Venezuela continues to sink in misery

[TXPower + 643]

47 minutes ago, Rasmus Jorgensen said:

Sorry for taking a long time to come back on this one.

Anyways, I have to to the conclusion that the best way I can answer this one is to offer some context about myself and where I stand politically. Reason being that I tend to only follow American foreign and the headlines about Trump. 

For starters I should note that I actually love American culture. Specifically, Southern culture. I went to school in Georgia on a scholarship. More so than the academic experience the social experience shaped me. I have only respect for family values, the particular variety that you see in small southern towns. When adressing elders I use the Danish social equivalent of sir and ma'am. I never call my parents out publicly when they are wrong. For a long time I actually went back atleast once a year to go horseback riding in Appalachian mountains. I give my son an electronic ban if I catch him listening to rap music and I plan on showing him some sad neighbourhoods in Atlanta when he gets older, just to de-glorify that horrible rap music. I could continue ad infinitum. 

And I understand that these values and way of life "are under attack".

Proffessionally the man I consider my most important mentor I also met in the States. He is a retired VP with Norfolk Southern railroad. His view on the world and value system has meant a great deal to me as well. 

Onto me and my views - I believe that nothing comes free. If you want something out of life you need to create it. And I believe strongly in individual freedoms. However, I also believe in "social heritage" - when is a choice a choice? i.e. if I have been surround by a certain type behaviour since birth the likely default is that I will replicate that behaviour. On this I am decidly social-liberal. I do believe that the state needs to level the playing field. Simply because it in the best interest of society - it enhances social mobility and better educated populace is also more likely to make better life choices. A very difficult discussion is when levelling turns into coddling. The best way I can describe it is that here in Denmark I believe we have taken it too far. And I believe that you could / should do more in the states. As an example - we have such a generous welfare system that despite having 100k+ seasonal agriculture jobs these need to be filled by legal seasonal workers from Eastern Europe. So, our welfare is so generous that it is not worth for people to take seasonal work. that is a clear sign that something is out of whack. On the complete oppossite side of that spectrum the numbers speak for themselfes - in the 50s Danish per capita GDP was a fraction of the US. Today it is higher - meaning investing in education and infrastructure has worked. 

Combining my economic beliefs with values you end up with a fiscally conservative social-liberal that believes in doing the rigth thing and leading by example. I probably have an emphasis on the softer approach compared to most Americans because I have seen it work. I believe that I must do my part for the betterment of my community - not for kudos or altruistic reasons, but purely because I want to my kids to grow up in the type of community that I grew up in. 

Specifically on Trump (and some of his counterparts in Europe) - for me they display some values that are un-acceptable (and in-compatible with Christian inspired value set) and I must therefore chose an alterntive. I understand the lack of choice in a 2 party system and I also understand that Hillary was probably about the worst candidate that dems could have run. But still... 

To qoute Aaron Tippin : "You've got to stand for something". 

I hope that provides some understanding. 

 

Rasmus, thank you for your time and effort to present where you are coming from.  It’s very instructive for me.  You and I are not as far apart in our beliefs as I or you might have imagined.

 

[Rodent + 1,424]

circling back round to Venezuela, hold onto your hats. human rights watch is calling maduro's administration out over what it refers to as significant human rights abuses of detractors, and now Venezuela's defense minister has reportedly called for maduro's resignation, or he will resign himself.

Things are about to get uglier...

[Rasmus Jorgensen + 1,169]

17 hours ago, mthebold said:

On that note, I've noticed your responses seem far too simplistic for someone with your alleged experience. 

Then again, that may be the difference between true expertise and getting paid to make people feel good. 

?

[Rasmus Jorgensen + 1,169]

17 hours ago, mthebold said:

It could also be argued that America's welfare system has gone too far.  We even have "welfare queens": single women who have as many kids as possible to collect additional welfare benefits.  The rampant abuse of social systems in the US is why Americans appear so harsh on the subject.

