The Devil's Excrement

Chavez’ triumphal (??) return to Zulia state has been moved from the open air and smallish Maracaibo bullfighting arena, to the closed in, roofed and even smaller Palace of Events which barely holds 2,500 people.

Things that make you go umpf!

I find it
somewhat funny and ironic how both Chavistas and opposition politicians seem to
avoid and skirt any discussion of what has happened in Mexico ever since the
Presidential election two moths ago, which culminated today with the ruling by
the Electoral Court that Felipe Calderon had won.

This blog
is about Venezuela
and I avoid talking about issues that do not focus on my country, but I think
it is a little bit silly for our politicians to avoid the topic.

Chavistas
avoid it, because they do not want the same principles applied to them. When Lopez
Obrador demands a recount of all the ballots, this goes to the crux of the oppositions
arguments for counting all of the ballots in Venezuela, which Chavistas have refused
to do over and over, despite the fact that it would have cleared up many
uncertainties, as well as making people more confident on the voting system.

The
opposition has also avoided the subject, apparently because they do not sympathize
with Lopez Obrador, who is asking for the recounting of all the votes. Thus their
silence.

I found
both positions incredibly superficial and stupid There are very few
coincidences in the two cases and few similarities, to wit:

1)     
The
Electoral Court
in Mexico was appointed when
PRI was dominant in Mexico
ten years ago and it can hardly be called partisan for the party that
essentially forced PRI out of the electoral picture in Mexico.

2)     
All
decisions by the Court were unanimous, in contrast with the fact that all difficult
CNE decisions during the recall petition, recall referendum and subsequent
elections were decided by either a 3-2 vote, prior to the current CNE and
4-1 since the new one with four clearly pro-Chavez members was appointed.

3)     
Perhaps
the most important point, all votes were actually counted in the Mexican
election at least once, something that has never been done in Venezuela since
the new voting machines were acquired. Lopez Obrador is asking that all votes
be recounted, whether they are under question or not. (Under a Supreme Court
ruling in Mexico,
a complete recount implies the election is invalid and a new one needs to be
held)

4)     
The
Electoral Court
recounted all tallies with both parties having copies of them, something that
has not happened in Venezuela
since the 2000 Presidential election, so that it has been impossible to even check
that the sum of the tallies is correct

5)     
The
Electoral Court
in Mexico
recounted 9% of the ballots, which were all of the cases that were submitted to
it in which there were charges of errors, evidence of fraud or specific
evidence that there may be a problem. Close to a quarter million votes were
disqualified in this recount.

Thus, the
suggestion that there is any similarity between what happens in Venezuela and what has happened in Mexico is
purely coincidental, just a full counting of the votes would have made a huge
difference socially and politically in the Venezuelan recall vote and recent
elections. Thus, our politicians on both sides should be more honest and be capable of  studying, discussing and understanding these issues. We need it to survive as a Nation.

And speaking of fascism and intolerance we begin where we left off last night as Rosales’ rally in Vargas state was blocked today by pro-Chavez groups, who stormed the rally throwing empty bottles and stones at the participants. The anti-riot police allowed the agression to continue without intervention.

Fascism, intolerance and disrespect for the rights of others are the daily hallmarks of Chavismo.

CNE Board member Vicente Diaz accused the telecom regulator of being and acting partially in favor of the Government and Chavez’ MVR. Diaz said that on July 25th. he requested, as part of his responsabilities within the CNE, from the CONATEL office a video transmitted by Government’s TV station VTV and he has yet to receive it. In contrast, the Head of Chavez’ campaign committee Francisco Ameliach asked for a video trasmitted on August 24th. and not only did he get it, but CONATEL viisted a number of TV stations today checking for another one in which the actions of an opposition candidate are questioned. Diaz also criticized that the Head of CONATEL was at Friday’s pro-Chavez rally, during working hours, wearing a red t-shirt and gave statements to the Government’s TV station during the rally. He called this improper, unethical and a violation of the regulations.

Of course, the equally partial President of the CNE said in defense of COANTEL, that while electoral matters where the domain of the CNE, subliminal ads were that of CONATEL, in order to justify the actions by CONATEL, in particular those today against Globovision. She did not explain what would happen if it is a “subliminal electoral” ad.

