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Chavez signs decree to nationalize foreign oil companies
Feb 27, 2007, 5:27 GMT
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Why did those who had him in their hands several years ago let him live? What kind of incompetents is the CIA plotting with these days? I guarantee that Chavez would have no compunction about shooting his rivals for political power if that was easiest. Fortunately for him playing to the extreme ignorance of the majority in Venezuela was the simpler course, and is something that his isn't about to let any one else have a chance at.
Macca says Chavez is 20 years out of date ... i say Chavez is looking out for the welfare of his people ... yes, macca, it may indeed be about power, but not as you define it. kudos to chavezz for standing up to the rapaciaous international oil giants.
As for Robert, i can only assume you are american with the comment 'why did those who had him in their hands several years ago let him live?' Only an american (or an israeli) has sufficient arrogance to think they had the right to even ask that question ... and you wonder why you're hated around the world ... and yes, chavez is fortunate that the majority in venezuela elected him to do what he said he would; take back ownership of venezuela's resources from greedy corporations.
Oh dear Chris, your letting your true feelings of hatred and racism towards any other race or religion slip through there, are you muslim by any chance?, regardless of what ever name you stick on the power he craves, its negative and wrong because the power he wants is selfish and for his own ego, its not for the greater good., all dictators are the same, “I do this for the good of the people”, is their common defence, even if its wrong.
macca, thank you for a polite response.
no, i am not muslim, though i did once consider abandoning my anglican/romanian orthodox/judaic heritage for islam. instead, i decided to keep my faith personal and not follow any particular crowd.
however, macca, chavez was ... was ... elected by the people of venezuela on the platform that he would recoup control of the countries assets ... he cannot therefore be a dictator ... the venezuelan parliament voted in the majority to give him these temporary powers ... why is it america cries democracy but when a democratically-elected government does somethng which america does not agree, they cease to be truly democratic? is this narrow-minded arrogance a result of the jewish lobby, or just something that evolved through america's narcissistic navel-gazing?
Chris, i agree with you, he was elected by the people, at this stage in his life his lust for power was germinal, but even then, his sole aim was for power, now he`s got it, he isn’t going to let go, when a man rules by decree, its dictatorship, it has to be because he doesn’t take any one else’s opinion into consideration, what he says and wants go, the state, or rather, him 'retaking' businesses from private companies which were legally bought from the state in the first place is only going to have a negative effect on the economy of that county, and sooner or later the people, because its blatantly obvious that when the state runs every part of every day under dictatorship, every one suffers, in 25-30 years time, this country, when Chavez has gone, will be knocking on the door of western countries with a begging bowl asking for economical aid because theirs was ruined by ideas of the heart and not the head.
Socialism doesn’t work, it never did, it never will, its been, and is being proven through the world.
Macca, I also agree with you in so far that communism doesn't work (though I do admire Cuba's efforts); socialism could work under the right conditions, but i agree that these conditions of cooperation over competition are utopian ... yet, capitalism works, but look at the cost ... i find capitalism to be absolutely ethically and morally bankrupt; a corporation can ruin entire communities and thousands of lives solely to improve the 'bottom line' by a meagre percentage point ... an entire ecosystem (eg, the grand banks, the amazon basin) can be ruined in the pursuit of 'profit' ... faced with this, i find it extremely difficult, whatever chavez's motives, to find issue with his decisions, which if i may reiterate, were the political platforms he was originally elected on.
peace, and thanks for the discussion.
Chavez has had enough with big business pushing his country around. In the US, corporations and gov't are merely quid-pro-quo whorehouses sold to the highest bidder. When the gov't needs illegal wire-taps, Verizon and Sprint allow them secret rooms to listen in on calls. When Haliburton (and KBR) need more revenue, the gov't hands out no-bid contracts. When the gov't dislikes literature, Wikipedia bans the book 'America Deceived'. We The People had our gov't sold out from beneath us. In Venezula, Chavez is fighting back, he's not using the right method but his countrymen are fed up with big business plundering their resources.
Final link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0
Macca,
GWB was APPOINTED by his fathers buddies and is ignoring his own governments call not to escalate...
Chavez was ELECTED by the people and is doing what his government and people asked for .....
Nuff said.
It may be perceived anachronistic to nationalize industries these days.
It seems to belong to a different age, when people in earnest discussed the merits of socialism.
Nationalization might not be smart, neither economically nor politically.
But it is not illegal, provided that fair compensation is paid.
Political Risk Guarantees/Investment Guarantees issued by the US and by MIGA do not protect the investor against nationalization of his investments as such, they protect him against financial losses, which might result from inadequate compensation when nationalization takes place.
I am sure that the present administration would be prepared to nuke compassionate Chavez for less than this, but dear readers, before accepting this reaction as 'fair and balanced' please remember that the very same US administration warned Bayer that it might invoke its legal right to compulsory licensing of CIPRO unless Bayer cut its price in half!
Compulsory licensing which is a special case of nationalization is an option under most countries' laws. And I believe that it should be, not only for the US.
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MaccaFeb 27th, 2007 - 12:31:38
This idiot is 20 years out of date, socialist system’s don’t work,hasnt he learnt from the USSR?,all he has to do is look around and him see that these kind of policy’s sound good but in practice they fail, but then again, its not about economics is it?, its about POWER, power for him self over everything and every one, his idea’s and agenda’s forced onto every one else under the pretend 'tempory rule by decree', do you realy think a man so intoxicated with power will give it all up when the time comes?, he will find some other excuse to extend it and before you know, he will make sure that in any future elections, IF there are any at all, he will always retain power.
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