Venezuela falling apart

[Atomoa]

Those "newspapers" were completely controlled by Chavez.

The US newspapers aren't controlled by capitalists with vested interests?

That wasn't my point. Capitalists gambled the most powerful countries economy into the toilet, which in turn ruined the entire worlds economy. Millions of people lost their homes, pensions and retirement savings and the poor and middle class had to bail out the rich while cutting back their services.

You/they say Venezuela is in the gutter. The only reason we are not in the gutter is because we keep issuing free debt to anyone with a pulse and kicking the can down the road.

Venezuela can say the same thing about us, we just covered our gutter with creditcard astroturf and put a giant 70" LCD screen showing entertainment programs showcasing rich and famous people on full volume right beside the gutter to distract people.

[The Green Barbarian]

The US newspapers aren't controlled by capitalists with vested interests?

.

No, and trying to say that the scumbag Chavez taking over newspapers and media in Venezuela is in any way the same as the US media being controlled by "capitalists" just sounds so ridiculous that only the truly brain-washed, naïve, and plain stupid would even try to make a connection. So much of the US media is so left-wing that if it is being controlled by "capitalists", then they are really really stupid capitalists.

[occasional thoughts]

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[The Green Barbarian]

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[occasional thoughts]

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[ferri]

*what am i reading here? nothing on topic! so shall i lock this thread?

[The Green Barbarian]

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[The Green Barbarian]

*what am i reading here? nothing on topic! so shall i lock this thread?

Please don't lock it!! We're sorry! :)))) Back on topic...

On one side, under the burning midday sun of Maracay in north-central Venezuela, hundreds of angry people have been waiting in line since 4am to buy food. On the other side, a group of military men guard the gate of a supermarket. The high-noon showdown is tense.

“There is nothing left to sell. If you really wanted to buy food, you should have started queueing at two in the morning,” yells one of the military men. “That is the people’s food,” an angry mother of four retorts. “People are losing patience . . . we are all tired.”

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0c2b0db8 ... z49t0sikDl

[occasional thoughts]

On topic, Green Barbarian and Occasional Thoughts are in absolute agreement; Hugo Chavez was a vile president of Venezuela and his regime did damage to his country and people.

[Donald G]

Countries have formed and reformed across the world since the beginning of time. Venezuela is no different. Even Canada is moving further and further left as the years go by. At the moment quite sharply so under the second leftist Trudeau to hold office.

[averagejoe]

How about Brazil.....

Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro State Misses Debt Payment

http://www.wsj.com/articles/brazils-rio ... 1464191036

[The Green Barbarian]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/world ... .html?_r=0

A friend of mine who worked in Cuba for four years says that Cuba is going to go down next. Venezuela was propping them up with cheap oil, and now that's going to stop. My buddy says that Cuba is a total disaster from the top to the bottom. He's going to throw a big party the day the Castros are finally overthrown, given how much pain and suffering they have caused the Cuban people. And he would know, he got to see the Cuba that we don't get to see as tourists.

[occasional thoughts]

Ahem . . . GB, you are too funny . . . you can bring up Fidel but I can't mention that nice Mr. Pinochet? Anyway, remember, you promised Ferri that we would stay on topic, and I concurred, and we don't want to disappoint her.

On the other hand, if Cuba is fair game, and why not, let's face it, without Fidel and Raul all those lucky Cubans wouldn't have been escaping to Florida and running for U.S. president. Hell they're so prolific the odd one might run for the Conservative leadership. Too bad Ted Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship.

[The Green Barbarian]

Ahem . . . GB, you are too funny . . . you can bring up Fidel but I can't mention that nice Mr. Pinochet? Anyway, remember, you promised Ferri that we would stay on topic, and I concurred, and we don't want to disappoint her.

Of course Cuba is on topic, especially since I qualified it by saying that Venezuela's collapse is going to directly affect them. Chavez set up a program with Cuba to give them essentially free oil in exchange for medical doctors and technology. That is going to fall apart now, and Cuba is going to be screwed. In fact, we may see a domino effect throughout South America when Venezuela goes down.

[occasional thoughts]

C'mon, GB, ya gotta smile at yourself and everyone's foibles on here on the odd occasion.

BTW, who does Venezuela continue to support?