This is all of the same type of fascist and Goebbelian behavior by this outlaw Government. When Barreto insulted the middle class and the Mayors of the municipalities run by Primero Justicia, the People’s Ombudsman sided with Barreto, in clear proof of the partiality of the officials of this Government. He is being denouced to international authorities for his inaction.

Chavez and his party control all branches of Government, control all of the funds, abuse their power daily and they show up daily on TV saying they are the victims. Meanwhile the Minister of Information, who happens to be also the official spokesman for Chavez’ MVR party, says that the coverage by state media is completely balanced.

Daniel asks in his latest post: Is Fascism the New Left? My feeling is that it is the other way around, the new left is simply fascist, intolerant, could care less for human rights or the enviroment and wants to impose their views. If you don’t agree with them, you are not only their enemy, but they will attempt to wipe you out legally or otherwise. To them the end justifies the means. They do not obey their own rules and they believe that if they tell a lie a thousand times, it will become the truth.

The Chavez Government and its Goebbelian spokesmen are the best example of that. The new Bolivian and Mexican left are simply trying to follow.

One gets tired of blasting President Hugo Chavez, but his performance
yesterday during his now irregular Variety/Reality show “Alo Presidente” was nothing but simply pathetic. After avoiding
the issue of crime for almost eight years, Chavez only addressed the issue of
security in his last Sunday program a few weeks ago when he expressed his
concern for the pro-Chavez urban leaders that have been killed and he threatened
Minister of the Interior and Justice Chacon with firing him if things did not
improve.

Yesterday, he mentioned the problem of security again for only the
second time in almost eight years. This time, he asked the people to help protect the Cuban Doctors,
because one Cuban medical doctor, in Venezuela
for the Barrio Adentro program, was killed with a knife in the Caracas neighborhood of Petare. 90,000
Venezuelans have been killed under Chavez’ watch, practically tripling the
yearly number of 1998 when he first assumed power, Venezuela has become worse
than Colombia in terms of violent deaths, 40 Venezuelans die daily in violent
crimes and the number of people killed in police confrontations has gone up by
a factor of five, and all the autocrat seems to really care for are his
political buddies and Cuban doctors.

Whatever happened to the “pueblo” that he claims to live for and love
and gets murdered by Chavez’ own police? Whatever happened to the adolescents
that are terrorized, abused and murdered by Chavez own police? To the soldiers
tortured and abused by his own military officers? Why hasn’t Chavez ever called
for anyone to protect them? Why didn’t Chavez raise his cry of alarm when those
terrible cases occurred? Why doesn’t he care about the rest of us? Wasn’t it Hugo Chavez who seven years ago justified robbery by the poor in order to feed yourself?

And to top it all off, he reacts like an irresponsible adolescent,
blaming everything except his inaction, incompetence and inefficiency for the
problem. He blamed it on the media that supposedly stimulates alcohol and dug
consumption, as if alcohol and drugs could be advertised, or as if he did not
send his goons to the media every time his Government disagreed with something
they said, whether explicit or not.

In fact, only today, the telecom regulator CONATEL visited the offices of
a number of TV channels to investigate some “subliminal” ads by opposition
candidate Rosales, as if they had nothing better to do, or as if it was not
Chavez and his Miranda Command that
were abusing the campaign rules, daily, really, subliminally and in any
other possible manner. In fact, it was shown that last Friday, 94%-plus of the
time in the Government TV station VTV, was devoted to you know who, Hugo
Chavez, in flgranta and grotesque violation fo the cmapign laws.

Chavez even scolded the mayors for allowing people to drink on the
streets, as if he had not been present in his own rally last Friday, where
hundreds were openly drinking beer and rhum on the streets as they cheered. Of
course, get rid of the booze and
attendance would drop dramatically, more than it already has, as it is one of
the main enticements used by the Chavistas leaders to get people to attend.

But he can’t blame the media, the alcohol and the catholic nature of
our country (He praised Muslim countries for banning drinking) for the terror Venezuelans and in a lesser scale the Cuban Doctors
are living. He is responsible for the whole problem. It was Hugo Chavez and his
cohorts that dismantled professional police forces, one after another, to put
their own mediocre former and retired military in charge of a problem they had
no clue or inkling about. Yes, the same military that are responsible for the sharp
increase in the imports of Scotch in Venezuela, at the official exchange
rate and which is sold at special prices at all military commissaries. But we
do not hear Chavez saying anything about it, they might get mad at him and who
knows what they might do!! That is the cynicism of Chavez and his revolution at
its worst!!

