From the standpoint of practical politics since invading Venezuela for its own good would amount to admitting that socialism failed I can't see our current crop of socialism worshiping leftists -- currently in essential control of the Dem Party -- going that route. That aside unless the United States was going to arrange for Venezuela to become some sort of jointly controlled protectorate after the fact there would be nothing preventing that 'saved' nation from returning to its ideological and political stupidity after the fact. Or in other words, a temporary 'save' would be pointless.
The poor were not starving and running for the border. And you could buy tampons. All Big Government systems are bad. Venezuelan democratic socialism is competing for the Worst Ever Prize. The competition is stiff.
Chavez came to power because VZ was in trouble after 80 years of elite crony capitalism... and he did well until oil prices collapsed. Crony capitalism is an economy in which businesses thrive not as a result of risk, but rather as a return on money amassed through a nexus between a business class and the political class. This is done using state power to crush genuine competition in handing out permits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other forms of state intervention .
I like that. Send Bernie and Ms. Cortez down there and when she eventually get's tired of the old man she will stick a knife between his ribs and claim that some EVIL conservative did the deed instead. Shortly after that she will assume full control and make the current hell the people of Venezuela are going through seem like an interlude of sheerest paradise instead. Thus leftists would adhere to their habit of eventually making all bad situations much, much worse after the fact. Finest kind!
The people were sold a load of shyte in the form of socialism. Now the elites still are living high on the hog, only there are less elites, and war more impoverished people. As the people starve, those in power are gaining weight and becoming obese ON LIVE TV!!! It was still better under crony capitalism than socialism.
Venezuela is NOT the USA's problem. MEXICO is the USA's problem. The US should have invaded Mexico long ago. Not Venezuela.
Venezuela and Mexico both have lots of petroleum. That makes them prime targets for somebody same as eastern Ukraine for Putin.
Right now I think VZ is serving the useful purpose of providing the world with another flailing example of the perils of socialism.
But but, they were under crony capitalism before for 80 years....and never had a problem like they have now.
Chavez was a last ditch effort to save VZ from crony capitalism.. and it may have worked until oil prices collapsed. Do you remember the progress Chavez made initially? Do you remember when Citgo gave poor Americans heating oil?
Socialists always have a lame excuse and/or scapegoat for their own failures. It's the same old sob story, whether it be in Stalinist Venezuela or Obamunist America - excuses, not results...
I'm reading an essay on the destruction of liberal democracy by neo liberalism/neo conservatism at the moment and it also sounds a bit like that. In neo Liberalism the Governments job is just to plan for money and for those with money rather than to serve the needs of the people. It is based on an idea that we all act rationally all the time and if we do not we will suffer and it is all our own fault. This is no longer capitalism as envisaged by Adam Smith where it was always understood that other political issues concerning humanity should create a balance to the somewhat immoral actions of Capitalists. Anyway I want to get back and read more. Everything she said, is based on money, not morality, not caring about people's needs just whether it will make them money so I guess whatever the US does will be what it believes will make itself money and that seems to have been the US foreign policy for some time regardless of it's pretence to be bringing people liberty or democracy. Indeed at one point she says it is the very supposed 'freedom' which neo liberalism supposedly gives that enslaves people. We are at the end of Liberal Democracy Extract http://lchc.ucsd.edu/cogn_150/Readings/brown.pdf Anyway I am off to continue reading.
Last ditch effort for what? When were they ever close to this problem of the citizens forced to eat pet rabbits? They were propagandized into thinking they had it bad, then the government took everything from the rich and tried to pass it out. Now, like everything else with socialism, eventually you run out of other peoples money. Its funny, the Canadian and American oil sands are still thriving towns after the collapse, wonder if that's cause they were ran by a corrupt government redistributing their profits?
So Chavez "saved" Venezuela from crony capitalism with crony socialism. Little wonder his daughter is the richest person in Venezuela. Do you remember this? Chavez and his supporters set VZ down the path of tyranny and destitution. Here's a Socialist Scumbag Fun Fact: Hugo Chavez and Joseph Stalin died on the same day - March 5th - exactly 60 years apart. Their deaths made the world a better place...
I think you and the other imperialists who live in America should form your own private group and invade them yourselves, on your own dime, at your own risk, and in your own name. But that would require you to put your money where your mouth is and we both know that is never going to happen.
The greatest empire I have seen in my lifetime was Communism. At its height it controlled about a third of the world's population. The only empire I see today is China's territorial grab of the Sth China Sea, claiming territorial waters of Vietnam and declaring (yesterday) that Tibet is part of China. All these were a part of "Imperial China." Certainly with its threats against Ukraine, Norway and the Baltics etc. Russia would love to claw back its old "evil empire."
