Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela as its President in 1998 and was re-elected in 2000 and 2006. Chavez, a former military Lt. Colonel, who after orchestrating a failed 1992 coup d'état against former President Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992, founded the left wing Fifth Republic movement. Chavez has turned Venezuela, an oil rich country, into a socialist country.
President Chavez believes in Bolivarianism, although drawing heavily from Simón Bolívar's ideals, was also influenced by the writings of Marxist historian Federico Brito Figueroa. Chavez was well acquainted with the various traditions of Latin American socialism espoused by Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and Salvador Allende and from a young age by the Cuban revolutionary doctrine of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Chavez has increased presidential powers tenfold by a series of legislative moves rubber stamped by his assembly.
Chavez is a staunch proponent of the United State’s foreign policy in Latin America. Venezuela, under Chavez rule, has supported left leaning rebel groups throughout Latin America. He has recalled the ambassador to Columbia and has threatened to pull other ambassadors to Latin American countries that have strong ties with the United States. The leftist Venezuelan leader is also furious at a U.S. security agreement with Colombia that will give the Pentagon access to seven Colombian military bases. Chavez has cut trade with his neighbor as a reprisal.
Chavez has systematically reduced the individual freedoms of every Venezuelan citizen yet there is no public outcry over what Chavez has done. Where are all of the groups that have raised questions of civil liberty infringements here in this country? More than likely, filling up their gas tanks with the Venezuelan owned CITGO Gas and Oil company’s products.
Castro after his revolution put the poor citizens of Cuba behind many Latin American countries citizens. Socialism does not work. The main reason is eventually the government will run out of money and when it does, the system will crumble because everyone is relying on the government for their livelihoods. Socialism stifles innovation and progress and in Latin American countries innovation is needed to get their economies growing. Chavez did have a few years of tremendous popularity because of the wealth he had in his country and because of the oil revenues the country generated. When that money ran dry, Venezuela could not keep up the pace of growth needed to sustain Socialism.
Chavez compensates for a breakdown in government services with propaganda. The "democratically elected" dictator has re-appropriated money for everything from student school supplies to roads and used it to paint his picture on every clear surface. "Patriotism, socialism or death" banners hang across streets in Caracas, and anti-American murals adorn walls everywhere. Eventually the propaganda needs to be replaced by real progress.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that price controls cause shortages. He should have known what the result would be. So why is Chavez imposing them? The great socialist who is supposed to be doing such good for the poor of Venezuela is only making food scarce for them.
Chavez is only proving the point that one failed intervention by the government leads to another. Having failed at monetary intervention they try to solve the problems they've created with price controls, but that only makes matters worse. Ultimately, socialism is imposed at gun point and intervention is revealed as a dictatorship. Corruption follows a dictator everywhere, as a dictator must secure his place by using bribes and fear.
Companies that invested billions of dollars in the Venezuelan economy have left the country in fear of Chavez. This has shrunk the country’s economy by 24 percent.*
The Venezuelan National Assembly has become a key force in cementing President Hugo Chavez's socialist agenda, potentially changing Venezuela for decades to come. The opposition holds none of the 167 seats, though a dozen lawmakers have broken ties with Chavez over what they call his growing authoritarianism and often vote against him. So far this year, legislators have cleared the way for the government to seize more private property and oil companies, stripped power from opposition elected officials and approved the redrawing of voting districts that could favor the ruling party. Freedom no longer rings in Venezuela.
Why does this matter to the United States? On the surface it really does not matter, does it? It matters to us because Chaves is using his socialist agenda to entrench himself as the leader of Venezuela and as he does that he has tried to strengthen ties to other dictators in the world. The last thing we need is to have a country in our hemisphere with relationships with Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Russia. The 21st century should have freedoms expanding for all and not going back to the dark ages. We need to stand up to these dictators and help the citizens in dictator lead countries experience what we are so blessed to have. If dictators are left unchecked our unstable world with become more imbalanced.
*Fox News
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