Where’s Jimmy Carter when you need him!!!

The biggest useful idiot in American history I’m sure will down in Venezuela monitoring Hugo’s latest power grab this weekend.

I may have read that exact same article.

Basically, Chavez is going to use the excuse of not enough food in the supermarkets to take control of the farms and food processors and even the supermarkets. Eventually, Chavez will, once his oil sector collapses due to neglect, labor difficulties, etc., will have to fire up the printing presses like his buddy Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe and will eventually suffer from hyperinflation.

There is only one upside to Hugo Chavez; his reign will be this decade’s poster-child as to how coercive socialism fails to provide people with security and happiness.

I wish I was as optimistic as you are, but history dictates that not too long from now, another demagogue will preach the exact same message with the exact same results.

I recently read an article that stated that supermarkets in Venezuela had shortages of basic staples (which are price controlled) while their shelves were chock full of luxury goods (which are priced at market clearing levels).

Apparently the governments “spin” is that the shortages are the product of the new affluence of the poor. The fact that in a free market shortages cause prices to rise, which attract additional suppliers seems to have completely missed these guys. For 6000 years of recorded history, starting with the Sumerians, despots, kings and demagogues have attempted, nearly always with catastrophic results, to use price controls to evade the laws of economics. These attempts have invariably failed.

There is only one upside to Hugo Chavez; his reign will be this decade’s poster-child as to how coercive socialism fails to provide people with security and happiness. Of course, tell that to the millions who will suffer or die in yet another attempt to demonstrate the folly of attempting violence to override economical laws.

Sheesh.