We've also tried leading by example; it doesn't seem to work here.  My impression is that if you live in a homogeneous culture of honor, welfare and leading by example  can work.  America is neither homogeneous nor a culture of honor like Northern Europe is though.  We have too many people from cultures that abuse the hell out of anything they're given.  Thus, we can't have nice social systems. 

I will bet you a virtual beer that we have more exploitation of social systems here than you do in America. But it is saturday evening... I need to get back to the cocktail party to help plot leftist world dominance (that was a joke inc case you are wondering).

[Rodent + 1,424]

16 hours ago, mthebold said:

The US is the only country in the world that demands eggs be washed before sale.  Sounds like an extra safety precaution, but it has nefarious effects.  Unwashed eggs last months at room temperature, whereas washed eggs must be refrigerated immediately - and still don't last as long.  The net effect is:

1)  Farmers can't sell unwashed eggs directly to the public, they can't afford the expensive washing/refrigeration equipment, and they can't afford to make the frequent egg deliveries washed eggs require.  This forces them to sell directly to grocers, who depress prices.

I'm not really up on American laws over egg washing, but I can say definitively that every morning I pass at least three small farms that sell eggs fresh. I guess they sometimes wash them, but not like the ones that you get in the store. it's a bit more expensive than buying them at the grocery store, but not by much. they definitely taste better. one place that I pass has a refrigerator and you just walk in their barn, put money in a can on the workbench, open the refrigerator, and select your eggs. sometimes you wave to the farmer if he's outside feeding the cows. Sometimes you see nobody. (other times you stop not because you want eggs, but because a stray cow is lurking on the road.)

the only problem is that sometimes these places are out of eggs, unlike the grocery store. if that happens more than once or twice, you usually skip that place in the future.

also, in the summer, these farms also have little tables sitting out with their vegetables that you can buy as well. this is always self serve, with a can outside to put the money in. sometimes these farmers put their vegetables on a table for passersby to take, free of charge.

of course the government does regulate much of the food and how it is handled, but groceries are not out of reach for most Americans. if you want to buy organic food, or lots of perishable food, that is a bit pricier. but you can always go for the cheap stuff that is pre-packaged, processed, and entirely unhealthy. 

of course if you live in an urban area none of this is possible. but around here, you can get beef, chicken, turkey, vegetables, eggs, milk, whatever, directly from farms.

 

 

[Enthalpic + 1,496]

On 1/13/2019 at 1:19 PM, mthebold said:

You explicitly stated that you were trying to "provoke" me.  On the internet, this often has the connotation of being a "troll".  If that is, in fact, your intent - and you wouldn't be the first well-educated person I've seen discuss disingenuously - it would explain why your responses are emotionally soothing while being hopelessly simplistic.  When a person has deep knowledge & experience with a subject, soothing + simplistic is the most irritating thing imaginable. 

The other explanation for your simplistic/wrong views is that you just don't know what you're talking about.  This is consistent with the upbringing, education, and experience of an executive: they don't get paid to know how things work; they get paid to ensure other people stay placated and get the work done.  I.e. their job is to manage culture.  More often than not, their competent underlings figure out how they work and present them limited options to ensure the right decisions get made.  Sadly, this results in the executive believing he has competence when he's actually a puppet propped up by those with true competence.  It's the Peter Principle and Dunning-Kruger effect rolled into one person. 

An example of what I'm talking about: you suggested that if I wanted good food, I could buy American as you buy Dane.  The utter ignorance in that statement is on par with the infamous "let them eat cake".  Americans almost universally buy American food.  The problem is that our government uses regulation to stamp out small companies, prevent farmers from selling directly to the public, and eliminate affordable options.  The result is that bureaucrats control the food supply, and nutritious food is far more expensive than the average American can afford.  Left to our own devices, Americans would be the healthiest people on the planet.  Unfortunately, the government is involved. 

