And then in the afternoon, the autocrat Hugo Chavez announced that he will ask the National Assembly for extraordinary powers for one year so he can legislate by decree and at will, essentially anointing him as the King he wants to be. Chavez said he would use these powers to change a few things in Venezuela such as;
–Nationalizing the telephone company CANTV, which is 28% owned by Verizon but was the subject of a takeover by a group of companies owned by Mexican Carlos Slim at $21 per share. Chavez did not say whether he would pay for it or not.
Clearly, after dumping more than US$ 200 million in trying to start a state telecom company and not completing many phone calls, Chavez has decided to short circuit the process and go back to the wonderful system of having an inefficient state run telephone company. I guess he misses the times when olny one in three phone calls could be completed and it would take at least a year to get a telephone.
–He said he would nationalize the electric companies that were privatized. I guess nobody told him that Electricidad de Caracas was not privatized, but change from one set of private hands to another. (By the way that sale took place under the Government of ….Hugo Chavez himself!!!) The only electricity company that was indeed privatized was the Electric company of Nueva Esparta in Margarita Island and maybe the US company that bought that will be very happy to give it back anyway.
–He said he would abolish the commercial code which regulates legally how transactions are made in the economy.
–He said that he would remove the independence of of the Central Bank (which is almost non-existent) which he put into his own Constitution in 2000.
Finally, Chavez used his best Idi Aminesque diplomacy to call the Secretary General of the OAS a “pendejo” which benevolently can be translated as dumbass. Just to makes sure it was understood Chavez said that Inzulsa was a pendejo from the p to the o. Chavez also asked for Inzulsa’s resignation. For once, I may agree with the epithet used by Chavez given the customary position by the OAS on Venezuela’s affairs.
Just another day in the fake revolution!
The Devil's Excrement 
Leave a comment