HUGO CHAVEZ DEAD

[Lord Zentei]

You said "nor do I applaud anything else about his economic policies."

My question was "Does that [the non-applauding] include the economic policies that acted to reduce the inequality?" I might add as a postscript, "could you expand on why you do not approve of those policies that acted to reduce the inequality?

Does the question make sense now?

I asked you to clarify your question, because frankly it seemed that you were being a semantics whore rather than seriously suggesting that you thought my post implied that I disapprove of policies enacted to reduce inequality. Or possibly jerking your knees. It still looks that way, since the context of my post should have made my meaning obvious.

I don't disapprove of reduction of inequality per se. When I said that I didn't approve of "anything else about his economic policies" I referred to the consequences of his policies other than reduced inequality as well as the methods he used to achieve his ends.

[Simon_Jester]

Fine by me.

I am curious as to the details of your reasoning, since you know more of Chavez's economic policy than I. Would you mind explaining?

[Flagg]

Fair.org

AP: Chavez Wasted His Money on Healthcare When He Could Have Built Gigantic Skyscrapers

By Jim Naureckas

One of the more bizarre takes on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's death comes from Associated Press business reporter Pamela Sampson (3/5/13):

Chavez invested Venezuela's oil wealth into social programs including state-run food markets, cash benefits for poor families, free health clinics and education programs. But those gains were meager compared with the spectacular construction projects that oil riches spurred in glittering Middle Eastern cities, including the world's tallest building in Dubai and plans for branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums in Abu Dhabi.

That's right: Chavez squandered his nation's oil money on healthcare, education and nutrition when he could have been building the world's tallest building or his own branch of the Louvre. What kind of monster has priorities like that?

In case you're curious about what kind of results this kooky agenda had, here's a chart (NACLA, 10/8/12) based on World Bank poverty stats–showing the proportion of Venezuelans living on less than $2 a day falling from 35 percent to 13 percent over three years. (For comparison purposes, there's a similar stat for Brazil, which made substantial but less dramatic progress against poverty over the same time period.)

Of course, during this time, the number of Venezuelans living in the world's tallest building went from 0 percent to 0 percent, while the number of copies of the Mona Lisa remained flat, at none. So you have to say that Chavez's presidency was overall pretty disappointing–at least by AP's standards.

Pretty funny take on the AP's coverage. Pretty telling that Chavez was a bad man because he didn't build things for rich assholes.

[Elfdart]

Worse than that, he stopped sending Venezuelan army officers to Fort Benning to be taught the fine arts of torture, rape, murder and overthrowing lawfully elected governments when Washington tells them to. He then got other countries in the region to do likewise.

The bastard!

[Tribun]

NBC - His body is to be put onto display for eternity

According to news, Chavez is about to join the ranks of Lenin and Mao... namely the ranks of dead bodies preserved and put on display.

I honestly have to wonder how bad this religious admiration of Chavez is going to get, after it already had sometimes bordered on the absurd during his lifetimes.

[Elfdart]

I honestly have to wonder how bad this religious admiration of Chavez is going to get, after it already had sometimes bordered on the absurd during his lifetimes.

Compared to the death cult built up around Von Reagan, Venezuelans have been relatively restrained.

[Guardsman Bass]

I honestly have to wonder how bad this religious admiration of Chavez is going to get, after it already had sometimes bordered on the absurd during his lifetimes.

Compared to the death cult built up around Von Reagan, Venezuelans have been relatively restrained.

Reagan's body isn't going to stay on permanent display in glass. I don't think.

[The Disintegrator]

I'll say this about Chavez, I'm glad he's out of power, but I don't celebrate his death. Personally I would've preferred it if he had retired when he first became ill, perhaps he would have enjoyed a bit more time if not for the stress of the job. And while I didn't agree with most of his policies, I do feel like a lot of his actions at the very least had good intentions behind them. I feel that he at least made an attempt to help the people of Venezuela.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Compared to the death cult built up around Von Reagan, Venezuelans have been relatively restrained.

But various left-wingers abound whose cult has little to distinguish it from the neocons worshipping Reagan.

[Vendetta]

I honestly have to wonder how bad this religious admiration of Chavez is going to get, after it already had sometimes bordered on the absurd during his lifetimes.

Compared to the death cult built up around Von Reagan, Venezuelans have been relatively restrained.

Reagan's body isn't going to stay on permanent display in glass. I don't think.

Only so Republicans of the future will believe that he rose again on the third day to sweep away the sin of social spending.

[Irbis]

I'll say this about Chavez, I'm glad he's out of power, but I don't celebrate his death. Personally I would've preferred it if he had retired when he first became ill, perhaps he would have enjoyed a bit more time if not for the stress of the job. And while I didn't agree with most of his policies, I do feel like a lot of his actions at the very least had good intentions behind them. I feel that he at least made an attempt to help the people of Venezuela.

Yes, for all his faults and strongarming (which is at least understandable, though, seeing he was a victim of almost-successful US backed coup) I feel Chávez tried to make his part of the world a better place. Something that can't be said about Bush, Blair, Cameron and Cheney, who shitted not only over their country, but dozens of others.