Hi, Folks -

I'm seeing lots of Internet items suggesting the current dire straits in Venezuela that are being reported are proof that socialism is not a good idea.

Might be true. But is the explanation just that simple?

I seem to recall reading that current lowered oil prices are drastically impacting Russia's economy. Isn't Venezuela also dependent economically on oil...? Who lowered the oil price?

A little over a month ago, Steven Lendman penned an article, "New Coup Plot Hatched in Venezuela", stating that the US appears to be interested in regime change in Venezuela.

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2016/04/new-coup-plot-hatched-in-venezuela.html

That article begins:

US supported fascists controlling Venezuela’s National Assembly openly call for ousting democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro. More on this below.

Earlier US sponsored coup attempts failed. Days earlier, John Kerry said Washington will support fascist legislators if they pursue suspending Venezuela from the Organization of American states - part of longstanding US efforts to replace Bolivarian fairness with tyranny.

I note that there are at least some issues regarding which many tend to be a bit schizoid. They know certain things about how the world has been being run, but then they forget about those things when some situation tugs their attention in a particular direction.

For example, we realize that whoever is in the Oval Office, he or she doesn't really have all that much power and his or her strings are being pulled by others. But then we may spend the next four or eight years, blaming that person for everything that takes place while he or she is there.

Similarly with regard to Venezuela. Because we have a deeply entrenched idea - which might be true, but that's not the point - that Socialism is "a bad thing" and "always leads to ruin for the many and wealth for the few" - as though Capitalism couldn't also have those characteristics - we might be led to conclude that Venezuela's present extreme difficulties have been brought about solely from the unwise choice to give Socialism a try.

What do you think: Is that all there is to it?

--hobie

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