But the truth is that Venezuela
has become utter chaos under the stupidity and egocentricity of Hugo Chavez. He
goes all the way to China
to promote the country’s candidacy for the UN Security Council, which does not
even carry a vote. And maybe by now there was nobody at the foreign office,
since most careers diplomats have been fired, that could tell the autocrat that
Venezuela’s competition in
the vote, Guatemala, does
not even have diplomatic relations with China,
as that country recognizes Taiwan.
But he went, and in his absence, more than 480 Venezuelans died while he
traveled, he signed in one day almost as many agreements as there were dead
Venezuelans that day. But recall the agreements signed by him during his last
trip to China?
Shelved, filed and forgotten in who knows whose office or boxes, since there
has been such a high rotation in the Foreign Ministry, that nobody there went
to China the last time Chavez did..

And you have to wonder about Chavez’ mental stability. He can’t stand
being in the country, where he is no longer the type of leader that can walk merrily
among the crowds of his supporters, which are still strong. He cares little for
trying to solve or solving their problems, he is surrounded my men and woman
that do nothing but suck up to him, painting a reality that is far from the
truth. He trusts nobody, so he simply rotates the same incompetent and
inefficient men and women around him, mostly former military or simply adorers
that would never tell him what the is really happening. Yesterday he said poverty is down 30% sibce he took over, as of the poor don’t know how they are doing and aksed for more ideology, when people are simply asking for a better standard of living, inclduing their personal security.

And if Chavez can’t tell what is going on, then he does not deserve to
be in the position he occupies. It has been seven plus long years of waste,
corruption, inefficiency and lies.
Inflation is jumping up due to the mismanagement of the economy. People
are unhappy as the numerous protests show. In one week, the workers of the 100%
Chavista National Assembly voted in the
opposition union by a three to one vote and the members of the savings plan of
the Electoral Board (CNE) voted with 99% of the votes against the
administration of their money under Francisco Carrasquero and Jorge Rodriguez. You
have to wonder is Chavez has been told.

But in the end, the most pathetic aspect of his rant yesterday was how
he ducked his responsibility and asked the people to defend the Cuban Doctors.
That is what Government’s are responsible for, that is what Government’s do and
are supposed to do. Any Government is responsible for the well being of all its
citizens, pro or against. Chavez is not in the opposition, he has been in
charge of running the country for almost seven years, but he appears not to
have assumed his responsibility fully. Simply, because he does not care, Hugo
Chavez only cares about Hugo Chavez, the power, the adoration, the perks, the
travel.

But people are getting the message. They are beginning to understand that
Venezuela
needs a President for all. Someone that respects and cares for them. Someone that
will work for them and not that pathetic figure we saw yesterday that cares
more for Fidel and his people and asks others to assume the responsibilities he
was elected for.

Nobody has spent as much time and effor in understaing poverty and its causes in Venezuela as Luis Pedro España form the Catholic University. But the Government does not use his knowledge, the result of careful studies and lots of work over the years. This article says it all, it is the well off in the country that have benefitted most from the current oil windfall. But beware, being in the top 30% of income in Venezuelas does not mean that you are really doing that great.That is part of the tragedy.

The consequences
of prosperity by
Luis Pedro España in El Nacional

How do you explain that with so much oil income in the last
three years, the levels of poverty are similar to those of 1999? This is the question
that is made by all external observers that come to explore the social
conditions in Venezuela.
If the above is hard to understand, imagine what it would be explaining that in
these years of revolutionary Government, inequality has actually  increased.

The spokesmen for official figures only show the numbers that are
convenient to them. When in 2004 the numbers showed the collapse that family
income suffered between 2002 and 2003, the Government was looking for different
figures to show the “recovery” of the situation. Today, when the boom of income
makes it such that poverty statistics smile for the Government, that
methodology stopped being neo-liberal and the enemy of the regime, to begin to
be shown in the face of any criticism. The structural variables of IBS have
been left aside, because today, using those, we are in the same place we were in terms of overcoming poverty

As we said before, we are facing growth in income, but not in
production. Families can have a little more real income compared to 2003, but
the collapse of the national economy is such that that private investment, both
local and foreign, has just disappeared.