An example:

The US is the only country in the world that demands eggs be washed before sale.  Sounds like an extra safety precaution, but it has nefarious effects.  Unwashed eggs last months at room temperature, whereas washed eggs must be refrigerated immediately - and still don't last as long.  The net effect is:
1)  Farmers can't sell unwashed eggs directly to the public, they can't afford the expensive washing/refrigeration equipment, and they can't afford to make the frequent egg deliveries washed eggs require.  This forces them to sell directly to grocers, who depress prices.
2)  The washing/refrigeration equipment and processing adds significant, unnecessary cost to the price of eggs.  So does the increased wastage as eggs spoil.

How much does this matter?  If I know the right people, I can buy the highest quality eggs at half the price I can get them through official channels.  That, while paying the farmer 20% more than he gets selling to grocers.  Cutting the price in half puts the highest quality foods at the same price point as the lowest quality foods, which would enable everyone to afford it.  As it is, the average American must make do with the unhealthy, commercially-produced crap our government sanctions.  Hence, our obesity epidemic, depressed IQs, lower performance at work & in school, developmental problems, behavioral problems...

Outsourcing & free markets would be acceptable if our government allowed truly free markets.  As it is, the US government hamstrings domestic industries, effectively destroying communities and guaranteeing a "need" for immigration.  It's a criminal betrayal; we should be slaughtering politicians & government employees over this. 

Canada requires eggs be washed.

"Food deserts" are more a corporate thing (dollar general, etc.) than governmental.  Junk food store moves into an area and the people buy cheap junk instead of vegetables and so the grocery store closes.  People voted with their dollars and made the wrong choice - the blame is on the people who dollar voted out health and jobs (groceries hire more people than a dollar store).  Now they are locked in your nutrition deprived stupidity until government steps in and helps (regulations, food stamps that can only buy real food).

[Sam Nataros + 2]

I do not believe that we should put a single on/ddaughter in harms way for them.  They voted for this.  I would not be againt dropping a few bombs on him while he sits at his office and let the people set up a new goverment.  I do not want another country dependant on us.

[Carlos Ivan Hernandez Sanchez + 2]

• Carlos Hernandez
• Merida, Venezuela
• Unemployed but before a teacher
• Freelance 
• 10 Years of Experience
• EPC Projects, as a Cost engineer, reviewing contracts, teaching microelectronic at college, translator

[Rodent + 1,424]

13 hours ago, Enthalpic said:

Canada requires eggs be washed.

"Food deserts" are more a corporate thing (dollar general, etc.) than governmental.  Junk food store moves into an area and the people buy cheap junk instead of vegetables and so the grocery store closes.  People voted with their dollars and made the wrong choice - the blame is on the people who dollar voted out health and jobs (groceries hire more people than a dollar store).  Now they are locked in your nutrition deprived stupidity until government steps in and helps (regulations, food stamps that can only buy real food).

I think that there is a lot of truth to what you are saying. However, I know several small towns around me that only have dollar stores to get food. of course people who have vehicles can make it it to another town to get groceries. But the people who don't drive for whatever reason are stuck getting their groceries from the most convenient place, the dollar store. one could argue that the dollar store did a fair amount of market research and determined that those locations were adequate to sustain its business model. one could also argue that Grocers did the same thing and found that it was not prudent to set up shop there. but I think that some of the small towns near me simply are not large enough to sustain a grocery.

playing a trivia game the other day, I learned that 90% of Americans live within 15 miles from a Walmart. most Walmarts have groceries.

[Bobby Cullari + 1]

Venezuela is in the crapper? GOOD! 

Their despair means less Venezuelan oil on the market and my price edges up. I make more money. 

These drones once cheered their commie-red leader Conrad Chevez, so now the chickens have come home to roost. Next time do as you're told! 

[TXPower + 643]

17 hours ago, Enthalpic said:

Canada requires eggs be washed.

