A crumbling nation

[abomvubuso]

Last week Venezuelan president Maduro extended the state of emergency that he had previously imposed, and this week new draconian measures and extended government prerogatives were announced. The economy is a train-wreck. Because of poor management, corruption, and of course the low oil prices. Venezuela is in deep political crisis, and the

Comments

[oportet]

Economy is a train wreck? Maduro is worth over 300 million. Chavez' daughter - possibly over 4 billion. Assuming they've already spread the wealth out among everyone - I'd say they must be thriving, not crumbling....

[abomvubuso]

Assuming they've already spread the wealth out among everyone

Haha!

They forgot the most important step!?

[oportet]

Margaret Thatcher said that the trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

I would compare it to a pyramid scheme - but that wouldn't be fair to pyramid schemes - at least they give you a shot at moving up a little.

[htpcl]

You speak from personal experience rather than theory, I take it? What was life like in a socialist society? ;-)

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[oportet]

I haven't mentioned or implied personal experience. I'll let the Venezuelans here explain (be patient, might have to wait for a power blackout to end)

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[htpcl]

You sounded very convincing, so I had to ask.

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[dreamville_bg]

Why don't you ask the Danes to explain how they cope with life in an unsustainable society?

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[luvdovz]

I've been living in a failed state and I didn't even realize it. Go figure.

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[dreamville_bg]

It gets weirder. My country has been in a constant state of sliding down towards a banana republic status ever since it abolished socialism. Thanks Obama!

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[mikeyxw]

Apparently the center-right PM of Denmark takes issue with this description:

“I know that some people in the US associate the Nordic model with some sort of socialism. Therefore I would like to make one thing clear. Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy.”

Of course, with the metric conversion, I'm not sure where a Danish center-right politician would fall on the US scale, but it seems to the right of Sanders is a safe bet.

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[dreamville_bg]

By the Imperial metric system or whatever you call your political spectrum, anything anywhere outside of the US is "too socialist".

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[mikeyxw]

Whatever keeps the Imperial in the Empire baby!

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[luvdovz]

Which socialism exactly. Soviet socialism, Latin American socialism, Scandinavian socialism, French socialism, Greek socialism, Arab socialism, North Korean socialism, Chinese socialism, or that vagueness that Bernie Sanders keeps blabbering about and calls it socialism? Because it's unclear which one you might be having in mind right now.

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[oportet]

Latin American/21st Century......the kind they're using there....the kind that ends poverty and economic oppresion and such...

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[luvdovz]

So which socialism would you compare to a pyramid? Specifically Latin American socialism, or socialism of all stripes?

RE: They forgot the most important step!?

[oportet]

Again, I'm talking about the one we're talking about - the one this post was about.

Why is he the highest paid world leader? Why is the last leaders daughter worth 4 billion? Why aren't they sharing?