Maduro still has support of Iran, China, Cuba, Syria and Russia.

[Tehon]

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

What Marxist ideal would that be?

 

[justoffal]

I

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

Yeah it's the same in the USA..

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

Yeah it's the same in the USA..

Not the same. There are about 11 million millionaires in the US. Close to 20 million more over 300k. They form a foundation of
functioning wealth found no where else on Earth. China is trying to copy it right now but they are control freaks and don't understand that you cannot force the system or you destroy it. Every society has its poor and we are no exception. The poor here in the United States are more well fed and housed than the poor people are in other places. That is made possible only by the system of wealth that we currently function under. It's not perfect but there there's not a single alternative system out there that even comes close.

Jo

 

[justoffal]

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

What Marxist ideal would that be?

The only one that actually matters:

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs...
KM

Jo

 

[Moonglow]

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

What Marxist ideal would that be?

The only one that actually matters:

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs...
KM

Jo

I always thought it was all for the strongest, smartest and greediest..

 

[Tehon]

Maduro is an Ultraliberal, who along with his buddy Chavez, used to be the toast of the American Far Left. I remember the joy they had when Chavez called Dubya the devil in NY. They were joyous when the 2002 coup failed.

But these characters did was take one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with huge petroleum reserves, and transformed it into and economic basket case. That's what the libs want to do here.

You cannot force wealth out into a populous
by equality osmosis. Wealth by it's very definition tends to aggregate and so it becomes an easy target for the confused to point to as if to say....look! There's our share over there that greedy guy's pile! When the goverment goes in there to take it out they discover that you can't simply dissect it and pass it out to everyone; And so you end up eating zoo animals because you have hobbled the wealth that produced the beef. This lesson in Economics has played out at least a dozen times since Stalin tried it in the 30's and 40's. Looks like they have to learn it again.

Jo

The wealth was oil and in one year alone(2014) lost 45% of its market value...

Of course it was .... And it was bound to happen because as the untold riches flowed in from the petroleum industry it was not invested into the hands of the people who know how to make it diversify. Venezuela enjoyed a good 10-year run of huge cash flow that was squandered on a Marxist Ideal... What happened to them was utterly predictable and inevitable. Once again the fruits of Marxism produce a small class of super wealthy side by side with a burgeoning populous of unskilled and financially unwise.

What Marxist ideal would that be?

The only one that actually matters:

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs...
KM

Jo

The irony is that when Marx wrote those words he was railing against the German Workers Party platform and their emphasis on the fair distribution of wealth.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?
Friday 24 October 2014, by Edgardo Lander..."

"Over the 15 years of the Bolivarian government in Venezuela, significant changes have taken place in the political culture, the social and organisational fabric, and the material living conditions of previously excluded low-income groups.

"Through multiple social policies (known as 'missions') aimed at different sectors of the population, levels of poverty and extreme poverty have been reduced significantly.

"According to ECLAC, Venezuela has become – together with Uruguay – one of the two countries with the lowest levels of inequality in Latin America.

"People are better fed.

"Effective literacy programmes have been carried out. With Cuban support, the Barrio Adentro mission has brought primary medical care to rural and urban low-income groups throughout the country.

"The state pensions system has been massively expanded to include millions of older people.

"The increase in university enrolment has been equally extraordinary.

"For the last few years, a housing programme for people with low incomes has been taken forward. Unemployment has been kept at a low level and informal-sector employment has been reduced from 51% in mid-1999 to 41% in mid-2014."

Trump is not the solution in Venezuela either.

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?
Friday 24 October 2014, by Edgardo Lander..."

"Over the 15 years of the Bolivarian government in Venezuela, significant changes have taken place in the political culture, the social and organisational fabric, and the material living conditions of previously excluded low-income groups.

"Through multiple social policies (known as 'missions') aimed at different sectors of the population, levels of poverty and extreme poverty have been reduced significantly.

"According to ECLAC, Venezuela has become – together with Uruguay – one of the two countries with the lowest levels of inequality in Latin America.

"People are better fed.

"Effective literacy programmes have been carried out. With Cuban support, the Barrio Adentro mission has brought primary medical care to rural and urban low-income groups throughout the country.

"The state pensions system has been massively expanded to include millions of older people.

"The increase in university enrolment has been equally extraordinary.

"For the last few years, a housing programme for people with low incomes has been taken forward. Unemployment has been kept at a low level and informal-sector employment has been reduced from 51% in mid-1999 to 41% in mid-2014."

Trump is not the solution in Venezuela either.

To use a 56 yr old article that bears no resemblance to current situation......ridiculous....and btw of course inequality has been reduced to equal poverty,.

 

[Circe]

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?

Anyone who says the word "rentier" is a Marxist. So much for this character. He's the problem, not the solution.

 

[justoffal]

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?
Friday 24 October 2014, by Edgardo Lander..."

"Over the 15 years of the Bolivarian government in Venezuela, significant changes have taken place in the political culture, the social and organisational fabric, and the material living conditions of previously excluded low-income groups.

"Through multiple social policies (known as 'missions') aimed at different sectors of the population, levels of poverty and extreme poverty have been reduced significantly.

