Hugo Chavez: A socialist? Yes! A bad person? No!
Hugo Chavez has been the only reason that Venezuelan kids from poor families get to go to school, have medical care, get housing, and many more great changes from the way it was in 1973 when I was there -- and everyone had a capitalist country and a system of democracy.
Even so, I saw the deplorable circumstances they had there with the poor living along the south side of a mountain surrounding the city where it looked beautiful from within the city. The other side of the mountain which was a several mile tunnel dug out through the beautiful mountain-side facing the south side of the city. The poor lived in huts, make-shift tents, or anything from billboards to dried palm trees posted or held up somehow without walls, plumbing, or electricity. The kids had no shoes, diapers on, and never went to school.
They had no health care until Castro, who had been ousted of Venezuela, offered to send ONE doctor who was willing to help the poor. Three more came, until they later had a clinic built right in the midst of the poor. Before that, the doctors in the city of Caracas had wen on strike when they were asked to help the poor.
I applaud Chavez for the way he took charge once he was elected president. At the time, the country had a capitalist country with a democratic government (which they still have). The new president had the same problem with the banks as we had, and had just been elected, and people were not happy that he wasn't able to make the economy better. Hugo Chavez took over soon after that, and people were happier than ever to have him on their side -- even the rich!
I hope Hugo Chavez forgives the greediness of the USA, who really wanted cheaper oil instead of paying extra charges to clean up the mess they left in the wake of drilling for the dirty type of oil they were drilling for in one of the world's richest prime forests of the world, one with an unknown number of different species of birds, fish, animals, water, soil and plants that were on the brink of complete destruction without the extra money to clean up the mess American oil companies were making, along with their knowledge of all the threats that this type of oil is to the surrounding areas. In fact, most of it is a muddy substance, and it is very different than gushing water-like oil-wells you see everywhere else in the world are.
In fact, this rich forestry would now be ruined if it had not been for Chavez. That is the real reason that we were mad at Chavez -- and, of course, people here are against socialism -- and raising taxes. You can't have both.
So what if Chavez took over an old British owned phone company, a corrupt bank, and "one" of over twenty TV channels? He gave everyone plenty of warning before he took over anything. Instead of taxing the super rich people there, who are much richer than most people in the US, and live a beautiful life with special small homes for their many servants, private jets, yachts, expensive sports cars, and mansions unlike any I have ever seen.
They have collections of precious stones and gems on multiple shelves with special lighting just for the stones and gems. In addition to their outside pools, they have one in several of the bedrooms. They have huge kitchens with a staff of cooks, several private living rooms in addition to the large entertaining rooms and outside areas by the pool where they do most of their entertaining. Their clothes are made for them by famous designers -- and many of the rich wives and kids spend six months of the year in Europe, or on one their islands in the Hampton's.
Chavez decided to pay for the aid to the poor by taking over a few companies. Everyone had time to take their money out of these companies -- and the rich were very happy that their taxes were not raised as much as would be needed to help the poor. Not only can you have your own property or business, but you can work for yourself, a company privately owned -- and if you can't find a job,the government will give you one. Humans have so many rights, much like those of the UN Charter.
Oh yeah, you, or anyone can travel in and out of the country any time we want -- or leave to move elsewhere if we like. The rich have not left their beautiful spacious mansions yet, or abandoned the most clear aqua-blue most beautiful islands in the world that they play in without the problems of tourists or poor people bothering them, since they are only accessible only by private planes, so for now, I doubt they ever will!
Unfortunately, I lost all of my designer clothes that I had made for me by Saint Laurent' when I dated one of the richest men in the country and lived the high life, but there was one major difference between the two of us: He wanted me to ignore the beggars, and I couldn't be with someone who asks me to ignore thousands of poor people who had to beg or work as slave laborers for the rich, or even worse, they were too sick to work by the time they were old enough to have babies..
I have laugh now because Chavez created minimum wages, mandatory holiday vacations (with additional pay from a percent of the profits of the company they work for) with their regular pay they received per day --mandatory -- for every day of their vacations. Two weeks for Christmas, and another one during one of the other holidays. The employers must give new mothers time off with pay either before, or after, their pregnancy for up to six months, and every employer pays into a mandatory social security fund that is entitiled to all -- even migrant workers.
The rich had revolted years ago when a president tried to raise their taxes to 4 percent. I don't know how much it is now, but they all seem very happy to rely on the socialism (that excludes many laws and higher taxes on the rich in many ways).How bad is all of this? Peace and Love, Stormy Shea
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