I try not to get political and I won't really express any opinion now, just a few observations on the socialist revolution here in Venezuela. When I arrived in the International Airport there were huge banners hanging everywhere saying how great it was to live in socialism. When I walked over to the domestic side of the airport to catch my flight from Caracas to Puerto Ordaz I had to stand in line for almost two hours because the electricity was out and no computers were working.
When I asked why all these apartment buildings were empty I was told that the new laws protect the tenants so much that if they decide not to pay rent then the lanldord can't do anything about it. So, obviously owners would rather not rent to anyone. The longest lease you can get is 6 months so if someone does find a place to rent they have to move on in six months. This is creating a sort of nomadic community.
Almost all privately owned companies that were profitable have been seized by the Chavez government for the cause of the people and socialism. A lot of U.S. franchises are closed and gone. Huge factories sit empty because when the government took them over they could not sustain them because the profits were not re-invested into the company, they went to the State.
There are shortages of milk, eggs, meat etc.. for the same reasons. After the dairy cows were milked the government didn't figure out you have to breed new stock to keep it going.
The good news is, last night we filled up the tank of a Toyota Forerunner for ONE DOLLAR! Yes, it is 5 CENTS a GALLON for gasoline. I could not believe it, of course I offered to buy the tank of gas and bless my friends.
Overall however, it does SEEM to be better than the last time I was here and the oppresiveness is not as heavy as it was two years ago. Of course, I am not as heavy as I was two years ago either.
Things do change and as a recovering pessimist, i am going to say they change for the better. So, I am believing Shalom will come to this nation and it may start right now this week right here!
PEACE OUT.
That does sound like what my friend I used to work with in Clearwater saw. He and his sister had moved here to escape before it was all gone. They had had a lovely large family home that had been deemed too large for one family and was now a clinic.
ReplyDelete5 cents a gallon... WOW. I'm old, but I never even saw it for that much here in the US when I was a kid.
The word for this week seems to be "injustice". It triggers such ugliness for us, but we can't change it, just bind it and loose Shalom. When the Lord gets ahold of our hearts, HE brings that quiet confidence that we need to fight the battle!
A toast to a glorious week as that happens there in Venezuela!
Old political saying-----If you're not a communist at 20 you have no heart. If you're a communist at 30 you have no head.
ReplyDeleteHey can you get a picture of the gas sign displaying 5cents. wow that is amazing, i would take a road trip at prices like that.
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