But seriously... price controls? Is this 1971? Even Cuba believes in the price signal now...

It's obscene to think that a country as rich as Venezuela with a relatively small population has to import such basics.

He doesn't look like he misses any meals.

A bit of context might help tea partiers to understand it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Mercal

"Mission Mercal (officially launched on 24 April 2003) is a Bolivarian Mission established in Venezuela under the government of Hugo Chávez. The Mission involves a state-run company called Mercados de Alimentos, C.A. (MERCAL), which provides subsidised food and basic goods through a nationwide chain of stores. In 2010 Mercal was reported as having 16,600 outlets, "ranging from street-corner shops to huge warehouse stores," in addition to 6000 soup kitchens. Mercal employs 85,000 workers.

Mission Mercal stores and cooperatives are mostly located in impoverished areas and sell generic-branded foods at discounts as great as 50%. While the company is heavily funded by the government, the goal is to become self-sufficient by replacing food imports with products from local farmers, small businesses, and cooperatives (many of whom have received microcredits from Mercal). This endogenous development is central to Chávez's stated goal of non-capitalistic development from the bottom up."

It's always trade over people for these folks and they are well known for linking up with elites at home and abroad to sabotaging socialist governments in our hemisphere (well financed by outsiders including US Aid and NGOs).

I lived it - I know the pattern.

Controlling the media; suppressing dissent. I lived that - I know the pattern.

No thought necessary.

'"The rich people have things all hoarded away, and they pull the strings," said Juan Rodriguez, who waited two hours to enter the government-run Abastos Bicentenario supermarket near downtown Caracas on Monday, and then waited another three hours to check out.'

in the late 1970s and early 1980. The weapons flowed in as well. Manley was routed - and oh yes we had no authoritarian here - free and fair elections brought Manley to power.

Anyone who does not recognize the deliberate sabotage of Venezuela's economy being carried out by capital interests is either just not paying attention or deliberately turning a blind eye because they side with the wreckers.

but I cannot be fooled twice - I lived it right here in Jamaica. I know sabotage when I see it.

up to the task.

Col. Chavez was an exceptional and charismatic man, and very adroit.

Mr. Maduro may not be up to the task of preventing the old oligarchs from retaking political power in Venezuela, or at least preventing them doing so with the minimum of violence Col. Chavez was capable of.

We both know that in the great majority of instances in Latin America where 'dissent' of the scale seen in Venezuela occured, and in all instances where such 'dissent' originated from the left, it would have been drowned in bloody massacre long since, and the lid kept on by death squads hunting out supporters, actual, potential, or merely looking likely....

an inability brought about by ten years of moronic currency laws.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-law-of-unintended-consequences-sitme-and-venezuelas-currency-market/

The shortage of commodities and declining domestic economic activity can be directly attributed to the shortages of foreign reserves - the government does not have enough dollars to allow companies to import critical goods.

Don't ruin the fun by bringing in the truth like that.

so good or bad, he's their problem.

Anyone interested in getting a grasp on global megapolitical imperialism might find the essay below enlightening ~