Without investment, there is no employment and without employment what
you have is poverty. The structural causes of poverty remain intact. There are
no opportunities of good employment, well paid and with other labor benefits
and they are not there because of the lack of investment. But there are no conditions either for
Venezuelans of low income to have access to the few good jobs that there exist
in the country. The whole system for providing social services is as scant and
bad as it was in the past and it is not true that the missions are going to make a
difference.

Since in Venezuela
national income has two components, oil and non-oil, what has improved the
real income of families can be attributed to oil and its distribution mechanisms.
The latter takes us to the topic of the distribution of income and inequality.
The new inequality that has actually appeared in Venezuela.

The last accounting that the Institute for Economic Research of UCAB
has, shows that the distribution of income has worsened in the last three years.
Not much, because the structure for distribution does not change overnight, but
it certainly draws your attention that the strata for which it has improved is
for the 30% of the population with the higher income on the country. No matter
how much of a populist discourse you may have, the economic and social policy
of the Government has not managed to favor in a larger measure the status of
the poorest. The income of all strata have improved, but in particular that of
those that belong to the formal economy, to the 30% that has the highest
income, to the 30% that structurally is not poor.

It is not true that the missions are boosting popular sectors. On the
average only 9% of the income of families comes from these transfers and at
most, we estimate, that it may reach 12% in the poor sectors. The boom in
income that the country is experimenting is lived in the barrios not because of
the Government, but because of markets. There is more work, but the barrio is
not very productive. The economy demands more goods and services and the
workers of low of medium qualification are inserted through the informal
workforce or on their own. Thus, the improvement. But it has been the formal
economy the one that has been favored the most. Without programs that that
allow for an increase in the level of productivity of the poor, the demand will
continue to be provided by those that are already productive, that is, those
who are not poor.

It is not only market mechanisms that have increased the inequality as
a result of the absence of progressive social policies, but instead it has been
the social policies themselves that have contributed to the increase in
inequality. The policy of a sustained and compulsive minimum salary is a policy
that favors the bourgeois of the barrio, not the poor. The missions and their
populist mechanisms of selection are such, that it is the better informed and
capable in the barrio that can participate in hustling for the missions and its
grants. Using this mechanism, the waste of the prosperity will at least be the same
as the waste of those in the past. But may God free us from a recession in oil prices; no democracy
will be able to handle the end of the prosperity.

Yes, sometimes there are news to make us proud:

–The Boston Globe profiles Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and indirectly the wonderful otrchestra program of Jose Antonio Abreu, which proves you can make programs and policies for everyone.(Thanks M.)

–The New York Times profiles Charles Brewer Carias, an old fashioned explorer in the XXIst. Century. (He was my dentist when I was young)

–Venezuela Johan Santana will likely win the Amercan League’s Cy Young Award.

–For the first time in history, a woman scientist, micologist Gioconda Cunto de San Blas, will occupy one of the numbered seats at the Venezuelan Academy of Sciences. Well deserved and about time it happened.

In 1982 when the subway station in La Hoyada in downtown Caracas was opened, the Metro de Caracas honored artist Francisco Narvaez
by creating the Narvaez Plaza and placing a sculpture by him which perhaps could be considered today to be
ironically called “Harmony of volume and space” in the middle of the
square. This is a picture of the square, the sculpture and the entrance
to the subway circa 1999:

Due
to the populist nature of the Government, the Mayor of the Libertador
District of Caracas allowed street vendors to invade numerous public
places in the cities to sell their wares. The Plaza Narvaez was one of
those places invaded. The Mayor of that district appears to have since
regretted what he did, attempting to move street vendors from certain
areas. A year ago, they claimed they would clear Narvaez Plaza, but so
far they have apparently made no effort to do so. The sculpture sits
there, in the middle of the stalls, as if trying not to drown in the
sea of tin and canvas roofs:

Little
needs to be said, this is what happens when populism, negligence and
incompetence take over. This is another accomplishment of the “pretty”
revolution.(Thanks Freddy F.and not Bernal)

–If
controlled prices went up
1.5% in the month of August, who is controlling them?

