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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 12:33 PM        NOW do you see why I hate Chavez so much?
October 1, 2003 | Print this page

The Chavez Road to Serfdom

by Anthony B. Bradley

Liberty and democracy in Venezuela are crumbling under the dictatorial leadership of Hugo Chavez. Venezuela, the world’s fifth largest oil exporter, has an unemployment rate nearing 21 percent. The government monopolizes and mismanages the country’s most valuable natural resource, with its potential yearly earnings of $130 billion dollars. Under the Castro-style leadership of Hugo Chavez, the rule of law and promotion of property rights is nothing more than a fairy tale. To date, more than 3 million citizens, aware of these facts, have formally demonstrated their desire to have Chavez removed immediately, before the nation collapses.

These 3 million people signed a petition calling for a recall referendum on the despotic rule of Chavez. The five-member National Electoral Council, unfortunately, recently rejected this petition. Venezuela’s Constitution allows a petition for a recall halfway through a president’s term of six years. The council voted 3-0, with two abstentions, to reject the petition because the signatures were collected too many months before the August 19 halfway point of Chavez’s current six-year reign, which began in 2000. The petition effort to recall Chavez, as a result, will resume in October.

The recall effort has won the full support of the Catholic bishops conference of Venezuela. Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Merida, citing the “great insults committed by the president of the nation, Hugo Chavez,” called for the urgent holding of the recall referendum, as provided in the nation’s Constitution.

Chavez, a former military officer, was involved in a failed 1992 coup to overthrow the government of President Carlos Andres Perez. Chavez spent two years in prison before bursting onto the political scene a few years later in 1998, declaring Marxist class warfare in Venezuela and winning the presidency. He promised to use the coercive power of the state to bridge the gap between the wealthy and the poor. But under his reign, poverty has actually increased. In addition, corruption and violence are now the norm. There have been several national strikes crippling the oil industry, the economy is in decline, and the national currency, the Bolivar, plummeted 25 percent against the dollar last year as the government instituted exchange rate controls. This explains why his approval rating hovers at 35 percent.

The President, who has expressed admiration for Fidel Castro, recently instituted new policies and programs in the wake of the recall petition. The L.A. Times reports that Chavez is now providing basic reading and writing instruction for the poor. Hundreds of thousands of children are in school for the first time. Government credits are being issued giving poor families the ability to plant crops, organize businesses, repair homes, and so on. Last week, Chavez’s personal attempt to teach literacy classes to poor children via a live, two-hour broadcast from his palace was marred by his misspelling a simple verb. The government interrupted all other programming on television to broadcast the event. (Venezuelan telecommunication laws grant the president the power to break into television broadcasts at his whim.)

But an astute observer of these antics is fully aware that this president’s recent post-petition reforms are merely designed to prolong his political control. As a champion of Cuba-style communism and a friend of the deposed Saddam Hussein and his regime, Chavez is merely dangling a carrot in front of the poor promising to use force to bring down those who produce the nation’s wealth. He refers to business owners as “fascists.” While it is true that many in the Venezuelan business community have not been concerned about producing quality products and providing a dignified work environment, turning free enterprise into the enemy has led to economic disaster.

Government credits, furthermore, have been issued to the poor for the purchase of homes, but those who participate can only sell their homes in the case of an emergency and with permission from the government. The poor are being tricked into believing that they have property rights when, in the end, the government has final authority on how the land is used. The poor still have no economic liberty even though they are led to believe so.

A new state television network will soon begin operation because Chavez believes that private stations air programs and commercials directed against his government. In other words, the private stations promote free speech and air the opinions of the citizens. The government’s interests, then, are best supported on state television. In some countries, like Castro’s Cuba or the Iraq of Sadam Hussein, people might call this new station a propaganda machine and a tool to distract the masses from the real issues that plague the nation: namely, the political and economic enslavement of Venezuelans.

