Nicolas Maduro, the socialist President of Venezuela, the successor of Hugo Chavez has already hastened to declare that his country fell victim to a conspiracy so unloved by him “pravaka”, price collusion and speculators, well, anyone. If only people did not look to the side of the socialists. What is actually happening right now in this South American country? Let’s deal with the translation of the article Journal Independent “Proof That Socialist Venezuela is a Godforsaken Hellscape Right Now”.
The translation is given with the cuts due to the fact that part of the narrated material are unable to find confirm. We publish only the information that can be independently verified.
After several decades of authoritarian socialism and redistribution of wealth, Venezuela is crumbling, as a country. Here are just a few examples of how these “economic miracle” by the Salon.com (popular among the Western “left” of the website) model worsened the lives of people.
1. If you live in Venezuela, your money is worthless.
After the current President Nicolas Maduro seized the power over the monetary policy of the country, a wide constant devaluation become a permanent reality. Quote from CNN:
Socialist President Nicolas Maduro praised the Bolivarian revolution begun by his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and called it a successful movement. Its purpose was to distribute equally the wealth among all the people of the country. Maduro has continued a program of massive government spending to evoke sympathy from the poor. But this is the directional movement of the Bolivar down only led to increasing inequality. Now growing Gulf between the Venezuelans who can exchange bolivars for dollars, and those who are not able to do that.
That’s how it looks on the chart:
That is, the price of the Bolivar is already less than one U.S. penny.
2. The Venezuelan government does not even have enough paper to print new money.
Venezuela is printing money at an alarming rate, and the government has even order prints from offshore companies to handle. The financial website Zerohedge explains why:
“The printing press of the Central Bank in the industrial town of Maracay does not have enough paper with the desired degree of security, and also metal in order to print even a small number of banknotes, said people familiar with the situation sources. Their difficulties stem from the same reasons of lack of dollars, which plagued the Venezuelan centralized economy, and today the Maduro administration has difficulties with paying import everything, including medicines for cancer treatment, toilet paper and insect repellents to combat mosquitoes transfer the virus zika”.
3. Grocery shopping has turned into a wasteland
The state stores are only open two days a week, and is available only through a valid ID, which allows you to have access only to a specific set of products. Even with all these restrictions, the stores still look like a barren wasteland. Venezuelans spend days waiting in the hope to have time to buy the usual products such as bread and milk.
4. Drinking water weight in gold
There was little economic crisis — vagaries of nature have caused a fall in the water level, but since 60% of electricity in the country is provided by hydroelectric power plants, it adds to the problems. Added to this is another problem — many residential areas are too dirty water, unsuitable for drinking. Trucks carrying clean water are attacked 2-3 times a week, which makes it even more difficult for the other inhabitants search of clean water.
5. In Venezuela there is a black market milk…
The deficit in the country is forcing people to look somewhere else besides the empty shelves in order to find the Essentials. So, it is reported that people write ads about their desire to buy milk… in Whatsapp. Today milk is one of the most running goods on the black market. Here we should make an editorial note from RLN.FM to reveal the mechanism of operation of the market. The fact that the government subsidized farmers to provide “fair” (according to socialists) price. The prices were cheap, but in the end, goods on the shelf somehow became less and less. Why? Because there are people who for such a low price, secured at the expense of taxpayers, bought milk, eggs and other products. And then sold them at inflated, sometimes significantly, price. A socialist at this point I will say the Maduro government has done everything right! It just appeared damn speculators-capitalists who want profit, and now have them all the wall, and to return to the working people the low prices! No, “fellow” socialists. There was no need to start all this performance with the “fair price”, to deprive the people of part of his wealth in the form of subsidies and controls on prices, then there would be no speculators. The only real price that is “fair” is the one, which according to the seller, and which buyer agrees. If you start to artificially influence prices are being introduced into the economy this way you will create all the necessary conditions for the emergence of the black market. Will remove some of the “speculators” will appear next. Remove the subsidies, state monopolies and other socialism — and you will get a healthy market, which wants to build their wealth on the resale vtridorogo it is simply unprofitable to buy the products excessively — because a healthy competition and a large number of offers will do the job, and will balance the interests in favor of the end user. As is already happening in most countries that use today, alas, is not a capitalist, but a mixed market economy model. However, even it works. Exactly to the moment until you start tricks with price controls.
6. In Venezuela no toilet paper
Residents stand in long queues to find the toilet paper. It does not matter, it is a four-layer, dual-layer, and shown whether the honey bear family on the box. They would have to find at least the most common coil. Get it — how to find gold. At that time, as the Venezuelans can spend weeks to find the coveted product of tourists is not the first year in advance are requested to bring everything you need, including such common goods, like toilet paper.
7. Electricity is available with restrictions
A two-day working week in Venezuela (the dream of the Communists — no need to work on “exploiters”! Relax and do creative work and self-education, the working man! — approx. ed.), introduced relatively recently, in fact, turned out to be not so glorious. Actually this is a forced measure, which saves energy. Another similar measure for energy conservation — turn off all electricity for at least 4 hours a day. Some of these blackouts can last for 12 hours, and city life in this moment literally freezes, not to mention perishable under these conditions food.
8. If you get sick in Venezuela, you’re in trouble
The state of Affairs in medical industry — tracing from a horror movie. There is a shortage of clean hospital beds, medical staff and medical supplies. Elderly people and children are dying, and the photos taken for the New York Times hospitals in the country, speak for themselves. Here is an excerpt from the article:
The day started with the usual woes: a chronic shortage of antibiotics, intravenous solutions, even food. The city was then de-energized, including disabled ventilators in the maternity ward. The doctor continued to support the lives of babies, manually pumping air into their lungs for hours. To night four more infants died.
“The death of the babies is already an everyday reality,” said Dr. Oladi Camello, a surgeon from Caracas, referring to the news about the victims of the collapsing hospitals of Venezuela.
9. People turn to social networks in search of medical care
Faced with the crisis in the sector of public health services, desperate Venezuelans have turned to social networks in an attempt to save their loved ones. Using the hashtag #ServicoPublico, they communicate with each other in search of drugs, vaccines, and even blood for transfusion (what? The all-powerful state does not help, and people help each other? How is that possible? Maybe, after all, the market as the basis of cooperation, could actually work better, and most importantly, not to kill people in the process? — approx. ed.)
10. Banditry on the March
Venezuela is living outside the law. The gang took control of a large part of the country, and do what they want, without much reaction from the authorities. While in Venezuela, one of the highest homicide rates in the world, as well as a very high number of kidnappings (you should pay attention to the fact that in Venezuela to socialist Chavez was right on weapons and people to defend themselves from the criminals themselves; the socialists have taken away this right, and that’s what happened — approx. ed.). The first picture is a graph of murders for a second — abductions:
Here the effects of socialist policies that are now experiencing the 30 million citizens of Venezuela.