–Whatever
happened to Telesur?

–What can
Chavez attack Rosales’ record on the
environment, given his dismal record on the subject?

–Why is intolerance
an intrinsic trait of the new pseudo-Democratic Latin American left?

–Why did
the Court force CANTV to pay retired workers minimum salary (even if they
receive the same from social security), while the Government can retire
them paying less?

–Would
Chavez resign if he loses the proposed
referendum approving his indefinite reelection?

–Why does
Carabobo Governor Acosta Carles want to expropriate
the golf course of Valencia Country Club if land is not a problem there?

–Why are the
ads by the Mayor’s office and Chavez’ MVR party calling for new voters to register
identical and why do they use the colors of MVR in both?

–Why are
the search engines of Venezuelan newspapers so crummy?

–Where is
the money for the reconstruction of Vargas state? Where is the investigation
into it

–Why can
Chavez’ MVR use the communist party’s red color?

–Where is Adinas Bastidas?

–What does it mean to say Globovision helped Carlos Ortega escaped?

I don’t know why today I feel like rambling. I guess I feel
like the country must feel. Venezuela
has become a hodge podge of nutiness and inconsistencies where irrationality
has taken over. But somehow irrationality sells. While the esteemed autocratic
leader is in China praising a communism that no longer exists, in the country
that to me has come to really give new meaning to the term “savage
capitalism” (even if I am still fascinated by this movie of
what must be XXth. Century socialism, which Chavez is trying to improve on) the
country seems to be riding a wave of unreality, simply riding on high oil
prices.

But everything else seems to be a mess. Despite billions of dollars poured into
development banks that seem to get more things accomplished abroad, even if very little, or in
cooperatives that do not have the size or the know how to get anything done,
the country’s economic statististics are truly absurd.

Yes, you have all heard
about that wonderful GDP growth in the first half of the year, but if it takes
an increase of 83.5% in Government spending in order to obtain 9% growth,
something is really rotten somewhere. and Holland is a long way from here. Just
imagine, in the first six month of the year, the Government increased spending
by 83.5%, but revenues were only up by 40%. Curiously, taxes derived from oil
dropped 20%, which is simply due the changes in royalties and the fact that believe
it or not, PDVSA has yet to pay taxes this year, despite the continued pressure
by SENIAT to do so. Hats off Vielma Mora! You are fighting against the powers
that be and you will likely lose, but I have to give you credit for your effort
against a Government you support. Rosales should keep you on board when he wins.

Meanwhile, in the middle of this oil windfall, the fiscal deficit reached in
the first half 1% of GDP. Thus, the voracity of the Chavez administration is unparalleled
in our history and watch out should oil drop by a mere 5% as this Government
will simply have no way of surviving it (And neither will we!). Meanwhile, imports reached an obscene
US$ 7.8 billion in the second quarter alone, with the country on track to reaching
US$ 30 billion in imports for 2006, as Mercal buys anything it needs abroad and
I suspect CADIVI gives money to some unreal things. Yes, when you drink that
nice imported wine or ride your friend’s BMW (I assume few readers actually own
one) it is all purchased with those wonderful CADIVI dollars, as is all of that
sugar which is now imported, despite the Chavez Government having spent
billions, yes, billions in developing the sugar sector in another Castro-led
rip off of the Venezuelan treasury. But much like Fidel’s efforts with sugar in
the 60’s, we are now net importers thanks to the Government’s efficiency.

But of course, non traditional exports are just flat. In fact, in 1998 these
exports were roughly at the same level as last year and what is being projected
for 2006 which is around US$ 5.2 billion. Thus, you may wonder where all the
development money is? I wish I knew, but I do see a lot newfound wealth around
and it makes me wonder. Of course, the Government may claim this is a victory,
since in 1998 Venezuela
had 12,000 productive companies and only 6,000 are left. Talk about salvage
socialism.

But the Government continues to operate like it does not matter. Chavez makes
announcements from China,
much like those he made a year ago, or two years ago, but remember that late
last year the Chinese Ambassador said that country had yet to buy a barrel of
oil from Venezuela.
Or how about the 18 tankers to be purchased from Argentina announced in 2004? Or CVG
Telecom taking over 10% of the telecom market in its first year? That was what,
three years ago?