What remains absent from much analysis on Venezuela is specification of which political and economic structures promote human dignity and freedom. Chavez is correct to promote home ownership, but poor Venezuelans should have plenary ownership that gives them freedom to use the land in a way that best meets the needs of individual families and communities. Moreover, there is no effective check on the power of Chavez and his government. The political apathy of the business sector is now crippling the economic prosperity of the entire nation. The Venezuelan Constitution ratified by its citizen—not the opinions of the Chavez inner circle—must be the basis of law. Poverty fosters illiteracy, increasing the dependency of the poor on surrogates for sustenance and knowledge. As a result, the citizenry are not in control of their own political and economic future.

If Chavez were a real champion of the people, he would provide a context for Venezuelans to lead lives of independence rather than subjugation. Complete privatization of the oil industry would be a great first step, leading to the development of ancillary markets, increasing employment opportunities, and thereby bolstering the wealth of the poor. Without free enterprise and a decentralizing of power, Venezuela will never actualize its $130 billion potential. In the final analysis, the primary obstacle to economic and political liberty in Venezuela is the government of Hugo Chavez—an opinion shared by more than 3 million Venezuelans.

Anthony B. Bradley is a research associate at the Acton Institute.

21 PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT!!! MORE PEOPLE IN POVERTY THAN BEFORE!!! INVOLVED IN MILITARY COUP!!!
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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 12:41 PM       
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Anthony B. Bradley is a research associate at the Acton Institute.
Well, at least it's not Cato again.
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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 01:03 PM       
Your avatar makes him look like the pedophile doctor from Lost in Space.
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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 03:24 PM       
"Now do you see whyI hate Chavez?"

No. Not really.

Keep in mind, I'm not defending him. I have no problem admitting I'm not highly educated on the subject of politics in Venezuela. However, your statement in bold, "21 PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT!!! MORE PEOPLE IN POVERTY THAN BEFORE!!! INVOLVED IN MILITARY COUP!!!" doesn't really impress me as being the reasons behind your hatred.

I haven't looked up the 'Acton institute' yet, but when I do I think I can make some near psychic predictions about what I'll find. It will be a fringe think Tank with strong lobbying concerns. If I were going to acquire the expertise I'd want on Venezuela if I were going to do anything as strong a hate their president and call for his 'elimination' by the US, I'd want to read history and indigenous sources long before I started drinking from as toxic a fountain as this guy.

Here's my tip off. An essay that begins "Liberty and democracy in (country) are crumbling under the dictatorial leadership of (countries leader)." has a very strong point of view. I have nothing against POV. I just want to be pretty firmly grounded before I sample it. I'm not from Venezuela, and post the mid eighties haven't followed the politcial scene down there. I'm pretty far left myself, and I wouldn't take an article that started off like that about W. as a great source of information. I might enjoy it, but I'd be skeptikal about everything it presented. I deffinitely want to know something about the author and who he was writting for.

3 million citizens signed a petition. How many people voted in the last election? What does their constitution as far as formal impeachment proceedings? In our own country a HUGE number of people signed a petition asking W. not to go to war without the full backing of the U.N. is his refusal signs our democracy is crumbling? No. we don't have system in place for state decisions being made on the basis of petition, and I'm geussing neither does Venezuala. I'm not familliar with Venezuellas political process and the author makes no effort to educate. That's his right, but it's also part o0f his intention. When swallowing an authrs efforts whole, it's good to look at how he's trying to manipulate his audience. All authors do it and you should always take it into account.

His involvement in a military coup bothers me, but I don't believe it bothers you. Are you equally full of hatred for other state leaders who came to power in military coups (let alone participating in failed ones) or just those who's economies don't float your boat? What was the nature of the government he was in an attemtpted coup against? How did he end up coming to power? I'd thought he was democratically elected.

"declaring Marxist class warfare in Venezuela and winning the presidency."

That's not analysis, it's a declaration. Do you question it at all.? Have your read anyone who disagrees? Was it on his bumper stickers "I declare Marxist class warfare?" What was unemployment before he was elected? What are the factors contributting to unemployment now?

"Last week, Chavez’s personal attempt to teach literacy classes to poor children via a live, two-hour broadcast from his palace was marred by his misspelling a simple verb."