"According to ECLAC, Venezuela has become – together with Uruguay – one of the two countries with the lowest levels of inequality in Latin America.

"People are better fed.

"Effective literacy programmes have been carried out. With Cuban support, the Barrio Adentro mission has brought primary medical care to rural and urban low-income groups throughout the country.

"The state pensions system has been massively expanded to include millions of older people.

"The increase in university enrolment has been equally extraordinary.

"For the last few years, a housing programme for people with low incomes has been taken forward. Unemployment has been kept at a low level and informal-sector employment has been reduced from 51% in mid-1999 to 41% in mid-2014."

Trump is not the solution in Venezuela either.

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?
Friday 24 October 2014, by Edgardo Lander..."

"Over the 15 years of the Bolivarian government in Venezuela, significant changes have taken place in the political culture, the social and organisational fabric, and the material living conditions of previously excluded low-income groups.

"Through multiple social policies (known as 'missions') aimed at different sectors of the population, levels of poverty and extreme poverty have been reduced significantly.

"According to ECLAC, Venezuela has become – together with Uruguay – one of the two countries with the lowest levels of inequality in Latin America.

"People are better fed.

"Effective literacy programmes have been carried out. With Cuban support, the Barrio Adentro mission has brought primary medical care to rural and urban low-income groups throughout the country.

"The state pensions system has been massively expanded to include millions of older people.

"The increase in university enrolment has been equally extraordinary.

"For the last few years, a housing programme for people with low incomes has been taken forward. Unemployment has been kept at a low level and informal-sector employment has been reduced from 51% in mid-1999 to 41% in mid-2014."

Trump is not the solution in Venezuela either.

To use a 56 yr old article that bears no resemblance to current situation......ridiculous....and btw of course inequality has been reduced to equal poverty,.

Wealth is a consumable...what these guys will never get ( and I'm not sure how to fix that) has more to do with the goose than it does with the golden egg. If you increase the exposure to consumption you decrease the ability to regenerate unless you simultaneously do both....not so easily done as good old Uncle Karl envisioned. It requires skillfull foresight, accurate planning and the strength of character to make unpopular decisions. Popularity has never been based on financial acumen but almost always on insatiable impulse.

Jo

 

[georgephillip]

Edgardo Lander is a Venezuelan sociologist who supported the reforms Chavez brought twenty years ago, yet he also recognizes how many of Maduro's mistakes have made the situation intolerable for many Venezuelans today:

The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state? - International Viewpoint - online socialist magazine

"The limits of changes – Venezuela: terminal crisis of the rentier petro-state?

Anyone who says the word "rentier" is a Marxist. So much for this character. He's the problem, not the solution.

rentier - Google Search

"ren·tier
Dictionary result for rentier
/ˌränˈtyā/
noun

1. a person living on income from property or investments."

What Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand About ‘the Deal’

Those living on income from property or investments are economic parasites.

 

[Baron]

Well, I'm not a liberal but my home country of Ukraine is a bright example what happens when Washington interferes.

Lavrov:
This can only deepen the social divide in Venezuela, aggravate street protests, dramatically destabilise the Venezuelan political community and further escalate the conflict. The deliberate and obviously well orchestrated creation of dual power and an alternative decision-making centre in Venezuela is a direct path towards chaos and erosion of Venezuelan statehood.

We regard Washington’s unceremonious actions as yet another demonstration of its total disregard for the norms and principles of international law and an attempt to pose as the self-imposed master of another nation’s future. The United States is clearly trying to apply a tried and tested regime change scenario in Venezuela.

Venezuelans alone have the right to determine their future. Any destructive foreign interference, especially amid the current tensions, is completely unacceptable. Incitement has nothing in common with a democratic process; it is a direct path towards lawlessness and violence.
Foreign Ministry statement on the developments in Venezuela

Russian envoy in UN: There have been over 22 thousand people protesting against Macron in France, shall we talk about replacing Macron too?

Same crap has happened in my home country of Ukraine: with the "help" of Obama and Soros and under total control from Washington a semi-comfortable country of Ukraine turned into the poorest country in Europe with war, corruption and human rights suppression. Washington never cares about the people: if allowed it comes and destroys the country "in the name of democracy. "

 

[georgephillip]

America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy – William Blum

"For over 65 years, the United States war machine has been on auto pilot. Since World War II, the world has believed that US foreign policy means well, and that America’s motives in spreading democracy are honorable, even noble.

"In this startling and provocative book from William Blum, one of the United States’ leading non-mainstream chroniclers of American foreign policy and author of the popular online newsletter,

"The Anti-Empire Report, demonstrates that nothing could be further from the truth.

"Moreover, unless this fallacy is unlearned, and until people understand fully the worldwide suffering American policy has caused, we will never be able to stop the monster."

A recent NBC/WSJ poll (taken before Trump's Shutdown ended) revealed nearly 70% of Americans believe their country is heading in the wrong direction.

'Wrong track': Public sours on nation’s direction in new NBC News/WSJ poll

Imagine what would change if an equal number came to believe the US war machine is a big part of the reason why America is on the wrong side of history?