But yesterday the Government dropped mortgage rates for the third time in a
year, so that the cheapest housing pays less than six percent and the next
level, less than 10%, while inflation will reach 14-16%. Cool, no? Of course,
such incongruences are noticed and last week a bank issued Bolívar notes at 9%
backed by a dollar denominated note. This is simply borrowing Bolivars to wait
until the next devaluation which is coming, unless oil goes above 100 bucks,
which looks unlikely. Oil never goes up when the world economies are slwoing down.

The rich get richer and Chavez in China or Angola, or as today’s
joke went, he will make an unexpected call in Caracas to talk to Barreto,
except that Barreto is in London at his concert, eating the nice Chinese food
that he can’t get in Caracas. But Chavez took care to explain (nobody asked!)
that he was not in China
looking for votes for the UN. Of course not, that vote is now guaranteed after
all of the purchases made with the Chinese capitalists.

Meanwhile daily protests continue around the country.
Sometimes the issue is murder, sometimes housing, or other times it is a strike
at the Iranian tractor factory, as those Iranian capitalists don’t want to
increase salaries, because profits would simply evaporate. Profits? Profits!
These guys must be nuts, In fact, they are, coming to Venezuela to
build tractors just to be friendly to Chavez. This is another interesting experiment
on defending sovereignty: Venezuela
put up most of the money, buys the tractors and supplies cheap labor and the
company is run by Iranians. You have to love to the revolution!

And speaking of profits, the Government said it will buy up
to 51% of all heavy crude operations at a cost of at least US$ 2 billion, also
to defend sovereignty and such crap (pardon
my French). So now Venezuela
will be a heaven for heavy oil investors: 33% royalties, 50% income taxes and
the Government runs the project and has a majority. These terms are clearly
much better than those of the tar sands of Alberta,
Canada:
1-16% royalty, 25% income tax and you own 100% of the project. Of course, you
have to deal with the political instability of Canada, as well as all those
engineers fired from PDVSA who live and work there for the competition, under
another “defend the sovereignty” program.

But hey, crime and inflation are under control, the rise
must simply be that Chavistas keep better statistics. As for housing, we are
going to import houses from China,
I guess Fedex will bring them, in order to save money. They will come in the same
airplane with the iPods the CNE will give away to encourage new voters. Unfortunately,
the additional fingerprint machines tocounteract this and discourage voting will not come in the
same plane, as the order appears to be on hold. Shucks! Maybe we could have
gotten a wholesale deal!

Actually I wonder at which stage we lost the know how
to build housing given that we used to build yearly what the current Government builds
in four or five years.Maybe the Chinese will tell us!

But don’t worry, things will be fine soon. Just think of the
amount of money saved by shutting down the golf courses. No more golf club
imports! We will re-export the clubs
already in the country. I guess more jets will leave the La Carlota airport
every Friday as the Chavistas go play golf in Aruba.
As it should be, they have electric cars there, not like in Country Club where
you exploit a caddy to carry your clubs.

But things are indeed better, as Manuel Rosales said, if it
is true that Chavez will visit Zulia soon, it is just about time. He hasn’t been
seen there for quite a while and when he has shown up, it has always been
hopping in his helicopter. Chavez no longer walks among his people, the suit
may get dirty or the fancy watch stolen, or God forbid, someone may try to kill
him, like Mr. Danger, the CIA, the FBI or the MVR.

And yes, Rosales should remove that subliminal advertising,
like when he says that Chavez should get his shoes dirty. That is unfair. Chavez is
in China,
traveling in his modern Airbus. Everywhere he goes, a red carpet is laid out for him,
so there is no way that he can get his shoes dirty. This is a lie, subliminal
terrorism on the part of this right wing oligarch from Zulia state, that pretends to run against
him. For God’s sake, how can anyone trust him, he has ten kids, including triplets and a stable family life!

But rest assured, Chavez will win, because between now and the
December election, he will build enough virtual housing units to convince the same
virtual voters to vote for him. Except that four people will occupy each house, so multiply by four! And those my friend, are not afraid of any
fingerprint machines. They are as fearless, as they are virtual.