[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!!

[Covenantor]

The throne of the King of Caracas

[mumblypeg]

“Network of subsidized state-run grocery stores”
There’s the problem of socialism right there. In socialism, the receivers get “lower” prices thru “subsidies” which actually pay higher prices to the producers than the producers would be able to get in a competitive free market economy. Then on top of these already too-high prices, multiple layers of bureaucrats, bean counters, and flunkies are drawing salaries, further driving up the cost—to the taxpayer—of these “low cost” subsidized goods.