Jan 2013: CARACAS, Venezuela — As perishable foodstuffs rotted on cargo ships that had waited three weeks to unload at Venezuela’s largest port, unsettled consumers this week found shelves at Caracas’ main downtown market devoid of rice, cooking oil, sugar and other items.
Widespread scarcities and chaos at the nation’s main ports, including Puerto Cabello, are just some of the problems Vice President Nicolas Maduro will face as he takes the reins of power in the absence of President Hugo Chavez..........
....Alejandro Grisanti, head of Latin America research at Barclays in New York, said sharp spending cuts were necessary after an “unsustainable” 2012 budget deficit inflated by Chavez’s election year giveaways, including apartments and appliances, that helped him to a resounding reelection victory in October......
Maduro may also have to reconsider Chavez’s imposition of price controls, which won the socialist regime the support of poor voters by artificially depressing the prices of basic food items — if consumers can find them.
Price controls have also caused the shriveling of Venezuela’s domestic industries because local producers can’t afford to sell goods at the mandated low prices, according to Ismael Perez, director of the Conindustria, the nation’s leading business association of manufacturers.
Venezuela’s manufacturing sector has lost 150,000 jobs over the last decade, and the country must now import products such as sugar, rice, coffee, milk and beef, all of which Venezuela was self-sufficient in before Chavez took power.
With domestic production shrinking, the country has had to step up imports just to feed its population. ......
......In Chavez’s absence, the government continues to blame manufacturers for the shortages. Just this week, it seized products and facilities owned by PepsiCo Inc. and food conglomerate Polar, accusing the latter of hoarding........
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2977345/posts
Coming to 57 states near you
Venezuela is President Obama’s favorite country in the Western Hemisphere. It think that it rates second in his book worldwide, after his all time favorite, Iran.
This observation is not superficial. He likes the way that these two countries are run and aspires to run this country in the same way. If only he can get rid of those pesky Republicans. But, he probably won’t have to do that, it looks like the Republicans will handle that chore for him, all by themselves.