Venezuelan legislature grants Chavez decree powers

[yllus]

Aside from the power to rule by decree for the next 18 months, BusinessWeek also reports that the current National Assembly is also "set to approve legislation to give state control over telecommunications, regulate Internet content deemed to incite violence against the government, force banks to funnel profits into a social fund and curb foreign funding for non-governmental Organizations."

Venezuelan legislature grants Chavez decree powers

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - Venezuela's lame-duck, pro-government congress has given temporary one-man rule to President Hugo Chavez, less than three weeks before a newly elected National Assembly with enough government foes to hamper some of his socialist initiatives takes office.

Congress approved laws that give the state more control over the economy and granted Chavez decree powers that permit him to rule until mid-2012 without input from legislators.

With those decree powers, which lawmakers passed Friday, Venezuela enters a new stage in Chavez's "Bolivarian Revolution," in which analysts say an increasingly erratic but powerful president consolidates control over a country in deep recession.

Chavez's actions, which undermine the new legislature elected in September, have been strongly condemned by government adversaries.

"This castrates the next National Assembly," Teodoro Petkoff, a former guerrilla turned newspaper editor, said of the measures in a Saturday column. "Chavez has begun to take the path of dictatorship."

The president's supporters said the "enabling law" approved by the National Assembly allows Chavez to respond more quickly to heavy rains that have left tens of thousands of Venezuelans homeless.

The 165-member National Assembly is overwhelmingly controlled by Chavez allies, but the new congress will include 67 lawmakers who oppose him.

Speaking to supporters in a televised address Friday, Chavez left little doubt that he would use his powers to push through a range of economic and political measures that would accelerate the oil-rich country's transformation into a socialist state.

"They will not be able to create even one law, the little Yankees," said Chavez, who brands his opponents as stooges of an imperialist U.S. government. "Let's see how they are going to make laws now."

 

[boomerang]

A progressive's wet dream.

 

[sandorski]

Wow, Fail. Total abuse of power.

 

[matt0611]

Who didn't see stuff like this coming, this is not the first time he has done it either.

How easily people are fooled, rights get eroded one by one very slowly, property rights slowly go out the window, power is slowly eroded from the people and opposition shut out, term limits abolished, manipulation of elections, intimidation of all opposition parties and media, socialization of industries, control of the money supply with high inflation and high unemployment, and then the ultimate centralization of power, law by decree of the dictator, who fights for the good will of the hard working people.

Ah, socialism, so predictable, so much fail.

 

[thraashman]

A progressive's wet dream.

Increases in executive power has often been something that conservatives, not progressive liberals has sought in this country.

Technically, his heavily misinformed, poor and easily controlled people want him to have this. Or at least they are ignorant enough to believe this is what they want. I wonder if they have their own version of a poster in these forums citing how "We The People" want Chavez to be able to make Venezuela a paradise. Because really, the Tea Party is just the right's version of Chavez level crazy. Hopefully we're too intelligent in this country to ever let something like this happen. It's not about left vs right in this case, it's about consolidation of power in the executive. And the only president I've ever heard say they wanted to be a dictator of the U.S. was George W. Bush.

 

[MovingTarget]

A progressive's wet dream.

No. A hard-core marxist's wet dream maybe, but a modern American progressive's wet dream definitely not. Chavez is a tool. These truly are sad times for Venezuela.

 

[boomerang]

Increases in executive power has often been something that conservatives, not progressive liberals has sought in this country.

Technically, his heavily misinformed, poor and easily controlled people want him to have this. Or at least they are ignorant enough to believe this is what they want. I wonder if they have their own version of a poster in these forums citing how "We The People" want Chavez to be able to make Venezuela a paradise. Because really, the Tea Party is just the right's version of Chavez level crazy. Hopefully we're too intelligent in this country to ever let something like this happen. It's not about left vs right in this case, it's about consolidation of power in the executive. And the only president I've ever heard say they wanted to be a dictator of the U.S. was George W. Bush.

I think you've reached your limit on the Kool-Aid today. I'd explain why you're misguided but I know it would just fall on deaf ears.

But, here's a little something I'll throw out there in case you're of a mood to ponder a bit. What businesses, industries and institutions have been nationalized since January of 2009? I better qualify this. Here in the good old U.S. of A.

 

[boomerang]

No. A hard-core marxist's wet dream maybe, but a modern American progressive's wet dream definitely not. Chavez is a tool. These truly are sad times for Venezuela.

Has Chavez taken their guns away yet? I seem to remember that this is the case.

 

[Atreus21]

Aside from the power to rule by decree for the next 18 months, BusinessWeek also reports that the current National Assembly is also "set to approve legislation to give state control over telecommunications, regulate Internet content deemed to incite violence against the government, force banks to funnel profits into a social fund and curb foreign funding for non-governmental Organizations."

Venezuelan legislature grants Chavez decree powers

Goddamit I fucking love communism.

 

[Genx87]

I am sure Craig and theredunderyourbed(steeplerot) will be on here shortly to explain how this is actually Bush's fault and there is nothing to see.

