Chicago Tribune

Venezuela's embarrassment

American Voices - Tribune Media Services
January 3, 2012

....."Chavez runs a self-proclaimed socialist country. That should be easy in his oil-wealthy state. Venezuela produces 3 million barrels of oil a day, now selling for about $100 each. That should earn $300 million each and every day -- $1.095 trillion per year, for a nation of 29 million people.

Nonetheless, at least one-quarter of the people live in poverty, and thousands are forced to live in bomb shelters, community centers and other public facilities because of insufficient housing.

For years, the nation has suffered serious shortages of staple foods, including meat, milk and coffee.

Schools are pathetically bad; the few well-educated emigrate.

Is there any better definition of mismanagement?

Meantime, Chavez is selling cut-rate oil to his friends the Castros in Cuba -- and offering subsidized fuel oil to poor Americans, to poke a finger in Obama's eye. Those are expenses Venezuela can ill afford.

A few days ago, Chavez had to borrow $4 billion from China, in theory to build more housing. My advice to those citizens living in bomb shelters: He has had 13 years to deal with this problem. Don't hold your breath.

Chavez is recovering from cancer, though he refuses to release medical records to show the actual state of his health. Then, last week, he publically accused the United States of somehow fostering a cancer epidemic in Latin America, earning a sharp rebuke from the State Department...."

Venezuela's embarrassment - chicagotribune.com