Rasmus Jorgensen + 1,169 RJ March 5, 2019 10 hours ago, Dan Warnick said: Do tell! What should broke, starving, sick Venezuela focus on other than putting good governance in place and getting their petroleum back on line? agriculture. Venezuela has a bad case of the petroleum curse. It would be foolish to believe that this would be cured just Maduro was thrown out. Don't get me wrong - he needs to go, but maybe the money that needs to be invested in Venezuela are better focused on producing foodstuffs that they need? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Warnick + 6,100 March 6, 2019 12 hours ago, Rasmus Jorgensen said: agriculture. Venezuela has a bad case of the petroleum curse. It would be foolish to believe that this would be cured just Maduro was thrown out. Don't get me wrong - he needs to go, but maybe the money that needs to be invested in Venezuela are better focused on producing foodstuffs that they need? Like I said, they need good governance, which means putting the market forces back in charge when it comes to feeding the population. Venezuelan farmers, buyers, sellers and consumers were doing just fine prior to nationalization of it all. You know that has all been hashed out long ago on Oil Price. The people of Venezuela used to produce food (and eat) just fine, until most of the functions from growing to the market, including setting of prices, vouchers, hoarding and exporting for profit instead of feeding their own people, etc., was nationalized. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rasmus Jorgensen + 1,169 RJ March 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Dan Warnick said: Like I said, they need good governance, which means putting the market forces back in charge when it comes to feeding the population. Venezuelan farmers, buyers, sellers and consumers were doing just fine prior to nationalization of it all. You know that has all been hashed out long ago on Oil Price. The people of Venezuela used to produce food (and eat) just fine, until most of the functions from growing to the market, including setting of prices, vouchers, hoarding and exporting for profit instead of feeding their own people, etc., was nationalized. Dan, We agree. And no need to over this again. All I was trying to say was that because of the complexity and money involved in the oil industry it is more typically very prone to mismanagement. Whereas other sectors as less complex and capital intensive are easier managed... 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Warnick + 6,100 March 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Rasmus Jorgensen said: because of the complexity and money involved in the oil industry it is more typically very prone to mismanagement. Whereas other sectors as less complex and capital intensive are easier managed. The big boys bring everything they need to extract your oil, sell it for you (and themselves) and transport it. They need well fed laborers and honest partners. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
specinho + 470 March 6, 2019 On 3/5/2019 at 5:43 PM, Rasmus Jorgensen said: I agree. But maybe the answer for Venezuela is to focus on other things than oil? uuhhh............ Quote There Are More and More Pirates in Caribbean Waters, Because of ...www.maritimeherald.com/.../there-are-more-and-more-pirates-in-caribbean-waters-be... Feb 14, 2019 - ... destroyed the Venezuelan fishing industry and prompted many unemployed ... in the waters of the Caribbean , nor on the Venezuelan coast. we might need to have clearer directive message as in what "other things than oil"......... or they will focus on ....................... no? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bhimsen Pachawry + 72 March 7, 2019 On 3/5/2019 at 11:52 AM, Jason Ericsson said: So who is magically going to invest all the money needed to pump all that oil Venezuela has? The installed crony employees don't seem to know what to do and where is the billions of USD required going to come from? It's easy to try and blame rather than focus on how to actually fix a problem. Without private investment in their oil industry the Venezuelan's won't be able to share in the prosperity of the oil they have. Money is just labour. Who will put in the labour - Venezuelans will pit in the labour. As for foreign inputs needed like in case of diluents, Venezuela will buy it in international market from other countries like Russia, Saudi etc. This will be repaid by the forex obtained by selling the mixed oil Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bhimsen Pachawry + 72 March 7, 2019 22 hours ago, Rasmus Jorgensen said: Dan, We agree. And no need to over this again. All I was trying to say was that because of the complexity and money involved in the oil industry it is more typically very prone to mismanagement. Whereas other sectors as less complex and capital intensive are easier managed... On 3/6/2019 at 4:30 PM, Dan Warnick said: Like I said, they need good governance, which means putting the market forces back in charge when it comes to feeding the population. Venezuelan farmers, buyers, sellers and consumers were doing just fine prior to nationalization of it all. You know that has all been hashed out long ago on Oil Price. The people of Venezuela used to produce food (and eat) just fine, until most of the functions from growing to the market, including setting of prices, vouchers, hoarding and exporting for profit instead of feeding their own people, etc., was nationalized. Wrong again. Oil refining is quite simple and so is extraction. Venezuela doesn't need some high end technology as all its ultra heavy oil is easily accessible. One needs to heat to liquefy it and then pump it out. Venezuela also has abundant natural gas to do the heating work.oil refining is very simple job and we can find that in Nigeria, dozens of illegal refineries in several areas have come up die to its simplicity. The only problem facing Venezuela is