What's a demagogue to do?

How does a country that relies so much on energy exports suffer rolling blackouts due to an energy shortage? This paradox is playing right now in Venezuela where socialist big mouth, Hugo Chavez, has gone a long way to crush the private economy for the sake of a larger role for his left leaning regime. Now Mr. Chavez, whose popularity has hit new lows because his many promises have failed to materialize, has new friends in China who will throw $20 billion into the sparse Venezuelan coffers, so that Chavez can go on a public relations spree fixing up highways and various other languishing public works projects. Hmmm...this whole thing sounds kinda familiar.

Oh, that crazy Chavez!

From the Associated Press:

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez says there's too much capitalism on Venezuelan TV. So he's urging producers to start making films and TV shows that stress socialist values.

Chavez says producers should be making "socialist soap operas."

He said Sunday he recently visited Cuba "and they have soaps there. But they're not capitalist soap operas."

LOL!!!

As oil prices fall, so does a socialist lament

Under Hugo Chavez and bouyed by high crude oil prices, Venezuala has grown into a petro-welfare state with cash to spare for political patronage and regional clout. But, since oil prices have taken a nose dive as of late, Chavez and Venezuela will have a very difficult time funding massive social programs and political promises made to countries and politicians (some in the U.S.) friendly to Chavez' leftist rantings. There is a lesson to be learned from Venezuela's situation as noted by Ian Vasquez of the Cato Institute: "When you have an economic situation that depends on wealth distribution rather than wealth creation you expose yourself to being in a very precarious situation."

More on Hugo Chavez

Jeff Perren wrote a very prescient article on Venezuela and Hugo Chavez. The article details the description of a young Venezuelan blogger who has started to witness her country crumble around her. Check out the picture of Hollywood elite Danny Glover hanging out with Chavez.

Jeff's blog is Shaving Leviathan.



Chavez announces decrees

In life, sometimes it’s satisfying to know that there is some predictability to rely upon. After all, if the bus that takes you to work in the morning doesn’t have a regular predictable schedule, you will end up late to work one time too many and may get canned. So, it comes as no surprise that the predictable nature of Hugo Chavez has once again affirmed that all is well with the universe. You see, Mr. Chavez has announced some new decrees that his poor and hapless countrymen will now have the headache of dealing with. As I predicted several months ago on this blog, I knew Mr. Chavez was not going to let a rebuff of his socialist agenda by voters in December crimp his master plans to turn Venezuela into a socialist basket case.

Curiously, many of Chavez’s best friends in Washington, and even Hollywood, have been oddly silent since that whole nasty episode with the FARC terrorists. Not a peep from Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, whose early support helped the strongman consolidate his power in Venezuela. Or even former President Jimmy Carter who had blessed Mr. Chávez's August 2004 recall victory, despite evidence of fraud. But best of all, there are the House Democrats from Massachusetts--Joseph P. Kennedy II and Bill Delahunt, who in a lame attempt to snub the Bush administration, got cozy with Mr. Chavez as he used free heating oil as a propaganda tool. Swell. It really tells you a lot about Congress when you see them support a tin pot loon like Hugo Chavez.