Ha. Hugo Chavez gets a taste of his own medicine

[Narmer]

Watch the video. Venezuela used to be a decent country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8537998.stm

A televised speech by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was suddenly thrown into darkness when lights failed, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

Power and light were restored after around 30 seconds, when Chavez immediately denied the incident had been caused by a power cut.

 

[Craig234]

It looks like Chavez isn't doing too well with the power issue, but here are some other points reported by AP in October:

Chavez has sprung into action in the past week, announcing a contingency plan to conserve electricity and appointing a new Cabinet minister to oversee the electrical sector. Chavez says rationing may be in order, and he'll set an example by turning down the air conditioning and turning off more lights at the presidential palace...

Total power consumption has risen about 25 percent since 2004 - a period during which Venezuela enjoyed an oil boom while electricity rates have been frozen, leaving little incentive to save energy.Millions of poor Venezuelans help themselves to electricity for free by splicing wires onto power lines...

Critics of Chavez contend the government ignored the root of the problem far too long: investments needed to expand power production and satisfy rising consumption.Opposition newspaper editor Teodoro Petkoff, in his daily Tal Cual, accused Chavez and his allies of neglecting the energy sector and said: "The electricity crisis is Hugo Chavez's legitimate son. DNA tests are not necessary to prove it."

Chavez concedes that delays in maintenance and faulty planning are partly to blame, but insists that rising demand and recent weather changes are bigger problems."It's El Niño," he said, referring to the periodic phenomenon in which warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean creates unusual weather patterns.

El Niño is blamed for a lack of rainfall that is causing water shortages and starving the hydroelectric dams that produce about three-fourths of Venezuela's electricity. Chavez says the water level at the Guri dam, the country's largest, is about 30 percent below its previous record low.Venezuela's rainy season ends next month and significant rainfall isn't likely to return until May or June, so many experts expect more power failures.

Chavez's government is distributing energy-saving light bulbs and setting up diesel-powered generators in the most affected regions. He is also mulling a decree that would let the government fine consumers who use too much electricity.

The government says it has spent $16.5 billion on updating the electrical grid since 2002, but only two of about three dozen projects have been fully completed, according to the website of the state-run electricity corporation.

I guess maybe he should, like us, use resources five times their world share by population, such that if the rest of world's people copied the US energy use, it would require five planets to provide the resources.

 

[CanOWorms]

I guess maybe he should, like us, use resources five times their world share by population, such that if the rest of world's people copied the US energy use, it would require five planets to provide the resources.

That's a stupid metric. One could easily tie energy consumption to size of economy or several other factors which would achieve opposite results.

 

[alphatarget1]

It looks like Chavez isn't doing too well with the power issue, but here are some other points reported by AP in October:



I guess maybe he should, like us, use resources five times their world share by population, such that if the rest of world's people copied the US energy use, it would require five planets to provide the resources.

LOL Craig blames the USA for his socialist buddies' incompetence in running a country!

 

[ayabe]

This issue really doesn't have anything to do with the US and it's gluttony and it's sort of silly to bring up.

The real problem is all the money Chavez has been spending on weapons trying to be the big dick down in SA, threatening Columbia and everything else.

I'm actually surprised he didn't try to blame Bush for this one as well, perhaps when the lights went out, he thought the CIA was finally coming to finish him off.

 

[Craig234]

LOL Craig blames the USA for his socialist buddies' incompetence in running a country!

You lack reading comprehension.

An explanation won't likely do you any good, but in case anyone was confused by your error:

THe US wasn't blamed for anything with Chavez's energy problems, in my post or the article.

The point was, for those who are only throwing stones for the problems, the stone throwers might not have any power outages interrupting their president's speeches - but their very solid power system has its own problems of excessive resource usage, such that the throwers use far more than their share of resources, so much more that the planet doesn't have nearly enough resources for others to do the same.

It's saying others can point out problems - different problems - with the US policies, too. Not that the US is to blame for the problems in Venezuela.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

If Venezuelans had any sense about that bastard they'd drag his piggly fat ass squealing out into the street and... err... depose him.

 

[ElFenix]

Watch the video. Venezuela used to be a decent country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8537998.stm

A televised speech by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was suddenly thrown into darkness when lights failed, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

Power and light were restored after around 30 seconds, when Chavez immediately denied the incident had been caused by a power cut.

baghdad bob, is that you?

 

[Sinsear]

Lol. Craig to the rescue of Chavez. What a shocker.

 

[MotF Bane]

If Venezuelans had any sense about that bastard they'd drag his piggly fat ass squealing out into the street and... err... depose him.

Let's not mince words. Hang him high.

 

[OutHouse]

baghdad bob, is that you?

lol i was thinking the same thing.

 

[FaaR]

If Venezuelans had any sense about that bastard they'd drag his piggly fat ass squealing out into the street and... err... depose him.

Chavez' era is coming to an end, the populace rejected his attempt to modify the constitution to allow him to become president-for-life. When his current term is up he's out unless he tries to take over the government, and my bet is that won't go too well for him.

 

[Craig234]

Chavez' era is coming to an end, the populace rejected his attempt to modify the constitution to allow him to become president-for-life. When his current term is up he's out unless he tries to take over the government, and my bet is that won't go too well for him.

My understanding is that there was never any 'president for life' initiative, that's propaganda, but there was an extension to run for election withou tterm limits, that lost the first time and passed the next.