We all called this years ago.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Incite violence against the government? If someone in America tried inciting violence against Obama, they would be investigated. This legislation is common sense stuff. Only right-wing conspiracy nuts would think that there is anything wrong with preventing violence.

 

[Double Trouble]

Chavez needs a bullet to the head, asap. Sad to see what was once a prosperous country ruined by socialist stupidity and the inevitable move towards dictatorship. I guess it's not really a move towards dictatorship, Chavez is already a dictator. He's crushed any and every form of opposition. Just like every dictator, left or right wing, they first start by slowly taking control of all important parts of the private sector, then moving at an ever accelerated pace towards complete control of media and squashing opposition.

The US should have taken him out years ago.

 

[Nintendesert]

Incite violence against the government? If someone in America tried inciting violence against Obama, they would be investigated. This legislation is common sense stuff. Only right-wing conspiracy nuts would think that there is anything wrong with preventing violence.

The government should fear the people not the other way around. But maybe I'm missing your sarcasm.

 

[Double Trouble]

Incite violence against the government? If someone in America tried inciting violence against Obama, they would be investigated. This legislation is common sense stuff. Only right-wing conspiracy nuts would think that there is anything wrong with preventing violence.

Apparently you are not at all familiar with Chavez or the Venezuelan government or society. Saying anything not approved by Chavez or his henchmen, no matter how innocuous ("power outages have reached a critical level, something needs to be done") is labeled as "inciting violence". That's how Chavez shut down all radio and TV stations not run by his government, and prevented anyone from printing anything without government permission. Now he needs control of all remaining forms of communication, including the internet, and he needs to stop any possible flow of money into or out of the country to complete his dictatorial powers.

 

[matt0611]

...
The US should have taken him out years ago.

Chavez and dictatorships suck, but best to stay out of it though IMO, but if Venezuelans wanted to rise up and kill him I sure as hell wouldn't stop them.

 

[cubby1223]

Yea, well, Chavez once gave a speech where he said he doesn't like "the rich" thus he gets a pass in the minds of the "intellectuals" giving him unlimited powers to do whatever he wants with his country.

 

[Double Trouble]

Chavez and dictatorships suck, but best to stay out of it though IMO, but if Venezuelans wanted to rise up and kill him I sure as hell wouldn't stop them.

CIA involvement in the form of a single sniper and a bullet 10 years ago would have been fine. Now the country is a mess and it's going to take decades to turn it around even after Chavez is finally removed. He's destroyed the infrastructure to the point where the country is not even capable of producing enough food for it's people anymore. Only petro-dollars are keeping it afloat.

 

[MovingTarget]

Has Chavez taken their guns away yet? I seem to remember that this is the case.

Not sure if he has, but it wouldn't surprise me. I'll have to search the other Chavez threads though. Even liberals realize that the kind of actions Chavez is taking here are the reasons why we have a 2nd amendment.

 

[yllus]

Has Chavez taken their guns away yet? I seem to remember that this is the case.

Venezuela Discusses Proposed Gun Control Law (Friday 17 September 2010)

CARACAS - The Venezuelan parliament on Thursday debated a draft gun control law aimed at combating crime.

The initiative would bring significant advances over previous legislation on the subject, said Tulio Jimenez, president of the National Assembly's domestic policy commission.

The new law would ban the sale of weapons by private parties and grant the state absolute control over them, to ensure national security and defense.

For the first time, ammunition would be regulated and penalties for illegally possessing and bearing weapons would be harsher, Jimenez said in an interview with the Venezolana de Televisión TV network.

The draft law, which has passed a first round of debate, would set a limit of 25 rounds of ammunition per person, replaceable only when their use has been justified.

Firearms would not be completely banned, but the circle of those authorized to have them would be smaller, he said.

Once the law is passed after a second round of discussion in Congress and signed by the president, citizens will have 180 days to hand in their illegal weapons and register their legal ones, Jimenez said.

 

[Corn]

I am sure Craig and theredunderyourbed(steeplerot) will be on here shortly to explain how this is actually Bush's fault and there is nothing to see.

We all called this years ago.

As I recall with certainty, Craig decreed Chaves to be, and I quote, "A hero to democracy". LOL, what a moron.

 

[manimal]

Who cares what Chavez does? Try not to pretend you understand anything about that country and their people.

Do we have to start listing every single country and vilify their leaders because they do not fit into our ideological prism?

I may think the man a douche bag and dislike his policy but I dont feel the need to put all the people who don't think like me inside a box so I can point my finger at that box and think they are an axis of evil..

If you want to understand South America try to read its history...


back to your regularly scheduled rage fest brought to you by goldline....

 

[HamburgerBoy]

If you want to understand South America try to read its history...

One of poverty and corruption fueled by countless authoritarian dictatorships much like this one?

 

[jhu]

So, when do the clone wars start?

 

[jhu]

Only petro-dollars are keeping it afloat.

And we only have ourselves to blame (partially). Our 5th largest exporter of oil is Venezuela.

 

[manimal]

One of poverty and corruption fueled by countless authoritarian dictatorships much like this one?

Death Squads, people disappearing in the middle of the night, dictators and those put in place by interests from the US and even CIA involvement so you were partly right.