Venezuela January 2015
First, Happy New year Gulch.
Now, what has been of Venezuela... I could post videos of long lines (Very long lines). The beginning of the year was nothing short of utter chaos, the gov accuses everyone of th economic problems, shortage of... well almost everything and long lines... yes, USA is still its favorite target (Did you know that the fall in the price of oil is a plan of the USA to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution, crazy thing ain't -.-).
They cannot even put their speeches together... some ministers deny the existence of lines, others say that they are a product of mass media (that is basically all under state control or bought by proxies of it during the last years -.-). others that is product of the economic war (leaded by the USA) and companies that hoard products (all in and out of any companies, and to where to distribute a product is controlled by the gov by the SADA , Superintendence of Silos, Warehouse and Agricultural Storage). And finally the ones that say that there is no scarcity (and that people make line for hours, sometime days, and are marked in the arm for numbering), and that people make line because they want.
Meanwhile the highest bill in Venezuela (100BsF) is getting near to... 0.5 USD. (there are rumors of a new bill of 500 BsF, with the face of Chavez in it), but things are collapsing so fast at the moment, that who knows what is goanna happen. Military is the best paid, and have all kind of benefits so, they will defend the gov until it is unavoidable.
Thing are tense... really tense at the moment... last year big lines formed in some markets, mostly "Abastos Bicentenario" the name of a state driven (and expropriated mostly from two big chains CADA and EPA), that where the ones that tend to have most of the scarce (and regulated) goods (Remember SADA decides where goods go). But now... is everywhere, for almost anything. Soap, meat, chicken, cheese, flour, deodorant (only one brand remains called MUM and has never been good one).
Well, will put some links from this things, if you want to post them.
Also in regard of the Obama intent to lift the embargo and reestablish relations, I think that everything will depend of the results. And the cause is Cuba gov running short of free money... again... (Now from Venezuela).
My analysis of the move is: for Obama name is kind of a good move (for him, not saying for anyone else), whatever it happens will be in the future, he will not be president, and failure has no parents, it will end like "it wasn't carried the right way" in his memoirs and he will bear no responsibility because he wasn't there all the process. If it succeeds he will be taken as the great architect (another Nobel Prize coming). and if it isn't approved by the other powers, he still will be the face of one who tried and the system stopped. I have to accept it, as personal propaganda is a good move.
Now, there is one thing I see as the sad reality. For the Castros, being the embargo lifted or not, they will not pay for their crimes, they are already too old, and will not get to see a cell (unless Fidel is Mumm-ra the Ever Living), although probably would not enjoy much the money they could get if the embargo is lifted for the same reason.
What is left are the younger collaborators, and again it will all come to the results, if the tyranny goes down negotiated or not, they will sooner or later be held responsible (Kind of Pinochet, he went by negotiation, but held responsible for his crimes later). Unless they take refuge in a even more crazy place, like North Korea.
Will free market erode the dictatorship, or will the later be able to get the benefits of free market for itself and maintain with it the absolute control over the island, that is the question... and maybe whatever is going to happen in Venezuela could affect the result.
AsMargaret Thatcher said "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money."
Link (All are 2015 videos):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMzUSOR8...
This one is near my home 6 different lines in the same area all for food, or soap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGYk4OHg...
Car batteries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQSSe1AW...
Fight for laundry soap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9E6yugt...
There is much more, just search "Cola Venezuela" in youtube as wuala.
lastly this small documental about the Venezuelans that have run out from the country (i just like it). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_zSCHEj...
Now, what has been of Venezuela... I could post videos of long lines (Very long lines). The beginning of the year was nothing short of utter chaos, the gov accuses everyone of th economic problems, shortage of... well almost everything and long lines... yes, USA is still its favorite target (Did you know that the fall in the price of oil is a plan of the USA to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution, crazy thing ain't -.-).
They cannot even put their speeches together... some ministers deny the existence of lines, others say that they are a product of mass media (that is basically all under state control or bought by proxies of it during the last years -.-). others that is product of the economic war (leaded by the USA) and companies that hoard products (all in and out of any companies, and to where to distribute a product is controlled by the gov by the SADA , Superintendence of Silos, Warehouse and Agricultural Storage). And finally the ones that say that there is no scarcity (and that people make line for hours, sometime days, and are marked in the arm for numbering), and that people make line because they want.
Meanwhile the highest bill in Venezuela (100BsF) is getting near to... 0.5 USD. (there are rumors of a new bill of 500 BsF, with the face of Chavez in it), but things are collapsing so fast at the moment, that who knows what is goanna happen. Military is the best paid, and have all kind of benefits so, they will defend the gov until it is unavoidable.
Thing are tense... really tense at the moment... last year big lines formed in some markets, mostly "Abastos Bicentenario" the name of a state driven (and expropriated mostly from two big chains CADA and EPA), that where the ones that tend to have most of the scarce (and regulated) goods (Remember SADA decides where goods go). But now... is everywhere, for almost anything. Soap, meat, chicken, cheese, flour, deodorant (only one brand remains called MUM and has never been good one).
Well, will put some links from this things, if you want to post them.
Also in regard of the Obama intent to lift the embargo and reestablish relations, I think that everything will depend of the results. And the cause is Cuba gov running short of free money... again... (Now from Venezuela).
My analysis of the move is: for Obama name is kind of a good move (for him, not saying for anyone else), whatever it happens will be in the future, he will not be president, and failure has no parents, it will end like "it wasn't carried the right way" in his memoirs and he will bear no responsibility because he wasn't there all the process. If it succeeds he will be taken as the great architect (another Nobel Prize coming). and if it isn't approved by the other powers, he still will be the face of one who tried and the system stopped. I have to accept it, as personal propaganda is a good move.
Now, there is one thing I see as the sad reality. For the Castros, being the embargo lifted or not, they will not pay for their crimes, they are already too old, and will not get to see a cell (unless Fidel is Mumm-ra the Ever Living), although probably would not enjoy much the money they could get if the embargo is lifted for the same reason.
What is left are the younger collaborators, and again it will all come to the results, if the tyranny goes down negotiated or not, they will sooner or later be held responsible (Kind of Pinochet, he went by negotiation, but held responsible for his crimes later). Unless they take refuge in a even more crazy place, like North Korea.
Will free market erode the dictatorship, or will the later be able to get the benefits of free market for itself and maintain with it the absolute control over the island, that is the question... and maybe whatever is going to happen in Venezuela could affect the result.
AsMargaret Thatcher said "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money."
Link (All are 2015 videos):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMzUSOR8...
This one is near my home 6 different lines in the same area all for food, or soap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGYk4OHg...
Car batteries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQSSe1AW...
Fight for laundry soap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9E6yugt...
There is much more, just search "Cola Venezuela" in youtube as wuala.
lastly this small documental about the Venezuelans that have run out from the country (i just like it). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_zSCHEj...
On New Year’s Eve I attended a friend’s party. As promised, I made a big bowl of poke from about three pounds of tuna that I caught. A handful of people raved about it. One was a lady from Venezuela. She was there with her husband, who was from Mexico City, and their children. It’s no exaggeration that this was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. She was amazing. Anyway (I digress) I ended up talking with them about her home country. The information you share with us here really helped. They seemed so happy, almost relieved, to meet somebody who knows what’s going on down there…
I like women. They're wonderful.
Be safe!
Thank you for the update. No one is talking about this here. No doubt it does not fit the statist's agenda. We are sadly in the grip of many who propagate the same socialist ideology. Obviously it has not reached such extremes, but it is a matter of degrees and time, unless more are alerted to conditions like you are seeing.
Again, thank you for the report and take care,
O.A.