this statement above is not true (like most things said in this thread). HDI for Venezuela is slightly up in 2007 and much higher than in 1997 before HC took office which was below average and downward since late 1980's.

It took a small dive during and after the coup d'etat (in 2002)



Venezuela at 74 place (2007) has a medium high level of HDI, not far from Brazil (70) .
Higher than these countries in the hemisphere
Colombia (75)
Dominican Rep. (79)
Belize (80)
Grenada (83)
Suriname (85)
Peru (87)
Paraguay (89)
Guyana (97)
Jamaica (101)
El Salvador (103)
Honduras (115)
Guatemala (118)
Haiti (146)

Funny you never read anything about the political system/leaders of Guatemala or El Salvador for example, yet their people have to struggle to get basics like Food and clean water every day. Health care is a luxury, as well as education...yet you never hear in the north american MSM anything about the system and leaders of these countries or any demonization of their political system/leaders .

well, the folks in the major cities have trouble buying staples due to cost controls etc. and his naked grab at dictatorial powers has stopped the madness for now....we'll see how it plays out.....his reform aren’t working, that much is clear...one builds a sustainable economy by creating mechanisms that create wealth...not distributing wealth.

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No individual can plan his own existence in their view.

So the state planners must arrogate to themselves the right to manipulate any sector of the economic system if the good of “society” or the “general welfare” is paramount.

Ipso- if the rights of the individual get in the way, the rights of the individual must be sublimated.

The Road to Serfdom
FA Hayek (interpretation)


Mortgage Backed Security survivor

Who controls the distribution? It is not Chavez government, You better do some research on that.

theres a lack of distribution because there is a lack of production, because the price controls, forced abdication of arable lands being turned over to amateurs and the whole redistribution of such has created a mess.....and the chavez gov. doesn’t control distribution? they sem to control everything else......they left that out? And thats pretty weak, so just getting it to market is the issue?

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No individual can plan his own existence in their view.

So the state planners must arrogate to themselves the right to manipulate any sector of the economic system if the good of “society” or the “general welfare” is paramount.

Ipso- if the rights of the individual get in the way, the rights of the individual must be sublimated.

The Road to Serfdom
FA Hayek (interpretation)


Mortgage Backed Security survivor

Er, you don't believe proposing to abolish presidential term limits is inherently undemocratic?

You'll pardon me if I assign the figures coming from the UN far more credibility that the chart you cited, which comes from Chavez's administration.

Matt

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De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

I guess the level of debate here is high school level. Care to look up at the HDI archives? Guess not. Bye.

Pardon me, but I have been nothing but polite and civil to you. What's with the attitude and insults?

Matt

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De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

Not inherently, no. In context, certainly.

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"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

I gotta disagree. In a presidential system, the balance of power tilts toward the executive almost by default. Term limits are probably the single biggest check on that.

Yeah. In context. But in theory no. Quite the opposite, actually.

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"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

How so?

Well, the people should be able to decide whoever the hell they want to represent them, regardless of whether he's been president before or not.

This is, of course, all theoretical.

I'm in complete agreement that in the case of Venezuela doing away with term limits would be devastating to their democracy.

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"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

Gloria, that is because the leaders of Guatemala and El Salvador aren't spending a lot of time on TV denouncing the US President as "El Diablo". I am sure if they did, we would read more about them also.

I think Chavez would serve the people of Venezuela better if he devoted more of his time toward solving the problems that are most important to them instead of running around trying to be the moral heir to Simon Bolivar. To be sure he has done a lot for the poor of his country and they will be forever loyal to him for it, which he has earned, but doing things like going to the Ibero-American Summit in Spain and insulting their former Prime Minister helps nobody.

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Don't startle him, Joe - it's almost full!