militant opposition which keeps threatening to use violence at the slightest of problems which hinders the government from taking any steps. If the government raises taxes by 2%, the opposition would be ready with arms and so on. Such militant opposition makes things very difficult to function. Added to it is that the opposition has backing by external powers which complicate the scenario. The final nail on the coffin came when oil prices collapsed after 2014. Due to militant opposition, government was not having enough leeway to act and this mothballed 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bhimsen Pachawry + 72 March 7, 2019 On 3/4/2019 at 8:04 PM, NickW said: Meanwhile in the Real World...... https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-manufacturing-scorecard-how-the-us-compares-to-18-other-nations/ 2015 figures Country Manufacturing Output (USD in billions) Percent of National Output Percent of Global Manufacturing China $2,010 27% 20% United States 1,867 12 18 Japan 1,063 19 10 Germany 700 23 7 South Korea 372 29 4 India 298 16 3 France 274 11 3 Italy 264 16 3 United Kingdom 244 10 2 Taiwan 185 31 2 Actually, if you look further,most of the manufacturing is in electronics or arms where USA sells its goods at a premium. So, even with small manufacturing, the value fetched is much higher. So, the value is highly bloated. In terms of quantity, the amount of goods weighed in tons, is significantly less 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickW + 2,714 NW March 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Bhimsen Pachawry said: Actually, if you look further,most of the manufacturing is in electronics or arms where USA sells its goods at a premium. So, even with small manufacturing, the value fetched is much higher. So, the value is highly bloated. In terms of quantity, the amount of goods weighed in tons, is significantly less Perhaps rate exports by tonnage rather than value of goods by a currency On that basis you should rate coal, gravel, & Iron Ore exporters at the top as they tend to export a lot of tonnage Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Foote + 1,135 JF March 7, 2019 On 3/5/2019 at 3:35 AM, NickW said: Any data to back your claim up? US Census responses since 1850. And of course anglicized names all over. And yes, Czechs and Germans are different, but when you get to what is now the eastern part of Germany, todays borders are quite different than the 1850s. A Bavarian is quite a bit different than a Prussian. We need diversity, it's a strength, and buying into the system as well. The point was there was concern inside the Federal Government for the "great wars" over German heritage. And guess what, German Americans were (and are) by and large true Americans, no Germans. The Japanese interments are a blotch on our history, and yet one of the most decorated units in WWII were Japanese American soldiers. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Foote + 1,135 JF March 7, 2019 On 3/6/2019 at 5:00 AM, Dan Warnick said: Like I said, they need good governance Amen. Good governance is, IMHO, far more important than the philosophy of the governance. When there is a lack of accountability at some point it will go sideways. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickW + 2,714 NW March 7, 2019 22 minutes ago, John Foote said: US Census responses since 1850. And of course anglicized names all over. And yes, Czechs and Germans are different, but when you get to what is now the eastern part of Germany, todays borders are quite different than the 1850s. A Bavarian is quite a bit different than a Prussian. We need diversity, it's a strength, and buying into the system as well. The point was there was concern inside the Federal Government for the "great wars" over German heritage. And guess what, German Americans were (and are) by and large true Americans, no Germans. The Japanese interments are a blotch on our history, and yet one of the most decorated units in WWII were Japanese American soldiers. Between 1870 and 1914 some of those German immigrants will have been poles, Czechs, Danes, Alsatians as the German Empire at that time contained parts of those Countries. I am assuming the census was based on nationality not ethnicity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illurion + 894 IG March 8, 2019 On 3/5/2019 at 5:04 PM, Rasmus Jorgensen said: agriculture. Venezuela has a bad case of the petroleum curse. It would be foolish to believe that this would be cured just Maduro was thrown out. Don't get me wrong - he needs to go, but maybe the money that needs to be invested in Venezuela are better focused on producing foodstuffs that they need? or producing ANYTHING in addition to oil... they need to diversify their manufacturing too....... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
specinho + 470 March 8, 2019 13 hours ago, Illurion said: or producing ANYTHING in addition to oil... they need to diversify their manufacturing too....... Quote On 3/6/2019 at 6:04 AM, Rasmus Jorgensen said: agriculture. Venezuela has a bad case of the petroleum curse. It would be foolish to believe that this would be cured just Maduro was thrown out. Don't get me wrong - he needs to go, but maybe the money that needs to be invested in Venezuela are better focused on producing foodstuffs that they need? Guess someone has to teach them how to fish............ and administer but.................. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Illurion + 894 IG March 9, 2019 10 hours ago, specinho said: Guess someone has to teach them how to fish............ and administer but.................. this was funny as hell...... thank you......... you made me laugh............ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbrasher1 + 272 CB March 14, 2019 The people of Venezuela have a worse problem now... https://twitter.com/i/status/1105795737739296768 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites