The above meme is my picture, the quote is from someone else.
Venezuela has the largest proven reserve of oil in the world. In 2014 there were just shy of 300 billion (that’s ‘b’ – billion) barrels — enough that at current rates the Venezuelan oil patch would be producing for the next two centuries.
On 01 JAN 1976 Venezuela founded Petroleos de Venezuela, SA and promptly nationalised their entire oil industry; a move that Hugo Chavez took advantage of in 2003 when he decreed that oil profits would be directly sent to “social spending”.
Let me break that down for the cheap seats: the entirety of the profits from the world’s largest reserve of oil, sold by the Venezuelan government through it’s nationalised oil company, would be used for stuff like free medical care; free housing; free education … you know, the normal stuff.
In addition, hydroelectricity powers — or did — 64% of the Venezuelan national grid. Coincidentally enough also run by a State-owned company.
This is pretty-much the ideal for a Socialist State. You can’t get much better than backing your socialist programmes with the profits from the largest reserve of oil in the world.
Of course, it’s cratered.
When we started hearing about food shortages out of the country with the largest oil reserve in the world, controlled by the government with all profits going to Socialist dreams, I looked at Herself and remarked, “Socialist massacres of the population in less than five years.”
On Independence Day, the United Nations Office of Making The UN Pretend It’s Competent issued a quiet report.
Buried in that summary (the full document is linked in the summary) is a bland notice of about seven thousand (7 000) “extrajudicial killings”.
If it’s just seven thousand, I’ll eat my Stetson. Add another zero to the end of that number and you’ll have a starting point.
This is yet another failing of Socialism, only the latest in an unbroken line of failures. And this failure should be particularly note-worthy because they started out with the perfect sodding recipe for a glorious Socialist utopia.
Of course, the Usual Useful Idiots are blathering about “corruption” being responsible for the whole cock-up.
Well, if you understand that “corruption” is short-hand for “people acting normally in this situation”, I’d have to agree with them.
Lord Acton, in a letter to Archbishop Creighton, famously stated: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Outside of totalitarian dictatorships there is no more absolute power than that wielded by a bureaucrat in a Socialist government. That has been truth in the past, it is truth now, and it will be truth well into the future.
The on-going pulsating ball of suck and fail that is the Venezuelan socialist experiment should be an obvious no-duh lesson to those pushing so hard for socialism in the United States.
Or, so I’d like to think.
Sigh.
LawDog
Welcome back, and sadly NO they don't get it… Another 'minor' issue with the Venezuelan oil is that it is not 'good' crude. It's high sulfur, and the only refineries for it are in Venezuela. When they got nationalized, there was no upkeep done, and no contractors would be willing to go fix them without being paid up front. Same for the hydro and electric plants. And of course the Venezuelans wouldn't pay, saying there wasn't any money in the 'budget' to fix the things… Yeah, right…
Welcome back. And, you have the right of it. Any pure political ism will fail because people aren't pure, and some will take advantage of the system. That's why we have constitutionally limited republic. It was designed to limit the amount of power people could wield over others. Unfortunately, many people seemed hell bent to remove those limits in the name of what they claim to be the greater good.
Hey Lawdog;
Welcome back, I also remembered reading a few years ago, that Chavez mortgaged the entire production of their oil to Russia to pay for all the new toys he wanted to intimidate his neighbors and arm "His" militia. Yep socialism works great until you are out of money.
The problem here is that the Progressive Left – which incidentally HATES the idea of American Exceptionalism – will fall back on the idea of American Exceptionalism and say (in essence) "But WE are America! We'll do Socialism RIGHT!"
The Self-appointed 'Experts' want the Bureaucratic power to use people around so much they can TASTE it. They want it so much that they manage to ignore that one of the first things a Socialist dictator does is start liquidating the Intellectual class.
Welcome back.
Is that a wolf or a coyote? In either case, it is very nice
Welcome back!
The only thing 'progressives' are good at is screwing things up while banking money for their retirement.
Welcome back!
Just look at The People's Republic of Kalipornia, especially Los Angeles & San Francisco. Communism.
Ulises from CA
What a pleasant surprise! Yes, welcome back.
What Ulises said. We escaped Kalifornia and now live in the DFW area. I see that the city of Berzerkly has taken an interest in electric power as well.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Berkeley-becomes-first-U-S-city-to-ban-natural-14102242.php?t=ea39d0f200&f?
Sure, go ahead and add that additional load to your creaking transmission infrastructure. I'm sure it will work out fine. Just as the people who used to live in Paradise.
Welcome to Texas!
*ask the people…
My favorite Sir Pterry quote applies here:
It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.
Socialism would work just dandy if it weren't for people.
Interesting and informative post as always.
I'm not the first to say you've been miss and It's great to hear from you again. Keep it coming please.
At LibertyCon you told me you would start blogging again, so Welcome Back!!!
Damn 'Dog, missed you.
I'm sorely afraid that 2020 will tip us to the left, due to sillycon valley influence.
Too old to move to Merica, but will not give up.
Don't worry. We can't go Socialist in the U.S. The constitution will save us.
Welcome back from a far too long absence on the intarwebz.
The 'Net's collective IQ goes up when you post on it.
Life permitting, and the muse moving, don't be such a stranger.
Welcome back, thanks for the post. Great stuff as always.