Chavez pushes Venezuela into food war

The Telegraph ^ | 6/23/2010 | Damien McElroy

[bruinbirdman]

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has pushed his country into a perilous food war that has seen prices rocket amid shortages and scandal over shipments left rotting at the docks.

Several thousands tons of rotting meat was among 80,000 tons left to go bad at the Puerto Cabello seaport.

Venezuelan bishops gave warning yesterday that the consequences of President Chavez's drive to control the distribution of food would be to jeopardise supplies to ordinary citizens.

Church leaders said the failure of the state-owned PDVAL, a subsidiary of the national oil company, to distribute food imports that rotted at the shores was "a sin that Heaven is crying over."

Several thousands tons of rotting meat was among 80,000 tons left to go bad at the Puerto Cabello seaport.

One local worker said that the stench at the docks indicated the meat had been festering for weeks. He said: "It stank like 100 dead dogs."

The scandal emerged just weeks after Mr Chavez launched an "economic war on the bourgeoisie owners" of supermarkets, mills, rice plants and food distribution companies.

The "battle for food" coincided with a botched devaluation in January that pushed up the cost of imports.

The result has been an economic catastrophe in the only Latin American economy in recession. Inflation leapt to 21 per cent in May as food prices rose 41 per cent over the level of a year ago. Soldiers have been deployed to raid private homes for food stores. Long lines regularly form on streets for basic commodities.

Mr Chavez is undeterred by failure. Last week he relaunched a chain of supermarkets his government had expropriated from a French-Colombian joint venture. He boasted that the 40-strong chain, Bicentennial Supplies, was already operating at a higher profit margin that under Western management

[ABQHispConservative]

Molding Venezuela into a new North Korea.

[dr_lew]

Is Venezuela sinking into famine?

[XenaLee]

Soldiers have been deployed to raid private homes for food stores.

And people wonder why some of us hate communists. This is probably what America has to look forward to now....this or maybe something even worse.

[Irenic]

I sure hope the people revolt, Chavez scares me.

[Selene]

“80,000 tons left to go bad...”It stank like 100 dead dogs.””

“Soldiers have been deployed to raid private homes for food stores.”

Chavez has made Venezuela a paradise!

[AwesomePossum]

Hugo is not much of a history buff........

:}

[echomike23]

quick to the seanpenn-mobile!

[dila813]

This is what you get Church with Social Justice that you think so much of.

[sheik yerbouty]

Hugo Mugabe..

[bruinbirdman]

"And people wonder why some of us hate communists. "

Chavez is doing it wrong. Hussein Obama and the Democrats will do it right.

yitbos

[rottndog]

Mr Chavez is undeterred by failure.

An adequate description of every socialist who has ever walked the Earth.

And as always...the only question is how many human beings have to suffer and die before this latest failed example of collectivism is cast onto the ash heap of history.

[Psalm 144]

This happens everytime in communist countries.

Russia was a major exporter of grain even under the Czars.

Under the communists, grain was imported and was still scant.

[ccmay]

I hope to see this worthless heap of filth given the Mussolini or Ceaucescu treatment. I hope they make it long, painful, and public.

[FreeDeerHawk]

Communism.

[mbennett203]

"And people wonder why some of us hate communists."

Cue Rush Limbaugh shouting, "Right on, right on, right on!"

I might just vomit if I have to hear one more ignorant person ask me, "Why are you still concerned about Communism, man? The Soviet Union fell..."

Yeah, that doesn't mean every communist stopped believing the lie. It only means their biggest gravy train stopped pulling up to the station. Ultimately, if you value human dignity, you come to realize destroying their movement is the only morally justified option. Turning it back or crippling it is a step in the right direction, but wholly insufficient. The poorest Venezuelans likely suffer from Chavez's insane actions far more than even the "bourgeoisie" he vilifies, but I see few left-leaners even acknowledge this. He's turning that nation into Zimbabwe. Of course, as are/were all the nomenklatura, he's well-fed and living like a king.

Thanks for "getting it", XenaLee. And /rant off

[VeniVidiVici]

Chubby Chavez has this Marxist thing down pat. I can see why he is such a hit with the DUmmies and the KOSmetologists.

[bruinbirdman]

""Why are you still concerned about Communism, man? The Soviet Union fell..." "

One of the problems is calling it the Soviet Union.

Remind your friends that it was called the Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics.

Put the stigma on SOCIALISM.

Health Reform is Socialized Medicine.

General Motors is industrial Socialism.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Communist banking.

Take back the language from the socialists/Democrat/progressive/liberal/moderates.

yitbos

[MonicaG]

El cochino Chavez doesn’t appear to have missed a meal or a snack lately. Commie thug, doin what the Commie does best (= f*ck everything & everyone UP).

[RJL]

He boasted that the 40-strong chain, Bicentennial Supplies, was already operating at a higher profit margin that under Western management

No doubt higher profits going into Chavez's pockets instead of the real owners.