So as far as I know he can run for re-election. But his poll numbers have been going down, one reasons being the worsening power outages.

 

[StageLeft]

You lack reading comprehension.

An explanation won't likely do you any good, but in case anyone was confused by your error:

THe US wasn't blamed for anything with Chavez's energy problems, in my post or the article.

The point was, for those who are only throwing stones for the problems, the stone throwers might not have any power outages interrupting their president's speeches - but their very solid power system has its own problems of excessive resource usage, such that the throwers use far more than their share of resources, so much more that the planet doesn't have nearly enough resources for others to do the same.

It's saying others can point out problems - different problems - with the US policies, too. Not that the US is to blame for the problems in Venezuela.

So basically you're turning a thread about Venezuela into a thread about US profligacy? The thread on the environment is over that way ---->

 

[StageLeft]

So as far as I know he can run for re-election. But his poll numbers have been going down, one reasons being the worsening power outages.

Phew! Thank God nobody has ever rigged an election before!

As always, the idiotic Venezuelans deserve everything that has happened to them and this is because they were not deceived. Chavez said what his plans were, they voted him in (and rigging wasn't necessary for that) and now are seeing what happens when a bumblingly incompetent and corrupt government tries to play at excessive economic intervention. I hope they are enjoying what they asked for.

 

[FaaR]

My understanding is that there was never any 'president for life' initiative, that's propaganda

I should perhaps have pointed out I meant the comment to be tongue-in-cheek, but nevermind... Regardless, I think simply by listening to Chavez' increasingly belligerent rethoric these past few years, his bosom-buddying with shits like Castro etc he's been trying to set himself up as a strongman 'Leader' (capital L) type government figure, and thus president-for-life may not have been explicitly stated, but in fact very much implicitly meant.

 

[spittledip]

Watch the video. Venezuela used to be a decent country.

A decent country if you were wealthy.

 

[CPA]

You lack reading comprehension.

An explanation won't likely do you any good, but in case anyone was confused by your error:

THe US wasn't blamed for anything with Chavez's energy problems, in my post or the article.

The point was, for those who are only throwing stones for the problems, the stone throwers might not have any power outages interrupting their president's speeches - but their very solid power system has its own problems of excessive resource usage, such that the throwers use far more than their share of resources, so much more that the planet doesn't have nearly enough resources for others to do the same.

It's saying others can point out problems - different problems - with the US policies, too. Not that the US is to blame for the problems in Venezuela.

Oh, I get it, you were trying to hijack this thread about Chavez and his issues with your comments about the US. Stay focused, Craig, the thread is about Chavez.

 

[cirrrocco]

take this bitch..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100227/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_colombia_uribe_re_election

 

[Jhhnn]

From cirrocco's linked piece about Colombia-

"Uribe's government came under intense criticism by the United Nations and human rights groups late in 2008 over a scandal involving hundreds of extra-judicial killings by soldiers, many of whom killed peasants and then dressed them up as rebels."

Funny how the American right detests Chavez, but seems to think Uribe is just Peachy... at least the Chavez regime hasn't resorted to mass murder, unlike their neighbor, our pal... I don't think that there are any death squads in Venezuela, either...

Many of Venezuela's problems are self inflicted, no doubt, but don't think for a moment that Uncle Sam won't trip them up every chance he gets...

 

[Craig234]

Oh, I get it, you were trying to hijack this thread about Chavez and his issues with your comments about the US. Stay focused, Craig, the thread is about Chavez.

No, I pointed out hypocrisy. You don't like that? I'm shocked, shocked.

 

[WelshBloke]

From cirrocco's linked piece about Colombia-

"Uribe's government came under intense criticism by the United Nations and human rights groups late in 2008 over a scandal involving hundreds of extra-judicial killings by soldiers, many of whom killed peasants and then dressed them up as rebels."

Funny how the American right detests Chavez, but seems to think Uribe is just Peachy... at least the Chavez regime hasn't resorted to mass murder, unlike their neighbor, our pal... I don't think that there are any death squads in Venezuela, either...

Many of Venezuela's problems are self inflicted, no doubt, but don't think for a moment that Uncle Sam won't trip them up every chance he gets...

Yeah, not to defend Chavez but you don't see anywhere near the amount of self righteous foaming about corrupt right wing regimes in South America and they are the ones 'disappearing' people (or were).

 

[cubby1223]

My understanding is that there was never any 'president for life' initiative, that's propaganda, but there was an extension to run for election withou tterm limits, that lost the first time and passed the next.

Just like how Saddam Hussein was elected by vote? Everyone else who doesn't drool over Chavez's every word, knows he pushed that through specifically so he could attempt to be "president for life".

But then again, isn't that the "progressive" way, baby steps towards greater government control?

It is funny how you cry PROPAGANDA!!! at everything you don't like. Besides, this is just an internet forum

 

[Narmer]

I really don't agree with you guys wrt Chavez. The people voted him in and keep supporting him. They wanted and got a monster. Let them take whatever he has to offer.

 

[DanDaManJC]

Yeah, not to defend Chavez but you don't see anywhere near the amount of self righteous foaming about corrupt right wing regimes in South America and they are the ones 'disappearing' people (or were).

thing is it's been going on for at least 30 years. all of them also completely American backed regimes too... for the poor peasants being killed, by definition of terrorism, that would be american backed terrorism. hugo's got his dirty laundry list too, but we're far from being angels ourselves.