The Devil's Excrement

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Chavez: Zero cars from Colombia (Good for traffic!)

Chavez: The growth will be near above or below zero this year (Same as “destroyed” US economy?)

Zero opposition reporters at Lina Ron’s indictment (True and opportune information like the defunct CDM law said?*)

Zero Local reporters at Chavez’ press conference with foreign press ( * See previous line)

Zero Venezuelan nuclear counterparts to negotiate with Russian on Nuclear energy agreement (This is good, it will get nowhere)

Almost zero audience for Chavista press (3%) TVES, VTV, ANTV all together a maximum of 4.2% and Hugo Chavez’ variety show Alo Presidente: 2.1%. Not even the seals applaud any more.

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A couple of months ago, the Government nationalized all of the companies that serviced PDVSA, including boats that move people and machinery around. The reason was that PDVSA’s debt with these companies had soared and by taking them over the problem of the debt or paying the owners is postponed for a while, The whole thing is now a mess as the Government took over leased equipment that does not even belong to the companies that were nationalized. This creates huge liabilities, but now PDVSA is beginning to use the novel argument that expropriation requires indemnization, but nationalization does not. Yeah, let’s test that at the World Bank’s Courts!

In any case, as a sequel to the nationalization of these service companies, the Venezuelan National Guard, at the service of the “people”, needed some replacement motors for some of the boats and simply went to YanMarine in San Francisco and without any Court order or any form of documentation took all of the motors that this company imported and had for sale and in its inventory, whether gasoline or diesel.

I just wonder when I hear this: And once these motors stop working, where in Venezuela do they plan or expect to find any replacements to steal?

And then what?