But hey, at least healthcare there is free.)
And in the end that cost will be measured in blood and corpses.
L
Until the aristo landed gentry is removed from control there can be no democracy. The redistribution can only occur after resources are seized.
The problem for a politician is to assure the process remains under control. The process in Russia has been ongoing of nearly a hundred years and is still not resolved into a stable political condition.
The process in Venezuela has just begun.
7) Sabotage by running dogs of capitalism.
I heard some first hand accounts of how well Fidel managed Cuba’s agriculture:
A party loyalist was sent to seize control from evil capitalists and manage a large rice plantation. He thought it would be a fine idea to plant potatoes in the rice paddies. When the paddies flooded (as was natural), all the potatoes rotted.
Another bright, energetic Communist was sent to manage a large cattle ranch. He had to feed his workers so he slaughtered the largest animal he could find. It happened to be the ranch’s prize stud bull.
It certainly looks like Comrade Hugo is well on his way to turning Venezuela into another workers’ paradise.
Oh, you’re gonna get flamed. But I sort of agree with you. I think these policies will probably result in even more poverty in Venezuela. Fortunately (for Chavez), many of the poor in Venezuela will probably notice little difference. Their lives might even get a little better. If Venezuela had been a land of opportunity for the poor a Communist like Chavez would have had much less appeal to them.
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