Gol, OAO, maybe he's doing it deliberatley to create a more folksy image. You know, the way W. uses plurals and singulars incorrectly almost every time he pushes 'no child left behind'?

"The L.A. Times reports that Chavez is now providing basic reading and writing instruction for the poor. Hundreds of thousands of children are in school for the first time. Government credits are being issued giving poor families the ability to plant crops, organize businesses, repair homes, and so on."

Stinkin' dictator.

"A new state television network will soon begin operation because Chavez believes that private stations air programs and commercials directed against his government. "

If he ends up closing down other stations, that's bad. State television can certainly be used badly and I think the airwaves belong to the public. On the other hand, our President proudly states he doesn't read the papers or listen to the news. I'm glad we wouldn't do something like that in the USA, but do you think if it were allowed W. wouldn't be foursquare behind it?

I won't pretend to analyze the real reasons behind your hatred. Frankly I think you like red meat writting like this and get swept up by it, but don't know that for a fact. Similarly, I think the neo con angle in Venezuela has to do with this. We can't rely on them doing with their oil what we want. Every charge levelled in thsi piece can be levelled against scores of other countries. The shock and horro about what's happening to the people their doesn't ring true at all, and only when he speaks of 'property rights' do you begin to feel any true passion in his writting.

I'm not sure what it is about screed you find so captivating. I don't care what the slant is, be it pap like this or limp psuedo euro commi clpatrap. Screed is screed.

Shouldn't you be all up in arms over the fact Egypt has been under Marshall law for most of the last forty years? Isn't Pakistan a Military coup themepark? What's unemployment like in the Congo right now? I here the TV is Uzbekistan is not only state run, it really sucks.

My guess is you don't know much more about Venzuella than I do. My guess is that %100 of your info on Venezuella comes from essays like this.

Here's what I'll freely give you. You do know some more about Venezualla than I do. All my problems are with that essay. That essay ets off all sorts of warnings bells for me. I can feel the author trying to manipulate me, it's not even subtle, it's purpose is rabble rousing. As a reader, I immediately want to know why? And For a guy who nthinks he's such a smartypants Iconoclast. I want to know why you don't want to know why.
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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 03:27 PM       
"Our [the Acton Institute's] mission is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles."

Eek.
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Old Feb 8th, 2004, 05:53 PM       
no holds barred captitalism.. yer either for capitalism or yer against it! Chaves leans toward socialism(nationalize it baby!) so is attacked in as many forms as possible.. the US already tried a coup and luckily failed. we don't want leaders who actually care for thier people in these backward nations.. we just want sweatshops and cheap oil.. i heard the last oil deal they(big oil cartels) wanted 60 percent profits. colombia granted around 70% profit for big american oil co's and that with the mass majority rejecting it.. so much for democracy in central/south america we've militarized it.

it will be hard to find a centrist news coming out of there for the elites are the only ones with a stable podium to broadcast from.
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Old Feb 11th, 2004, 01:04 PM       
Well I see why OAOA hates Chavez, it is because he only reads the lies.

Quote:
3 million citizens signed a petition.
You have to remember that the opposition was required to collect 24 million for the referendum to take place, and that the whole 'referendum law' was put in place by Chavez.

One anti-Chavez group in Veneuela, 'Sumate', claimed to have "collected 27 mllion signatres in one day", but it was later found out that most of them were were gathered through fraudulent means, including photocopied from bank records and credit card receipts. Sumate, BTW, received US$53400 for "Electoral Education", the funds were to "train citizens throughout Venezuela in the electoral process and to promote participation in a recall referendum." Also, the opposition was handing out US$100 bills to get people to sign, which is the norm. If the author openly admits that "many in the Venezuelan business community have not been concerned about producing quality products and providing a dignified work environment", how can anyone expect them to be any fairer than the US ruling class for elections?

