Another "Great" Socialist Society Crumbles

You probably have heard about the massive economic failure in Venezuela.  It's heartbreaking to know that the poor people are scrounging around in garbage cans looking for food, while those who have resources are spending hours waiting in line at grocery stores only to find that the shortage of food means they aren't able to buy enough food to feed a family for the entire day.  Many have taken to robbing trucks that transport edibles.  These trucks are being stopped by crowds of people and pillaged. Things are so bad in the country that many people are roaming the streets in search of cats, dogs, pigeons and rats to make a meal. Other essentials like medicine, toiletries and tissue are also in extreme shortage. Speaking of the animals, zoos are also in a crisis, as zookeepers have had to modify the animals' diets, feeding them plants and fruit in order to prevent them from starving.  The only way to describe Venezuela today is to say that the country is in the grips of monumental despair.



The economic conditions in Venezuela have forced people to take extreme measures in order to survive, which has, in turn, led to a significant escalation in crime. The murder rate is at an epidemic level, surpassing 2014 and 2015 rates which already had the country ranked as number two in the world for murders.  Despite the 2012 ban on private gun ownership in the country and the current state of emergency, there is no semblance of security and none expected anytime soon.

But not everyone in the country is suffering.  The elites are dining on gourmet meals and sipping champagne.  Nothing has changed for them because they are not dependent on the government.  They are indeed socialists, but they are not of the masses.  Centrally planned economies like Venezuela's lead to economic collapse because the economies are fully controlled by a handful of elites and private ownership is heavily penalized. It should be noted that the wealthiest person in Venezuela is former dictator Hugo Chavez's daughter, Maria Gabriela Chavez.  Clearly, wealth is only good for a select few, and not for the masses.

I really wonder what the elites in our own country have to say now.  I'm speaking specifically of those that traveled to Venezuela when Chavez was in power and championed the benefits of socialism, and how wonderful this dictator was.  Where's Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Oliver Stone, Kevin Spacey, Cornell West and the rest of the socialist-loving crowd?  Oh, excuse me...make that democratic socialism...my bad.