The Devil's Excrement

CNE Directors Carrasquero and Rodriguez in separate (here and here) statements, laugh at us and take us for fools on the issue of voters with no addresses. Maybe they are right, we were quite foolish on everything we accepted on the day of the recall vote and the weeks leading to it, but their sheer arrogance on this issue is just incredible. They want to turn the problem of 1.8 million voters without addresses in the electoral registry into an issue of social justice and compassion, arguing that these people have a right to vote even if their houses have no proper address. This is simply not the issue at all and shows their actual ignorance about the reality of life in the barrios when they want to turn the controversy into whether barrios have proper addresses or not.

The truth is that even the poorest barrios do have a system of addresses, it may not be Manhattan and it may be complicated, but barrios have calles, veredas, senderos, sectores, parcelas,  carreras and dozens of complicated nomenclatures that do lead to where people live. This is not a case of incomplete addresses it is a case of NO addresses which violates the electoral law that requires it, mostly as a way of insuring that political parties do not move voters across municipalities and even states in order to manipulate the outcome of elections.

The charge by Carrasquero and Rodriguez is so ridiculous, that in the Chacao municipality of Caracas, where the barrios are quite well established and have well defined addresses, 40% of new voters do not have an address in their registration. The total numbers are 2.11 million new voters out of which 1.73 million have no address in their registration. In some states, the total number of new voters without addresses reaches 99% and yes, the accusation is that many of these voters do not even exist.

Meanwhile while Carrasquero and Rodriguez are so careless about something that is explicitly stated in the electoral law, the CNE President signed a letter to the Coordinadora Democrática saying that they will simply not hand over any of the information requested about the recall vote on August 15^th. including the notebooks that could be used to check if the number of voters per machine equals that of the notebooks. The argument is that they “tacitly renounced to that right” when they asked that the process be declared invalid. Thus, the CNE refuses to hand over data, when Venezuelan legislation grants the citizens the right to public data, using a convoluted legal argument. Thus, legality becomes for Carrasquero, who is a lawyer, something to be used if convenient and ignored if it fails to fit his political purposes and he laughs at us again.  

They keep laughing at us, but we keep trying…should we?

Another great Editorial in Thursday’s Tal Cual

The Curse by Teodoro Petkoff

My subtitle: The Devil’s Excrement revisited

Those that do not learn from history are condemned to repeating it, said a philosopher (and another one had said before him that repetition, in general, is like a farce). Venezuela is living anew under the sign of the oil boom; once again the umbrella of oil prices beyond all delirium, envelopes our economy…and our politics. In the 70’s we live through this and also in the 80’s. For the third time, the country is literally swimming in petrodollars.

What remained of those booms? Were the dreams of development, social well being and political stability fulfilled? On the contrary! a long period of economic decline that has now lasted for a quarter of a century, accompanied by the horrifying impoverishment of our society, both in its middle levels as well as the most humble ones.

Well into the 90’s, the signs of crisis in the political system were visible. The “Caracazo”, the military coups of 1992, the victory of Caldera the outsider, leading a coalition of “groupuscules” from the left, that announced the Chavez’ subsequent victory, were the tolls of a gigantic bell of destiny that was ringing for a weakened political system.

In the happy years of the “fat barrels”, the state apparatus hypertrophied itself, it turned heavy and obese, the bureaucratic fat covered its muscles, state institutions were sacrificed in the altar of presidentialism and executivism (the parliament was minimized, justice mediatized, the mechanisms of control notched down). The State expanded into dozens of new organizations and companies, whose inefficiency ran even with the out of orbit job mania that populated them. Rentism and the search for income were the dominant variables both in the public and the private sector.

The maximization of oil income exaggerated social, economic and political pressures coming from all interest groups of society, to put their hand, legally or illegally, to the largest possible piece of that income. The overflow of corruption was the inevitable excrescence that appeared on the body of the administration.

CAP had offered to manage abundance with criteria of shortage. It was not possible.

Even before the “thin barrels’ had returned, the oil income had diluted in an out of control current public spending, in expensive projects and of little or null profitability and an important part of it moved abroad, in a colossal capital flight. It is the curse of the petrosates.

