Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
If I understand you correctly, JQ, you are saying that Venezuela is not in its current condition because of its adoption of socialism, ie, the government's assumed control of private business and property. You believe it is due to corruption and poor leadership.John Q. Public wrote:.......... Venezuela.......... he and Republicans are too busy blaming socialism for its problems instead of rampant corruption and amateurish leadership. .
I don’t doubt that there is corruption in that country. Transparency International has rated Venezuela near the bottom in terms of corruption ever since it started keeping track in 1995. There is little evidence that the level of corruption now is any worse than it was before Hugo Chavez initiated the drift to socialism in 1999. It’s still near the bottom. In fact, only Paraguay, Columbia in Ecuador were even in the same league with Venezuela in 1998. Now they have all improved substantially while Venezuela has been joined in 2018 by Nicaragua, led, interestingly, by the Marxist-Leninist Daniel Ortega. Cause or effect?
Yes, it is universally acknowledged that Venezuela’s leadership is, to put it kindly, amateurish. Leadership is amateurish in many countries, including our own at the moment. That in itself does not necessarily lead to imminent collapse. Strong countries can survive bouts of amateur hour. Venezuela’s leadership in the '90s was also weak, with two attempted coups and an impeached president but the country was staying on course.
You seem to minimize socialism’s role in the current situation: It’s not the system, it’s the corruption, it’s the poor leadership. But the same can be said for divine right monarchy: the idea is great, Louis XVI just screwed it up. Fascism works great, Mussolini was just amateurish
It seems clear enough that the government’s growing forfeiture of property rights, the seizure of private businesses and the continuing central control of industry with its inherent inefficiency is what has ruined Venezuela's economy and stability. That was the trigger, not a sudden onslaught of corruption or weak leadership. Venezuela is now poverty stricken. Due to its socialist restrictions, individual entrepreneurs - every country has them - cannot improvise or utilize the market to improve the situation..................................Luca
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
You seem to minimize the role of corruption and poor leadership, both of which you acknowledge Venezuela possesses in great quantities, and set your sights squarely on the evil "socialism". Is it possible that whatever system might still be functioning in Venezuela doesn't really reflect any political belief system much at all?
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed. - The Dhammapada
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
Denmark, Sweden, the UK, etc aren't in the same position, and they practice the styles of socialism that American progressives are talking about. The number of people who want a completely government managed economy is extremely low.Luca wrote:If I understand you correctly, JQ, you are saying that Venezuela is not in its current condition because of its adoption of socialism, ie, the government's assumed control of private business and property. You believe it is due to corruption and poor leadership.a
So the constant whining and comparisons to Venezuela by right wing politicians and pundits is asinine.
This country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them.—-JFK
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Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
I gotta get an "out of office" message of some sort but yeah, what they said. There are too many examples of socialist or socialistic countries that have been thriving for quite some time to blame socialism for Venezuela's problems. Note also that Donald's tweet doing just that came from a country where the standard of living is better under a full-communist regime than it's ever been in recorded history. I'm not saying it's right for everyone but it's worked for Viet Nam. But there's also much more to that story.
And I'm sticking with corruption and amateurishness being Venezuela's biggest problems. And you can add lawlessness to that as well. The place just isn't run well and hasn't been since long before Hugo took over. Or... Hugo wouldn't have taken over, que no? Remember he was elected.
One of many stories involving corrupt amateurs cutting their own throats there - A friend of ours has a business there (on hiatus) exporting cacao. The country has enough of it that it should be considered a major export commodity. But when it came time to renew his export license, the fee had gone up so much that he'd have lost money by staying in business. And of course the "fee" wasn't exactly, like, written down anywhere, so he didn't know how much of it was the actual fee and how much was the government official's cut, but suffice to say that he's waiting Maduro out in Mexico City. And even the opposition believes that the country will need some form of socialistic policies to right itself.
And as for Mussolini, he did have some good ideas. He had some very bad ones, but he did come up with the model that European labor unions use, which is far superior to the one used in this country.
And I'm sticking with corruption and amateurishness being Venezuela's biggest problems. And you can add lawlessness to that as well. The place just isn't run well and hasn't been since long before Hugo took over. Or... Hugo wouldn't have taken over, que no? Remember he was elected.
One of many stories involving corrupt amateurs cutting their own throats there - A friend of ours has a business there (on hiatus) exporting cacao. The country has enough of it that it should be considered a major export commodity. But when it came time to renew his export license, the fee had gone up so much that he'd have lost money by staying in business. And of course the "fee" wasn't exactly, like, written down anywhere, so he didn't know how much of it was the actual fee and how much was the government official's cut, but suffice to say that he's waiting Maduro out in Mexico City. And even the opposition believes that the country will need some form of socialistic policies to right itself.
And as for Mussolini, he did have some good ideas. He had some very bad ones, but he did come up with the model that European labor unions use, which is far superior to the one used in this country.
Don't look at me, I just work here.
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
Corrupt amateur--unfortunately that describes our President now.
This country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them.—-JFK
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
Speaking of North Korea...it seems that trump's statement that "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." was just a bunch of BS.
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed. - The Dhammapada
Re: Kim Jong Un to Meet with Trump!
North Korea has reportedly executed the country’s special envoy to the United States over February’s failed summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Friday.
Kim Hyok Chol, the chief negotiator who led the working-level negotiations with the U.S., was executed in March alongside several other officials in punishment for the outcome of the event, the newspaper reported.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/north-ko ... 085e3758e3
....... this is the guy we dissed Japan for?
Kim Hyok Chol, the chief negotiator who led the working-level negotiations with the U.S., was executed in March alongside several other officials in punishment for the outcome of the event, the newspaper reported.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/north-ko ... 085e3758e3
....... this is the guy we dissed Japan for?