Posted on 03/05/2009 9:43:17 AM PST by MindBender26
CARACAS, March 4 (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez seized a unit of American food giant Cargill on Wednesday and threatened to take over Venezuela's largest private company, renewing a nationalization drive as the OPEC nation's oil income plunges.
Chavez's clash with the food companies, demanding they produce cheaper rice, came less than three weeks after he won a referendum on allowing him to run for reelection and marked his first nationalization in seven months.
"I warn you this revolution means business," said Chavez, whose government has struggled with lower oil income and minor food shortages this year.
The anti-U.S. president, who has nationalized swaths of the economy, is popular among the poor for pressuring companies to produce cheap goods and for government programs that provide subsidized food in city slums. Chavez, an ally of communist Cuba, recently seized some rice mills belonging to Polar, Venezuela's largest private business, after accusing the food industry of skirting his price controls and failing to produce enough cheap rice.
"Prepare the decree, we are going to expropriate Cargill. We are not going to tolerate this," Chavez said. It was not clear if Cargill's other Venezuelan food units would be affected. Cargill has approximately 2,000 employees at 22 locations across Venezuela and operates 13 manufacturing plants including oilseed and animal feed processing.
On Wednesday, Chavez also ordered his ministers to inspect companies producing goods ranging from toilet paper to cars, which have been hard to buy at times in Venezuela.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
China will also do this with US companies over there.
D’Anaconia Copper comes to mind....
Ears is too busy seizing banks and other US entities to notice.
No daughter.
Panetta married Sylvia Marie Varni, who administered his home district offices during his terms in Congress.
Currently, he lives on his family’s twelve acre (49,000 m²) walnut farm in Carmel Valley, California with his wife. They have three grown sons: Christopher, Carmelo, and James, and five grandchildren.
Of course, any refinery in the world could handle it eventually, but it would take at least 60 days to change over to this unique Venezuelan feedstock. Why buy his crap, when the world is awash in much higher grades of crude?
Maybe the Chinese would take it off hi hands and build him a refinery. I hope they like Chinese food.
“...CIA Director Leon Panetta’s daughter is one of Chavez’ “girlfriends....”
Leon Panetta has 3 sons, but no daughter.
Cargill?? Molon labe, Hugo!
LOL That outta help.
Obama might of protested, but he is too busy protesting the “free speech rights” of Rush Limbaugh.
I certainly hope we’re not on THAT path. When I read this headline earlier, I had no idea that it was an American company. I need to go to American archives to get some historical perspective.
We had business interests in Bolivia, where Chavez's Mini-Me Morales has been making similar noises for a while.
Instead of waiting for the other shoe to fall, we've moved all our operations to Brazil.
In fact, after a few more years of Chavez, the whole country of Venezuela will be able to be bought for pennies on the dollar.
That’s the thing about Socialists, they eventually turn their nations’ children into beggers and their women into whores.
lol...good one!
LOL!!! And TRUE!!!
Just wait til China starts seizing American-owned production facilities over there.
“China will also do this with US companies over there.”
0bama will do this to companies over here.
There was a time not all that long ago when the Marines would be sent in on a violation of this nature. Apparently Hussein Øbama The Magnificent is not protesting this but instead probably taking notes.
As for Ol’ Slow Joe, here is the first “test.” Let’s see something.
Anything. Anything at all, Joe.
Real American Citizens are watching, Joe. It's time for you to kick the little Soros sock puppet in the azz, Joe.
I have a friend who immigrated from there. His family still lives there. He said the “rural” people have no idea what’s going on and all voted for Chavez. Unfortunately, they probably know exactly what is going on.
And, unfortunately, I don’t think the majority of the people in the U.S. know what’s going on. And when they shut down the internet and talk radio we’ll be unaware.
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