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Venezuela should be rich. Instead it’s becoming a failed state.
Washington Post ^ | May 4, 2016 | Matt O'Brien

Posted on 05/04/2016 8:07:17 AM PDT by detective

It's come to this: The country with the largest oil reserves in the world can't afford to brew its own beer, stay in its own time zone, or even have its own people show up to work more than two times a week.

Venezuela, in other words, is well past the point of worrying that its economy might collapse. It already has. That's the only way to describe an economy that the International Monetary Fund thinks is going to shrink 8 percent and have 720 percent inflation this year. And that's not even the worst of it. No, that's the fact that the state itself is near collapse. Venezuela already has the world's second-highest murder rate, and now the Chavista regime seems to be threatening violence of its own if the opposition succeeds in recalling President Nicolás Maduro. It's a grim race between anarchy and civil war.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Cuba; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: beer; cuba; empresaspolar; failedstate; hugochavez; hugochavezlegacy; nicaragua; nicolasmaduro; russia; socialism; venezuela
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To: detective

“This is what happens when governments impose socialism on their people.”

Venezuelans voted for socialism, beginning with Chavez and his Bolivarian bull crap. They get what they deserve. Interestingly, Chavez originally tried a military coup in 1992. Once released from prison, he got elected in 1998.


21 posted on 05/04/2016 8:58:16 AM PDT by ameribbean expat
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To: ameribbean expat
Venezuelans voted for socialism, beginning with Chavez and his Bolivarian bull crap. They get what they deserve. Interestingly, Chavez originally tried a military coup in 1992. Once released from prison, he got elected in 1998.

Americans voted for Marxism and the Republicans handed over our cash, and future treasury.

22 posted on 05/04/2016 8:59:54 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: detective
The country with the largest oil reserves in the world can't afford to brew its own beer, stay in its own time zone, or even have its own people show up to work more than two times a week.

Ahhhhh, the joys of Socialism... so 'good' on paper - such a horror in the real world...

23 posted on 05/04/2016 9:05:33 AM PDT by GOPJ (Imagine the shrieking MSM outrage if Trump supporters had tried to flip a car... David French)
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To: thulldud

Small countries like Venezuela don’t have the resources, so capitalism has created businesses to print currency (profitably and cost effective).

When the currency is so devalued that the printing business can’t simply withhold some of the product as payment, the currency is dead.


24 posted on 05/04/2016 9:47:26 AM PDT by ctdonath2 ("Get the he11 out of my way!" - John Galt)
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To: detective
Hey, Mexico should also be rich. Corruption, that is it in a nutshell. Mexico has two coasts with beautiful beaches. People should be flocking there for vacations, but, they aren't. My daughter went to a destination wedding at a resort in Mexico. She stayed within the compound, as she was instructed to. I worried all the while she was there.

Mexico also has archeological sites of interest from history. People should be flocking there to see them. They have oil.

Why is this country so poor and violent? As I said, corruption is a large part; but, I also think that rule of law, or lack thereof, is vitally important to a civil society.

25 posted on 05/04/2016 10:23:31 AM PDT by LibertarianLiz
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To: detective

Even non-socialist countries in South America are struggling due to crippling corruption in the whole system.

Without a Judeo-Christian world view in the hearts of the people, no economic model can succeed.

We’ll never figure that out.


26 posted on 05/04/2016 10:44:55 AM PDT by lurk
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To: detective
Broke? Venezuela? How could that possibly be? Why, Pete Ross of The Observer says socialism is just dandy, that increasing the size of the government creates clean, sustainable jobs.

Well, of course, it's all based on theft, and if you steal your mark's stuff all at once, the game ends sooner than if you steal it a little at a time. Chavez and Maduro were always stupid and got greedy as well. That's a fatal combination.

27 posted on 05/04/2016 10:46:28 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill

The word “socialism” doesn’t appear in the entire article.

You were so close, Washington (Com)post.


28 posted on 05/04/2016 10:59:23 AM PDT by captaincaveman
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To: detective

Bernie doesn’t believe a word of this propaganda. Venezuela is a socialist paradise.


29 posted on 05/04/2016 11:01:02 AM PDT by citizen (GOPe: The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything)
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To: Navy Patriot

China will come with overtures shortly.


30 posted on 05/04/2016 12:03:42 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: chuckee

Zimbabwe of South America.


31 posted on 05/04/2016 12:06:44 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: thulldud

Printing cost about $.06 per bill.


32 posted on 05/04/2016 12:08:40 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: Ozark Tom

The wages of socialism are always death.


33 posted on 05/04/2016 12:10:27 PM PDT by RedWulf
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To: Billthedrill

They couldn’t keep the fuel dependent electrical generation running, and ran the lake levels down with excessive draw on the hydroelectric generation. Any petroleum processing dependent on electricity from the well to outbound shipment, seems affected. How to kill the golden goose?


34 posted on 05/04/2016 12:16:30 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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