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    whichdoesntHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:07pm

    Textbook example of socialism and populism at work.

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      Youarenaturesgreatestmonsterwhichdoesnt
      2/03/16 1:10pm

      Ya, but it was also really fucked up before “populism” took hold as well.

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      ReburnsABurningReturnswhichdoesnt
      2/03/16 1:12pm

      “Socialism” in this case meaning too much centralization.

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    Alex CHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:09pm

    Venezuela is what you'd get if you elected Bernie Sanders and gave him a friendly Congress. #FeelTheBern

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      ARP2Alex C
      2/03/16 1:18pm

      Aw, that sucks. And here I was thinking we’d end like those hell-holes in Europe.

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      ReburnsABurningReturnsAlex C
      2/03/16 1:23pm

      Naw.

      Bernie has no interesting in nationalizing as much of the economy as Chavez did.

      Bernie is a “socialist” in the same sense of the word that the government of Norway is “socialist”. ~60-70% of their economy is still privately owned and operated, but they have highly progressive taxation and lots of regulations.

      Personally that’s why I think the word “socialist” is useless in 2016. Leftists have decided to pretend that the meaning changed without coming up with a good, clean label for socialism as it was previously known, and right wingers are more than happen to willfully pretend they don’t see the difference between Bernie Sanders & Hugo Chavez.

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    Freddie DeBoerHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:43pm

    This proves that socialism doesn’t work, whereas centuries of chattel slavery and continuing horrific racism has no bearing on the efficacy of capitalism.

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      zakany001Freddie DeBoer
      2/03/16 1:48pm

      Can’t beat the laissez faire economy of Somalia.

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      LthePoezakany001
      2/03/16 3:25pm

      I really doubt that those with guns in Somalia are laissez’ing anyone to faire anything.

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    Rom RombertsHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:06pm

    Venezuela...hm...

    That’s one of the ones in Bottom America? From maps, right?

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      logophobe's pointless patrolRom Romberts
      2/03/16 1:08pm

      I believe it’s the one that says “HERE THERE BE DRAYGONS”

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      fondue processRom Romberts
      2/03/16 1:09pm

      yes, because veneZuelA, the Z comes before the A, that’s how you know it’s flipped and on bottom america. #science

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    ╰(　´◔　ω　◔ `)╯< Woke and BokeHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:11pm

    Nowhere in this list do I see the real root cause of this sudden collapse: the CIA machinations that led to Chavez’s death, the plunder of billions, and the introduction of the Zika virus to Central and South America. I guess that counts as a successful operation.

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      burnahhh1111╰(　´◔　ω　◔ `)╯< Woke and Boke
      2/03/16 1:15pm

      Too bad you didnt run out of tinfoil for your hat

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      ╰(　´◔　ω　◔ `)╯< Woke and Bokeburnahhh1111
      2/03/16 1:17pm

      I have a 10 year supply, because aluminum will be the first precious metal to run out.

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    la-federaleHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:09pm

    Lets elect Bernie though.

    The cognitive dissonance and intellectual gymnastics around here is frightening.

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      Yung_Saharala-federale
      2/03/16 1:17pm

      It is frightening. Like how you believe Venezuala and the US are the same thing. Or that you believe Bernie and HUGO CHAVEZ share the same views.

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      Sean Rla-federale
      2/03/16 1:18pm

      Your inability to make distinctions between unlike things is pretty sad and self-destructive. Drink battery acid (it is basically as similar to water as Venezuala’s governing structure is to Bernie Sanders expressed version of social democratic governance).

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    alexcaracas85Hamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:13pm

    Was there not even a month ago to spend the holidays with my family. It is fucking depressing what’s happening down there. I’ve seen my home be dismantled by demagogues since my teens. But people have hope, not one single shitty president can take that away from us.

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      Antifazalexcaracas85
      2/03/16 1:47pm

      According to the Greek myths, Hope was the last plague that came out of Pandora’s box.