"Food deserts" are more a corporate thing (dollar general, etc.) than governmental.  Junk food store moves into an area and the people buy cheap junk instead of vegetables and so the grocery store closes.  People voted with their dollars and made the wrong choice - the blame is on the people who dollar voted out health and jobs (groceries hire more people than a dollar store).  Now they are locked in your nutrition deprived stupidity until government steps in and helps (regulations, food stamps that can only buy real food).

To be sure some blame goes to the consumer who voted with their income and bought from the dollar store joints that sell less than nutritious foods.  

But, much more has to do with the  fact that large corporations have bought the farms, own the stores where the items are sold and bought the politicians who make laws that stack the deck against any competitors.  That is why the Independent Grocers (IGA’s) are almost gone now.

Government stepping in is not the answer.  Goverment doesn’t fix things, it confounds them.

[Rodent + 1,424]

5 hours ago, Bobby Cullari said:

Venezuela is in the crapper? GOOD! 

Their despair means less Venezuelan oil on the market and my price edges up. I make more money. 

These drones once cheered their commie-red leader Conrad Chevez, so now the chickens have come home to roost. Next time do as you're told! 

that's ridiculous

[Illurion + 894]

On 1/13/2019 at 3:19 PM, mthebold said:

I can buy the highest quality eggs at half the price I can get them through official channels.  That, while paying the farmer 20% more than he gets selling to grocers. 

I get my eggs from my neighbor across the street for free.

He has chickens in his back yard.

[Illurion + 894]

16 hours ago, Carlos Ivan Hernandez Sanchez said:

• Carlos Hernandez
• Merida, Venezuela
• Unemployed but before a teacher
• Freelance 
• 10 Years of Experience
• EPC Projects, as a Cost engineer, reviewing contracts, teaching microelectronic at college, translator

Welcome.

How are things where you live ?

What are the people saying about Maduro and the government ?

[John Foote + 1,135]

On 1/3/2019 at 9:38 AM, Dan Warnick said:

Actually, the FTC states that they have 1,140 full time equivalent employees and, get this, their 2019 budget is only a mere $390,700,000!  If that's not enough money to enforce it, what is?  Wow!  The information you can find on the government's own websites!  And that took an act of Congress many years ago (to make budget appropriations public).

2019 Budget for the Federal Trade Commission

 

And what do you think the budget for advertising in the country, and defending lawsuits, and lobbying? 

In the end laws work best not because of enforcement, but that people, and corporations, have the ethics and belief structure. If it's just cost of getting caught verses the upside, it gets ugly.

[John Foote + 1,135]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:26 AM, Black Blade said:

People thought that they could "have a free lunch" as it were. The problem is that nothing is ever free. 

Critical in a representative system is voters being critical thinkers. Failing that, since most of us humans aren't evidence based critical thinkers, we count on the system's checks and balances, and opposition forces keeping one group run off with the loot and power. I doubt the framers of the constitution had a two party system in mind, and since something like 75% of the districts are non competitive, the nomination process within a party is key, and how few of us do anything there.

[Rodent + 1,424]

11 hours ago, mthebold said:

At first glance, yes.  

nope, at any glance. there is a Grand Canyon of difference between assigning fault to a people, and taking joy in their dire consequence. and since we can safely assume that not every single person in Venezuela contributed to the situation there, such as starving children, the previous posters hatred spewing seems poorly thought-out, particularly since it presumably was because somebody else could profit from Venezuela's oil production losses.

I don't disagree with some of the things that you said, but that varies widely with what the other person was saying.

even if something is somebody else's fault you can still have compassion at their suffering. 

these are actual real people, not just some news story. People are dying. no matter what contributed to their plight, are you sure they deserve death? and even if you think that they perhaps deserve death, which I disagree with, it is insane to rejoice in their suffering. 

