100,000 Venezuelans cross border shopping for scarce food

[bripat9643]

The rats are fleeing the sinking ship. It's unfortunate that only the well off have anything to purchase goods in Colombia. The Venezuelan Bolivar is worthless.

The Associated Press​

Almost 100,000 Venezuelans, some of whom drove through the night in caravans, crossed into Colombia over the weekend to hunt for food and medicine that are in short supply at home.

It was the second weekend in a row that Venezuela’s socialist government opened the long-closed border with Colombia, and by 6 a.m. Sunday, a line of would-be shoppers snaked through the entire town of San Antonio del Tachira. Some had traveled in chartered buses from cities 10 hours away.

Venezuela’s government closed all crossings a year ago to crack down on smuggling along the 1,378-mile (2,219 kilometer) border. It complained that speculators were causing shortages by buying up subsidized food and gasoline in Venezuela and taking them to Colombia, where they could be sold for far higher prices. But shortages have continued to mount in Venezuela amid triple-digit inflation, currency controls that have restricted imports and investment and the world oil price slump that caused a collapse in the oil revenues that fund government spending. …​

 

[Clementine]

Oh, the joys of socialism.

 

[skye]

Oh, the joys of socialism.

Second that.^^^

 

[Moonglow]

Shortages have occurred under all forms of governments.............

 

[Kat]

Oh, the joys of socialism.

Second that.^^^

3rd it.

 

[Tehon]

Poor management of the monetary system does not equate to socialism.

 

[Norman]

Poor management of the monetary system does not equate to socialism.

Crazy price controls and micro management of the economy do.

And actually, sure the monetary system is a socialist failure as well.

 

[owebo]

Poor management of the monetary system does not equate to socialism.

No, but socialism does....like in Venezuela.....

 

[Rexx Taylor]

well I sure hope that everyone in Columbia keep their pets at home while the venezuelans go shopping.

 

[tyroneweaver]

Shortages have occurred under all forms of governments.............

really, so lets have the resident genius obama nationalize the farms and see if starvation comes to America. Which it would
The US is one of only a half dozen nations that produces more food than it uses.
But dems could change that with their creepy politics.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hold on... I am quite sure Sean Penn is formulating a plan to save his second home...

 

[Theowl32]

Don't worry. Rich elitists left wing 1 percenters who have convinced morons here that they are against one percenters don't care.

Oprah's house

She does not have kids. I think she has some boyfriend, and some "girlfriend" named Gail.
Guarded by armed guards.


Matt Damons house

Armed by armed guards. He protests against one percenters too.

Sean Penn's house in Malibu.

Armed by armed guards, and certainly loves the idea of the old feudal system that we all call socialism today.

Barbara Streisands house. Well, one of them.

No kids, no husband (I think she drinks James Brolin's fathers sperm though) and she called Americans "over consumptive." It costs around $20,000.00 a month to just water her grass in one of the massive mansions. She is against the "one percenters" too.

The Jane Fonda estate (ranch)

Cause the free market American system sure has been bad for her.......

 

[bripat9643]

Shortages have occurred under all forms of governments.............

Wrong. They only occur under command economies. Name one market economy that has ever had a shortage of anything unless the government was controlling the price.

 

[Toro]

This isn't because of poor management of the monetary system, or that there are shortages in all economies.

What's going on in Venezuela is because of gross mismanagement of the economy by the Chavez and Maduro governments. There were shortages before the price of oil collapsed.

These two idiots were grossly ignorant on how an economy runs. There are so many examples in Venezuela, it's hard to know where to start.

But ultimately, they tried to set prices to benefit the poor and wound up creating shortages everywhere. And rather than blame their own gross incompetence, they blamed capitalists, America, speculators, and pretty much everyone else.

Socialists and communists who don't understand how the price system works are ultimately bound to fail, as they have over and over and over again.

Marx said that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. Venezuela is about as farcical as it gets, since this has happened several times in Latin America before. It's doubly farcical since Chavez effectively was following Marxist principles.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Proof positive of the virtues of socialism...

The richest woman in Venezuela is Hugo Chavez's daughter

 

[Theowl32]

Proof positive of the virtues of socialism...

The richest woman in Venezuela is Hugo Chavez's daughter

Rich elite left wingers are truly the worst people on earth. They are the reason for everything that is wrong, and that includes the rise of all tyrants (including isis.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Rich elite left wingers are truly the worst people on earth. They are the reason for everything that is wrong, and that includes the rise of all tyrants (including isis.)

Follow the money...

 

[Theowl32]

Rich elite left wingers are truly the worst people on earth. They are the reason for everything that is wrong, and that includes the rise of all tyrants (including isis.)

Follow the money...

Follow the hypocrites with money.

 

[Moonglow]

Shortages have occurred under all forms of governments.............

Wrong. They only occur under command economies. Name one market economy that has ever had a shortage of anything unless the government was controlling the price.

England... Ireland, tariffs are a way of a govt. trying to control prices...When the English went to a free market system in the later 1800's they had a 19 year recession..Look what free trade has done to the US economy....Do you enjoy your NAFTA?

 

[Tehon]

This isn't because of poor management of the monetary system, or that there are shortages in all economies.

What's going on in Venezuela is because of gross mismanagement of the economy by the Chavez and Maduro governments. There were shortages before the price of oil collapsed.

These two idiots were grossly ignorant on how an economy runs. There are so many examples in Venezuela, it's hard to know where to start.

But ultimately, they tried to set prices to benefit the poor and wound up creating shortages everywhere. And rather than blame their own gross incompetence, they blamed capitalists, America, speculators, and pretty much everyone else.

Socialists and communists who don't understand how the price system works are ultimately bound to fail, as they have over and over and over again.

Marx said that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. Venezuela is about as farcical as it gets, since this has happened several times in Latin America before. It's doubly farcical since Chavez effectively was following Marxist principles.

The two idiots instituted price controls in response to rising inflation in an effort to help the poor. That and the devaluation of the bolivar due to the controls on foreign exchange and the labyrinth of exchange rates which created a black market. Either way you look at it, poor monetary policies appear to be the culprit.

Neither of the idiots was/are Marxist.