Tigermike 3,055 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 GLOBE EDITORIALGrabbing power in Venezuela February 10, 2007 Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, insults George Bush and helps the poor. Some would call that a splendid combination, but behind those splashy actions lies a combination of economic policies and political stratagems that bode ill for his country and that need to be changed. The Bush administration, which winked at an attempted coup in 2002, is in no position to pressure Chávez. So people who have befriended Venezuela in the past, among them Representative William Delahunt of Quincy, need to convince him of the advantages of democracy and free markets. Venezuela's great asset, enormous oil reserves, is also its bane. Chávez was first elected in 1998 in reaction to a decade and a half of slumping oil prices (down to $12 a barrel) and draconian economic policies intended to open up the stagnant economy to private competition. The country's two main political parties at the time seemed more interested in alternating power than in helping the bulk of the population, which is poor. Chávez is no democrat. He was imprisoned for his own coup attempt in 1992, but he sensed the popular mood of disenchantment with the established order, survived massive upper- and middle-class protests and the 2002 coup attempt, and was the beneficiary of rising oil prices beginning that same year. They peaked at $78 a barrel in July. Much of the profits were funneled into immediate help for poor Venezuelans with health care, education, and housing. He controls every seat in the National Assembly, has packed the Supreme Court, dominates the army, and was overwhelmingly re elected last fall. The assembly gave him the power to rule by decree last week, and he talks of amending the constitution to run for a fourth term in 2012. The billions of dollars flowing to the immediate needs of the poor provide badly-needed services for them and political support for Chávez. At the same time, however, far too little investment is being put into long-term economic growth. It is hardly surprising that the bridge connecting Caracas, the capital, to its airport had to be closed last year, even though engineers had long warned of structural problems. Money that Chávez uses to spread his influence abroad -- by sending oil at cut-rate prices to Cuba, for example -- could have been invested instead in infrastructure improvements at home. Chávez's plan to take over, by decree, the telecommunications and power industries has thrown a fright into the Caracas stock exchange. Private investment is drying up, and many entrepreneurial Venezuelans are thinking of leaving the country. Unlike his mentor Fidel Castro, Chávez is not nationalizing all economic activity, but his policies are creating a government-dominated economy more dependent on oil revenues than it was in the early 1980s. When oil prices crashed then, so did the economy. If that happens again, social programs will wither. Unlike Castro, Chávez does not insist on controlling all news media. Newspapers are free to criticize, although reporters can be jailed for defaming the presidency. Television, the more powerful medium, is coming within the president's orbit. The government has refused to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television, a station he blames for helping foment the 2002 coup. Chávez is constricting the boundaries of speech he doesn't like. And Chávez enjoys baiting the United States. Responding to criticisms by Bush that he was undermining democracy, Chávez said the US president was "more dangerous than a monkey with a razor blade. . . . Who would be the greater fascist -- Hitler or Bush? They might end up in a draw." Intemperate words like these cost Venezuela any chance of gaining a seat on the UN Security Council last fall. The United States needs Venezuelan oil -- about 1.5 million barrels a day -- and Venezuela needs the money those exports earn. Civility ought to replace insults. Elements of the Bush administration equate Chávez with Castro, with his Cold War baggage. That explains the administration's backhanded endorsement of the coup in 2002. This history makes it counterproductive for Bush to criticize Chávez now, but other Americans should not keep quiet. As Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said last week, "Any leader who tries to tighten his grip on power by destroying the institutions of democracy, curtailing press freedom, and using his office to intimidate pro-democracy opponents is setting in motion a dangerous process with potentially ominous consequences." Representative Delahunt has been trying to promote dialogue with Chávez for the past few years and has secured supplies of low-cost oil for Massachusetts consumers. Reached by telephone this week, he said that Chávez's decision to rule by decree was not conducive to a healthy democracy, but added, "This method is popular all over Latin America . . . including those nations with whom we have a friendly, constructive relationship." Maybe so, but Chávez, with his oil wealth and desire for power, poses a long-term challenge to democracy in Venezuela. There need to be more statements like Leahy's from US and European political figures whom Chávez cannot dismiss as mouthpieces for Bush. Chávez needs to be pressured to limit his tenure in office and to allow space for private companies and political opposition. Venezuela's great challenge today is to use its revenues to make long-lasting improvements in the economy -- ones that transcend oil booms and busts. Chávez needs to preserve the democratic system that elected him and pass it on to his successor strengthened, not deformed by personal ambition. (Don't count on him doing that.) link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=31412011af Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterinbham 0 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Well, since BF is now all about bringing random links into a discussion, it's safe to say that he would love to see American naval vessels sink, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,055 Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 I titled this the way I did, because BF has in the past