Can we escape this time that unknown force? Up to know in the behavior of Chavez Government there is nothing that point to it. They are repeating the patterns of behavior that once left the bitter retaste of failure. Countering the dynamic and logic of petrostate societies requires political will, together with the knowledge of them, which does not appear to exist in the Government.

Once again rentism marks public economic behavior; once again pressures of all sorts are taking us to waste gigantic income, to increment the fiscal deficit and to make grow public debt. The state apparatus expands even more its jurisdiction…and its inefficiency. Super ministries, superpowers, missions express: It is a broken record. Everything has the air of something seen before.

Another great Editorial in Thursday’s Tal Cual

The Curse by Teodoro Petkoff

My subtitle: The Devil’s Excrement revisited

Those that do not learn from history are condemned to repeating it, said a philosopher (and another one had said before him that repetition, in general, is like a farce). Venezuela is living anew under the sign of the oil boom; once again the umbrella of oil prices beyond all delirium, envelopes our economy…and our politics. In the 70’s we live through this and also in the 80’s. For the third time, the country is literally swimming in petrodollars.

What remained of those booms? Were the dreams of development, social well being and political stability fulfilled? On the contrary! a long period of economic decline that has now lasted for a quarter of a century, accompanied by the horrifying impoverishment of our society, both in its middle levels as well as the most humble ones.

Well into the 90’s, the signs of crisis in the political system were visible. The “Caracazo”, the military coups of 1992, the victory of Caldera the outsider, leading a coalition of “groupuscules” from the left, that announced the Chavez’ subsequent victory, were the tolls of a gigantic bell of destiny that was ringing for a weakened political system.

In the happy years of the “fat barrels”, the state apparatus hypertrophied itself, it turned heavy and obese, the bureaucratic fat covered its muscles, state institutions were sacrificed in the altar of presidentialism and executivism (the parliament was minimized, justice mediatized, the mechanisms of control notched down). The State expanded into dozens of new organizations and companies, whose inefficiency ran even with the out of orbit job mania that populated them. Rentism and the search for income were the dominant variables both in the public and the private sector.

The maximization of oil income exaggerated social, economic and political pressures coming from all interest groups of society, to put their hand, legally or illegally, to the largest possible piece of that income. The overflow of corruption was the inevitable excrescence that appeared on the body of the administration.

CAP had offered to manage abundance with criteria of shortage. It was not possible.

Even before the “thin barrels’ had returned, the oil income had diluted in an out of control current public spending, in expensive projects and of little or null profitability and an important part of it moved abroad, in a colossal capital flight. It is the curse of the petrosates.

Can we escape this time that unknown force? Up to know in the behavior of Chavez Government there is nothing that point to it. They are repeating the patterns of behavior that once left the bitter retaste of failure. Countering the dynamic and logic of petrostate societies requires political will, together with the knowledge of them, which does not appear to exist in the Government.

Once again rentism marks public economic behavior; once again pressures of all sorts are taking us to waste gigantic income, to increment the fiscal deficit and to make grow public debt. The state apparatus expands even more its jurisdiction…and its inefficiency. Super ministries, superpowers, missions express: It is a broken record. Everything has the air of something seen before.

Another great Editorial in Thursday’s Tal Cual

The Curse by Teodoro Petkoff

My subtitle: The Devil’s Excrement revisited

Those that do not learn from history are condemned to repeating it, said a philosopher (and another one had said before him that repetition, in general, is like a farce). Venezuela is living anew under the sign of the oil boom; once again the umbrella of oil prices beyond all delirium, envelopes our economy…and our politics. In the 70’s we live through this and also in the 80’s. For the third time, the country is literally swimming in petrodollars.

What remained of those booms? Were the dreams of development, social well being and political stability fulfilled? On the contrary! a long period of economic decline that has now lasted for a quarter of a century, accompanied by the horrifying impoverishment of our society, both in its middle levels as well as the most humble ones.

Well into the 90’s, the signs of crisis in the political system were visible. The “Caracazo”, the military coups of 1992, the victory of Caldera the outsider, leading a coalition of “groupuscules” from the left, that announced the Chavez’ subsequent victory, were the tolls of a gigantic bell of destiny that was ringing for a weakened political system.