 

[ronwagn + 6,290]

On 1/11/2019 at 12:26 AM, Black Blade said:

Seeing that no Communist (Socialist)  state has ever been successful, it is upon the people of Venezuela who voted for Chavez and the mess that they now suffer under. People thought that they could "have a free lunch" as it were. The problem is that nothing is ever free. There are always strings attached. Elections have consequences and now the Venezuelan people are feeling the full effects of those elections. There's a saying that goes ... "Socialism if for the people, not the Socialists". Bad enough that even Venezuelan military are deserting and many are being arrested and tortured as they "might" be opposed to the government. Venezuela should be an important lesson for the rest of the world.

People need to learn to think for themselves. We spend Billions annually to have socialist professors propagandize our students from grade schools through university. They throw in sexual licentiousness and the possibility of numerous sexual identities and other heinous doctrines. The goal of the top leftist leaders is to demoralize our country in any and every way they can. Only God and a resurgence of true Christianity can stop the moral decline. 

This reference is a little dated but it shows how successful the communists and socialists have been. 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/naked-communist45-goals-destroy-united-states-america-waghelstein/

[JoMack + 547]

On 1/16/2019 at 5:50 AM, mthebold said:

At first glance, yes.  On the other hand, socialists have proven perfectly content to destroy anyone in their path, innocent or not.  They could use a taste of their own medicine, and they could definitely stand to see the rest of the world standing idly by saying, "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on ours." 

To flesh this out more thoroughly: democracy only works when people defend their own interests.  Socialists defend their interests at all costs, but I've noticed most conservatives take more of a "we're all in this together" attitude.  The result is that conservatives have been steamrolled for the better part of a century.  That being the case, I don't think anyone can afford to play nice anymore.

Practical application: I was speaking to a US leftist who was concerned that Trump didn't care about leftists.  I asked, "Is there anything Trump could do that would earn your vote?", to which she replied, "No."  I pointed out the obvious: "Then you don't matter to him.  That's how democracy works."  The look of dawning comprehension on her face was priceless. 

Personally, I'd love to care about everyone, take care of everyone, and function as one big family.  Unfortunately, I get abused every time I do that, so I've learned to be extremely careful who I care about.  If someone lacks the ability and desire to behave reasonably, I simply can't afford to care about them.  They're impossibly expensive at best and downright vicious at worst. 

Venezuela is endowed with an abundance of natural resources, including an absolutely gorgeous climate and the largest oil reserves in the world - and they somehow managed to f*** that up.  I can't fathom the level of stupidity required to f*** that up, but they did it.  Whatever the case, it's not my problem.  My hands are full dealing with an overbearing government, diversity hires, and a culture hellbent on oppressing me.  Venezuela can take care of itself.

Now that I think about it, it is my problem: the idiots who f***ed up Venezuela now want to enter the US - a competitive market they clearly don't understand, don't agree with, and aren't prepared for.  If I don't find a way to stop them, they'll f*** my country up too. 

Would that we could return to the colonial days, when successful cultures exported their achievement instead of unsuccessful cultures exporting their failure...

This comment is terrific.  I feel there is a missing element to discuss for us in the U.S. and that is the increasing popularity for socialism.  It appears that high taxes, major restrictive regulations, free health care, a guaranteed salary, and a totally green nation is great in the minds of close to 50% of the population, but in practice it just moves the U.S. closer to a socialist country.  Our only saving grace is that most industries are too diversified for the government to move to nationalize.  But, as the government controls health care, college tuition and instills its socialist ideas into the school system, we will see more and more people accepting the ideas of socialism without educating themselves on its ramifications.  We watch Ocasio-Cortez becoming a standard bearer for the Democratic Party with Maxine Waters in charge of the Finance Committee and AOC at her side.  So, today we witness the start of a major move to make America into a socialist country.  As our debt is now beginning to impact our economy and we let in almost a million illegal immigrants, we are sure to have a call to have the government take everything it can whether through a takeover or unsustainable regulations on the basis that it is our only saving grace.