Hugo Chavez Invites Homeless to Live in Presidential Palace

Sorry, I don't trust any person with power to rule by decree.
Let's assume that Chavez has the best of intentions (and they seem better than most Yanqui presidents), but who can say that one man will always do what is best for the masses? That alternate opinions are always wrong, always a conspiracy against the people?

 

Do you trust those that are elected?

If you don't, this is a moot point.

If you do... well, thats a whole other topic...

 

Why should we be so concerned with how Mr. Chavez runs Venezuela? We're not there. America is America, not Venezuela. Same for the UK and Canada. No one but the Venezuelans have any business running Venezuela. Period. If we don't like then I guess we can avoid going there. We are not their defenders. We are not their baby sitters.

I like Chavez's attitude of empowering the poor. America? No way. Exactly the opposite.

 

Hmm, I was under the impression that the whole problem with them having lots of the devils rather valuable shit chillin' under their country had turned chavez into just another sellout, and that his original supporters where clamoring for him to step down, etc.

But this is cool, even though I'm sure it's just for the propaganda advantage.

But I don't see homeless living in the white house, so.... The third world beats out the US, yet again.

 

We are concerned because we would be selfish not to be?
That is not an invitation to interfere directly, but maybe we could encourage good where it can be found. (better to light a candle than curse the darkness).
Specifically, freedom of speech/press is not inherently an American ideal, it is cherished in many cultures. Freedom of dissent is commonly accepted as a hippie value. We can facilitate the efforts of anyone who would like to express a dissenting opinion without regard for borders.

 

By the way, there is plenty of room for improvement in America, particularly when it comes to social justice for the poor, but this is a thread about Chavez and Venezuela and it would be wrong for me to go beyond simple compare and contrast and venture here into a systematic critique of how the USA has abandoned a huge segment of its population. But elsewhere? Sure, let's have a go at it!

 

Venezuela is far from the third world. In fact it's one of 4 South American countries above the global average of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

 

Well I was under the impression that they where a third world country, because of the condition of most of their people? I mean, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, all have massive oil wealth, and all also have impoverished, starving, brutalized populations, which doesn't exactly let them be first world countries.

*edit* in fact, I see lots of countries that have totally failed their people very high up on those lists you linked...

 

Yea exactly.

I don't mean to be overly cynical or anything but I think I would do the same if I had a huge fucking palace from which I ruled a country largely filled with impoverished people. But yeah still good for him I guess. :/

 

Here we go:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12046964

 

The best part of that bill:

Iraq has suffered 8 years of war, and before that 13 years of extreme sanctions which along with the first gulf war destroyed their economy. Saudi Arabia is a pretty modern countries, have you seen pictures of Riyhad, Medinna, Mecca, Jedda, glistening cities. They also have one of the largest welfare states in the world, like in other Gulf countries a lot of people simply just don't work because they don't need to, and low paid foreign workers do most of the hard labor.

Iran is definitely a mid income country, sanctions have stalled it's growth in the past few years, and it does have poverty issues in the country side, but urban Iran looks like urban life in any western nation.

 

Riyadh totally bites. Although Saudi food is pretty tasty.

 

Have you ever looked at LA? it's a modern glistening city, too... Or for that matter, dubai, which is built upon slave labor, in the most literal sense.... Much like the Saudi family playground, though...

 

Are you comparing LA to third world cities? Because people in Chad might have some issues to take up with that.