In the happy years of the “fat barrels”, the state apparatus hypertrophied itself, it turned heavy and obese, the bureaucratic fat covered its muscles, state institutions were sacrificed in the altar of presidentialism and executivism (the parliament was minimized, justice mediatized, the mechanisms of control notched down). The State expanded into dozens of new organizations and companies, whose inefficiency ran even with the out of orbit job mania that populated them. Rentism and the search for income were the dominant variables both in the public and the private sector.

The maximization of oil income exaggerated social, economic and political pressures coming from all interest groups of society, to put their hand, legally or illegally, to the largest possible piece of that income. The overflow of corruption was the inevitable excrescence that appeared on the body of the administration.

CAP had offered to manage abundance with criteria of shortage. It was not possible.

Even before the “thin barrels’ had returned, the oil income had diluted in an out of control current public spending, in expensive projects and of little or null profitability and an important part of it moved abroad, in a colossal capital flight. It is the curse of the petrosates.

Can we escape this time that unknown force? Up to know in the behavior of Chavez Government there is nothing that point to it. They are repeating the patterns of behavior that once left the bitter retaste of failure. Countering the dynamic and logic of petrostate societies requires political will, together with the knowledge of them, which does not appear to exist in the Government.

Once again rentism marks public economic behavior; once again pressures of all sorts are taking us to waste gigantic income, to increment the fiscal deficit and to make grow public debt. The state apparatus expands even more its jurisdiction…and its inefficiency. Super ministries, superpowers, missions express: It is a broken record. Everything has the air of something seen before.

Paris Hilton t-shirt for the US election with its adaption to Venezuela

Paris Hilton t-shirt for the US election with its adaption to Venezuela

From today’s Descifrado on the “Sumate” revision of the penal code:

“During a meeting with reporters from the foreign media that took place on Friday, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Brazil, Julio Garcia Montoya, confirmed that the Government’s bill for reform of the penal code includes a severe penalty for NGO’s that receive financing from abroad, was taylor made to punish Súmate. “That organization was devoted to destabilize the Venezuelan Government and that can not be” said the official. In his judgment, however, the tough penalties proposed(up to thirty years in prison) for the NGO’s that receive foreign funding should be mad softer in the case of organization that are not devoted to destabilize “because Sumate is an exception” concluded the Bolivarian ambassador.”

This my friends is called intolerance and political persecution of your enemies. This has no place in a democracy. The Ambassador admits that they are creating a law specifically to punish an organization that promotes electoral participation. Participation used to be Chavez’ rallying cry in the old days when he was a candidate and in the first three years of his presidency until people started participating against him. But then the definition was changed and when it is promoted by the opposition it is called destabilization. This is the same President that refused to sign the declaration at the end of the Quebec summit because he did not believe in the concept of a representative democracy, but only in that of a participatory democracy. Is this a cynical and undemocratic revolution or what?

From today’s Descifrado on the “Sumate” revision of the penal code:

“During a meeting with reporters from the foreign media that took place on Friday, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Brazil, Julio Garcia Montoya, confirmed that the Government’s bill for reform of the penal code includes a severe penalty for NGO’s that receive financing from abroad, was taylor made to punish Súmate. “That organization was devoted to destabilize the Venezuelan Government and that can not be” said the official. In his judgment, however, the tough penalties proposed(up to thirty years in prison) for the NGO’s that receive foreign funding should be mad softer in the case of organization that are not devoted to destabilize “because Sumate is an exception” concluded the Bolivarian ambassador.”

This my friends is called intolerance and political persecution of your enemies. This has no place in a democracy. The Ambassador admits that they are creating a law specifically to punish an organization that promotes electoral participation. Participation used to be Chavez’ rallying cry in the old days when he was a candidate and in the first three years of his presidency until people started participating against him. But then the definition was changed and when it is promoted by the opposition it is called destabilization. This is the same President that refused to sign the declaration at the end of the Quebec summit because he did not believe in the concept of a representative democracy, but only in that of a participatory democracy. Is this a cynical and undemocratic revolution or what?