Chavez wins Venezuela referendum

[financeguy]

Al Jazeera English - Americas - Chavez wins Venezuela referendum

[A_Wanderer]

It's not like he is going to be president for life, yet.

[BrownEyedBoy]

This worries me but it doesn't surprise me. I guess I kind of expected him to one way or another get his way.

[purpleoscar]

Booooooooooooooo!

[JCOSTER]

Originally Posted by A_Wanderer

It's not like he is going to be president for life, yet.

Any longer he is in office, could be a problem for alot people.

[Galeongirl]

This is starting to look like the situation in Zimbabwe a couple of years back.

[BorderGirl]

How terrible for the people of Venezuela. We only need to look at his mentor Fidel Castro to know they are following the Cuba doctrine of a downward spiral of repression and misery initially disguised as justice.

[pgv]

Love Chavez, don't love what he's doing right now.

[purpleoscar]

Originally Posted by partygirlvox

Love Chavez, don't love what he's doing right now.

If you take a look at this PBS documentary you will see that what he always wanted to do is what he is doing:

FRONTLINE: the hugo chavez show: watch the full program | PBS

After looking at his "talk show/government" you can see the egomania.

[pgv]

Originally Posted by purpleoscar

If you take a look at this PBS documentary you will see that what he always wanted to do is what he is doing:

FRONTLINE: the hugo chavez show: watch the full program | PBS

After looking at his "talk show/government" you can see the egomania.

Of course he's an egomaniac, and of course he's bordering awfully close to the title of 'dictator.' I share his socialist beliefs and admire what he's done; not in terms of democracy, though.

[purpleoscar]

Originally Posted by partygirlvox

Of course he's an egomaniac, and of course he's bordering awfully close to the title of 'dictator.' I share his socialist beliefs and admire what he's done; not in terms of democracy, though.

I see where you're coming from but I would also add you should look up wage/price controls and what they do to the economy. Nixon did it in the U.S. and Trudeau in Canada. Heck the Soviet Union did it.

Incomes policy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some economists agree that a credible incomes policy would help prevent inflation. However, this would have other effects. By arbitrarily interfering with price signals, they provide an additional bar to achieving economic efficiency, potentially leading to shortages and declines in the quality of goods on the market, while requiring large government bureaucracies for their enforcement. This is what happened in the United States during the early 1970s. When the price of a good is lowered artificially, it creates less supply and more demand for the product, thereby creating shortages.

I'm not trying to be too critical of you but his economic policies are repeating past mistakes.

[A_Wanderer]

Originally Posted by partygirlvox

Love Chavez, don't love what he's doing right now.

Don't worry, I'm sure it's somehow Americas fault.

[BorderGirl]

Originally Posted by A_Wanderer

Don't worry, I'm sure it's somehow Americas fault.

That is the line used by both these guys (and their world comrades) for the purpose of rallying ignorant masses against a perceived common enemy. They are promised things in exchange, but as the shit hits the fan the people finally tire of lack of political freedom, food, and the realization that they were used.

[purpleoscar]

Originally Posted by BorderGirl

That is the line used by both these guys (and their world comrades) for the purpose of rallying ignorant masses against a perceived common enemy. They are promised things in exchange, but as the shit hits the fan the people finally tire of lack of political freedom, food, and the realization that they were used.

George Orwell is still applicable in this day and age.

[BorderGirl]

Originally Posted by purpleoscar

George Orwell is still applicable in this day and age.

Sadly so, and unlike oil, the fuel of ignorance is not in short supply.

[Earl-Of-IMDb]

man, this guy is nuts..

[Tiger Edge]

As a Venezuelan once aptly told me, "Chavez is a circus."

I'm ready for the additional influx of Venezuelan refugees coming to Miami now. It's now official that soccer is "Miami's sport" instead of baseball, or beisbol, as we Cubans know it.

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by BorderGirl

That is the line used by both these guys (and their world comrades) for the purpose of rallying ignorant masses against a perceived common enemy. They are promised things in exchange, but as the shit hits the fan the people finally tire of lack of political freedom, food, and the realization that they were used.

Ah, the Bush years.

[purpleoscar]

FOXNews.com - Chavez Orders Expropriation of American-Owned Rice Plant - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez ordered the expropriation of a rice-processing plant in Venezuela owned by American food giant Cargill Inc. on Wednesday because the company allegedly was not distributing rice at prices imposed by the government.

The socialist leader also threatened to nationalize Venezuela's largest food producer, Empresas Polar, amid rising tension between his government and privately owned food producers that authorities accuse of sidestepping price controls aimed at stemming high inflation.

Chavez said Cargill's plant in Portuguesa state violated local laws by distributing rice without printing the regulated price on its packages. He instructed Agriculture Minister Elias Jaua to "begin the expropriation process."

"Prepare the decree and we'll expropriate Cargill," he said.

Cargill's rice-processing plant in Portuguesa is one of 13 food-processing plants the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company operates in Venezuela.

Mark Klein, a Cargill spokesman in Minneapolis, said the company is respectful of the Venezuelan government's decision and expects an opportunity to clarify the situation.

"Cargill is committed to the production of food in Venezuela that complies with all laws and regulations. The rice mill was designed exclusively to manufacture Parboiled rice, which the company has done at this site for the last 7 years and elsewhere in the country for 13 years," he wrote in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.

Earlier in the day, Empresas Polar said it had asked Venezuela's Supreme Court to block the government from occupying one of its rice-processing plants for a lengthy inspection. The company's Alimentos Polar subsidiary argued it was "unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary" for authorities to occupy the rice plant for a 90-day inspection.

The government says the price controls need to be respected to control inflation and keep the prices of basic foods affordable, while businesses say the controls could drive them into bankruptcy.

"These private companies can continue functioning as long as they remain within the scope of the law and the constitution," Chavez said Wednesday.

Venezuela's inflation is running at 31 percent, Latin America's highest, despite price controls imposed in 2003 on items such as rice, chicken, sugar and other products.

The government imposed new rules this week to try to prevent producers from cutting output of price-regulated products or from modifying products to circumvent price controls, such as selling paella-flavored rice that does not fall under the controls.

Companies must ensure that 70 percent to 95 percent of their products are the types that fall under the price controls.

Over the past year, Chavez has nationalized Venezuela's largest telephone, electricity and cement companies. His government also is negotiating compensation for the takeover of the country's biggest steel maker, Sidor.

Critics of the measures argue the government is sidelining private enterprise by significantly expanding the state's role in the economy. The nationalizations, they warn, are dangerous because the government could be forced to lay off workers if the price of oil continues its downward spiral.

Venezuela, which relies on oil for 94 percent of exports and nearly half the government's budget, has seen prices plunge from last year's record high of more than $147 a barrel. Benchmark crude for April delivery traded Wednesday at $45.38 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Critique on price controls:

http://www.mises.org/story/3346