Quote:
we don't have system in place for state decisions being made on the basis of petition, and I'm geussing neither does Venezuala.
Like I just said, Chavez put forward the "referendum after half time" idea (Which still isn't enough - govt workers should have to face imediate recall). I suppose that isn't really an example of state decision making, but Venezuela is still growing. I suppose.

The article conviently does not mention the Bolivarian Circles, in which workers, peasants, students and soldiers get together to administrate their communities. This can be called real democracy, and the Bolivarian circles are Venezuelan version of Soviets.

Quote:
"A new state television network will soon begin operation because Chavez believes that private stations air programs and commercials directed against his government. "
The author i trying to trick people into thinking that Chavev is blocking TV stations or destroying peoples radios. If you read the "interview with Chavez" thread, OAO, (which is gone, I have noticed - ?) then you would realize that while Chave does believe that the corporate TV stations are counter-revolutionary, he is not closing them down. Except for one.

The new state television network will have more input from the people (through th Bolivarian Circles) than the BBC, CBC and ABC combined. What is the staion for the people in the US? Not being nasty - genuine question.

While there were millions of Venezulans taking to the streets to put Chavez back in power after the coup (a real one in April 2002 ) the big private stations were showing cartoons instead of News.

Quote:
State television can certainly be used badly and I think the airwaves belong to the public
This wont be state televison like USSR, USA, whatever propoganda - this is publicy owned TV in which everyone will be able to participate and be able to ue to discuss issues. I hope.

Quote:
What was unemployment before he was elected? What are the factors contributting to unemployment now?
I'll find out for you. What pops out of my head when I see 'MORE PEOPLE IN POVERTY THAN BEFORE!!!' is '80% of people were in poverty before Chavez was elected'. Im in the process of finding where I got it from :/

Quote:
Venezuela’s Constitution allows a petition for a recall halfway through a president’s term of six years
Here the author is making it sound like the Constitution is somethig like the US constitution, and that previous Venezuelan presidents all managed to abide by this constittion. By popular vote, the old constitution as scraped and a new one was written up while Chavez was in office. Every citizen has a copy and every citizen was encouraged to partcipate in its conception.

Quote:
The recall effort has won the full support of the Catholic bishops conference of Venezuela.
This is really pathetic. BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE.

Quote:
But under his reign, poverty has actually increased. In addition, corruption and violence are now the norm.
lies. Notice how corruption and violence is linked to...

Quote:
There have been several national strikes crippling the oil industry,
The oil industry was indeed crippled, during Dec 2002 - Feb 2003 Venezuela was economicaly devestated. The strife caused 10 billion dollars
in losses to the country and lasted 64 days. However, it wasn't a strike! Th bosses had organised a workers lock-out. They shut the doors and prevented workers from working! Unfortunatley for them, the workers took control of the oil factorys (are they called factorys?) and managed to produce a reasonable amount of... oil... before the bosses decided to stop their lockot. The private owners obviously got scared that the workers would think that they could do work witout their bosses.

Quote:
As a champion of Cuba-style communism and a friend of the deposed Saddam Hussein and his regime,
He also has links to al qaeda and is planing to use WMDs. Good luck to anyone wishing to find a Chavez/Saddam alliance. Cuba is also not Communism

Quote:
Chavez is merely dangling a carrot in front of the poor promising to use force to bring down those who produce the nation’s wealth
Workers prodce wealth. The poor are the workers.

Quote:
Moreover, there is no effective check on the power of Chavez and his government.
Except for the big fucking recall hanging over his head.

Quote:
The Venezuelan Constitution ratified by its citizen—not the opinions of the Chavez inner circle—must be the basis of law.
Yeah well it is.

Quote:
His involvement in a military coup bothers me
I'll provide some backgroun on the coup soon, I have to sleep.
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Old Feb 11th, 2004, 04:34 PM       
Closing down ANY station is worthy of punishment. It's obvious what he is trying to do.

And I'm betting that your source about 80% IN POVERTY was either a lie, or even more people are in poverty now that he is in control. You need to read up on what defines poverty, particularly in the 80% statistic.
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Old Feb 11th, 2004, 05:38 PM       
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