defended Hugo Chavez. And claimed that Hugo was good for the world. Somewhere along the line BF stated he was leaving the US and Venezuela could be a destination because of all the good Hugo was doing there. A very good friend and his wife were stationed there several years ago after five years in Africa. They threatened to quit the company and opted to go back to Africa because of the direction Hugo was taking the Venezuelans. I have good friends who were born and raised in Venezuela. Most of them have moved to the US because of the direction Hugo is taking the country. Venezuela is a beautiful country and the people deserve better than Hugo. There is a very large opposition to Hugo and he may turn out to be the next wannabe dictator to end up dead. I won't shed any tears for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I titled this the way I did, because BF has in the past defended Hugo Chavez. And claimed that Hugo was good for the world. Somewhere along the line BF stated he was leaving the US and Venezuela could be a destination because of all the good Hugo was doing there. A very good friend and his wife were stationed there several years ago after five years in Africa. They threatened to quit the company and opted to go back to Africa because of the direction Hugo was taking the Venezuelans. I have good friends who were born and raised in Venezuela. Most of them have moved to the US because of the direction Hugo is taking the country. Venezuela is a beautiful country and the people deserve better than Hugo. There is a very large opposition to Hugo and he may turn out to be the next wannabe dictator to end up dead. I won't shed any tears for him. LIAR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,055 Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 I titled this the way I did, because BF has in the past defended Hugo Chavez. And claimed that Hugo was good for the world. Somewhere along the line BF stated he was leaving the US and Venezuela could be a destination because of all the good Hugo was doing there. A very good friend and his wife were stationed there several years ago after five years in Africa. They threatened to quit the company and opted to go back to Africa because of the direction Hugo was taking the Venezuelans. I have good friends who were born and raised in Venezuela. Most of them have moved to the US because of the direction Hugo is taking the country. Venezuela is a beautiful country and the people deserve better than Hugo. There is a very large opposition to Hugo and he may turn out to be the next wannabe dictator to end up dead. I won't shed any tears for him. LIAR! There is no way in the world I would wade thru all the $hit you have posted in the past, so I can't prove what I said. But it's truth and you know it to be the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,055 Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 BF, I changed my mind and looked around a little, just for you. This is not complete and I don't plan to look further, but these post of yours do back up what I said. So if there is a liar present, it would be you. When you get around to moving to Venezuela we can set up a moving fund for you. Hugo will love you. Have a good day Do you still wonder why I fly a flag upside down? http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...c=34701&hl= Politicians kill people in wars, and the can o' worms they have opened up cannot be resealed. I hate Bush. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...c=32726&hl= Chavez gets standing ovation at New York college Kewl. I think I'll move there. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...;hl=Hugo+Chavez Atta-Boy Hugo, A real leader for the people Why are guys like BF and TexasTiger such big fans of dictators? I'm not in favor of dictators, I like him because he hates Bush and calls him on his lies. Our own government props up dictators all over the globe. Democratically elected officials brought down in CIA organized coups have occured throughout history. The reason for the coups is to install American-friendly dictators to quell the dissent of the people and retard real democracy. America has yet to establish democracy anywhere, they always install dictatorships. When was the last time you were able to add an addition to your own house without a city permit? When you must have government permission to do almost anything, that, to me, is the definition of a police-state. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...;hl=Hugo+Chavez Good for Citgo. Give 'em hell Chavez. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...;hl=Hugo+Chavez While America falls asleep in front of the TV Iran and Venezuela Plan Anti-U.S. Fund Wake Up America BF, it's customary for those who post on boards replying to a topic that they try to start their own, irrelevent thread. Either reply to what the lead post has to say, or don't reply at all. They're negotiating trade agreements that will undermine our global hegemony. Good for them. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...;hl=Hugo+Chavez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottomfeeder 244 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Hey, Mikey did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFTiger 282 Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 BF, who is your favorite dictator? PARADE’s 2007 List 1) Omar al-Bashir, Sudan 2) Kim Jong-il, North Korea 3) Sayyid Ali KhamEnei, Iran 4) Hu Jintao, China 5) King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia 6) Than Shwe, Burma (Myanmar) 7) Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe 8) Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan 9) Muammar al-Qaddafi, Libya 10) Bashar al-Assad, Syria 11) Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea 12) King Mswati III, Swaziland 13) Isayas Afewerki, Eritrea 14) Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus 15) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan 16) Choummaly Sayasone, Laos 17) Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia 18) Hosni Mubarak, Egypt 19) Paul Biya, Cameroon 20) Vladimir Putin, Russia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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