      Christians tried to turn that plot twist into a good thing because of their dream of the afterlife, but the Greeks knew better.

      Time to give up hope and just focus on overthrowing Chavismo in the present moment.

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      alexcaracas85Antifaz
      2/03/16 2:03pm

      Believe me my friend, I’ve risked my own life on more than one occasion in the streets of Caracas protesting their non-sense. I’ve also voted in every election. Hope and action are not mutually exclusive.

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    ReburnsABurningReturnsHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:14pm

    So what you’re saying is ...

    A country that tried to run things in a way that was definitively proven to not work in the 20th century is exploding when the one resource that allowed it to continue pretending that things were okie-dokie tanks?

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      clickSuckaReburnsABurningReturns
      2/03/16 2:07pm

      Corruption has long been known not to work. Wasn’t new discovery in 20th century.

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      blameitonthecroutons goodbye tourReburnsABurningReturns
      2/03/16 2:30pm

      Next up: Saudi Arabia!

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    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzHamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:25pm

    Wow, if you look at these comments, people around here really know nothing about the politics of South America. It just really doesn’t get talked about, probably because the United States effect on that region is so... controversial.

    Ecuador had protests last year again President Correa, who some seem to find similar to Hugo Chavez. Like Chavez, Correa’s first actions as President involved drafting a new hyper liberal constitution that does not really reflect the common sentiments of the people, but looks very good to third-party democratic watchdog NGOs who can report back to the UN. The courts do whatever the President says anyway, so it’s not like the Constitutional law is all that persuasive as legal doctrine.

    In Ecuador, President Correa has also increased spending like Chavez did and paid for it with increasing oil prices. He started much later than Chavez did, however, starting with his new Constitution in 2008, verses Chavez’z 1999, so he has run straight into these dropping oil prices before his overspending and power grabs got too out of control. Hopefully Ecuador will not progress like Venezuela did. President Correa’s Presidential term limit as outlined in their Constitution is approaching, but he has made comments about changing that term limit. For the good of the people.

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      DuddyKravitzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
      2/03/16 1:33pm

      Why is it a goal for Correa to please the UN?

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      zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzDuddyKravitz
      2/03/16 1:41pm

      Because it looks really good to the United States, Europe and Australia if they have Constitutional protection against discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity, even though there is like, so so much discrimination based on sexuality or gender identity because Ecuador is 92% Catholic.

      For a fun experiment, find the english Wikipedia entry for the Ecuador Constitution and compare it to the spanish one to see the difference in political emphasis.

      English:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Constitution_of_Ecuador

      Spanish:

      https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituc…

      Spanish translated to English:

      https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=e…

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    TimF101Hamilton Nolan
    2/03/16 1:19pm

    Apparently the country got Zimbabwe’d. The previous system was essentially a racist dictatorship run by a powerful minority lording its wealth over the poor and indigenous (the two are more distinct in Venezuela than Zimbabwe...). But when populist natives justifiably overthrew it, they elected cult-of-personality narcissists who threw out old-guard professionals running key industries. The new guard’s friends and family have no idea how to run an industrialized farm, factories, petro-industry or banking system. As a result crucial national industries collapsed, the currencies are racing to the bottom and citizens can’t buy tampons or toilet paper. In both cases this is because inflation makes it far more profitable for connected businesses to sell US dollars that they get from bribes and official subsidies than to stock their shelves.

    Both countries have all the right ingredients for prosperity...on paper...but collapsed deep into a black hole by trading malevolent but competent rulers for idealistic incompetents with a tragic weakness for hero worship. Not sure what we should take from this, morally speaking. Maybe choose incremental change over barricades and guillotines when possible, no matter how pleasantly cathartic the guillotines may look at the time.

    Granted that would be a harder argument to make in 1970's Rhodesia.

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      Maj. MalfunctionTimF101
      2/03/16 1:33pm

      This is why need to always be skeptical even of politicians we adore, lest we risk a cult of personality arising.

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