International Herald-Tribune:
President Hugo Chavez is set to assume unbridled powers to remake Venezuelan society as the National Assembly prepares to grant him authority to enact sweeping measures by presidential decree.
The assembly, which is completely controlled by Chavez supporters, was meeting in a Caracas plaza to approve a so-called "enabling law" Wednesday that will to give Chavez special powers for 18 months to transform 11 broadly defined areas, including the economy, energy and defense.
Chavez, who is beginning a fresh six-year term, says the legislation will be the start of a new era of "maximum revolution" during which he will consolidate Venezuela's transformation into a socialist society. His critics, however, are calling it a radical lurch toward authoritarianism by a leader with unchecked power.
The former paratroop commander has already said he will use the law to decree nationalizations of Venezuela's largest telecommunications company and the electricity sector, slap new taxes on the rich and impose greater state control over the oil and natural gas industries.
My friends on the left often defend the idea of "nationalizing" industries. In their minds, it's being taken away from the rich, and given to "the people."
I see it differently: It's being taken away from rich people who built it with their own efforts, and confiscated by ultra-rich people (Chavez) who simply seize things using threads of death or imprisonment. In states run by dictators, the poor (and everyone else) simply get poorer as a result -- not richer.
But hey, inequality is decreased.
A final draft of the law shows Chavez will also be allowed to dictate unspecified measures to transform state institutions; reform banking, tax, insurance and financial regulations; decide on security and defense matters such as gun regulations and military organization; and "adapt" legislation to ensure "the equal distribution of wealth" as part of a new "social and economic model."
I might note I've been mocked for alleging Chavez is a dictator-in-training. Claiming to be in charge of enforcing "equality" is just a claim that all property belongs to you, to be redistributed at will. Very little power remains with the people after that.
Perhaps it makes logical sense for Venezuela to become more nationalized, and thus independent of the control of the 1st World nations that dictated so much of what happened in South and Central America over the last 100 years.
Venezuela paid their outstanding debt to the IMF/World Bank etc..
The President is trying to repatriate Venezuela's gold holdings that were entrusted to the United States.... the word is not out yet whether or not the gold will ever be forthcoming.
If Central and South America trade ONLY with each other, and with China, Russia, Iran, Korea, and possibly India, they will certainly have adequate trading partners, and if they strive to become SELF-sufficient and have their currency backed by commodities and/or gold, then they should prosper... even become VERY wealthy.
.
It does not appear that Venezuela NEEDS to bow to the United States, nor to any foreign military industrial complex backed "private company"
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It seems that THIS is the "elephant sitting on the living room sofa" that NOBODY wants to discuss. All that is bandied about is "Chavez is a dictator".. "Venezuela NEEDS trading partners". etc. etc..
There is a lot more to this story than what meets the eye when the "eye" is CBS or FAUX News.
@Watcher - While I'm usually sympathetic to the assertion that our information is being filtered by the news media, I was at a party several years back with friends of my ex-girlfriend who lived in Venezuela and had been working on setting up a modern-style no-till farm there.
They also seemed to think Chavez was trying to consolidate power into his own hands via nationalizing industries and were very much against him as well. So I'm not sure I buy into the assertion that the only reason people don't like Chavez is because they're eating news that's spoonfed to them. But hey, don't take my word for it. See if you can find someone from Venezuela and get their opinion on the topic. That should be interesting.
Perhaps it makes logical sense for Venezuela to become more nationalized, and thus independent of the control of the 1st World nations that dictated so much of what happened in South and Central America over the last 100 years.
Venezuela paid their outstanding debt to the IMF/World Bank etc..
The President is trying to repatriate Venezuela's gold holdings that were entrusted to the United States.... the word is not out yet whether or not the gold will ever be forthcoming.
If Central and South America trade ONLY with each other, and with China, Russia, Iran, Korea, and possibly India, they will certainly have adequate trading partners, and if they strive to become SELF-sufficient and have their currency backed by commodities and/or gold, then they should prosper... even become VERY wealthy.
.
It does not appear that Venezuela NEEDS to bow to the United States, nor to any foreign military industrial complex backed "private company"
.
It seems that THIS is the "elephant sitting on the living room sofa" that NOBODY wants to discuss. All that is bandied about is "Chavez is a dictator".. "Venezuela NEEDS trading partners". etc. etc..
There is a lot more to this story than what meets the eye when the "eye" is CBS or FAUX News.
Posted by: Watcher on November 1, 2011 06:03 PM