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Started By
Message
A story about communism in Venezuela
Posted on 11/2/20 at 8:36 pm
Posted on 11/2/20 at 8:36 pm
Long, but I think it is important to share.
My neighbor owns a successful business here in Louisiana. He is from Venezuela and his wife is from Cuba. They have a wonderful family and have been bringing their relatives over via asylum or other means like work visas where possible. They are incredibly productive and hospitable people and embody what makes a great American family. In the 1950s Venezuela had the 4th highest GDP per capita in the world. As recently as the 80s or 90s it was still the wealthiest country in South America.
He worked for the Venezuelan state owned oil company (PDVSA) and it was considered a good job for someone from a modest family and without much education beyond high school. By 22 he was managing a small crew on a barge that was servicing oil drilling and production in Lake Maracaibo, a large reserve of oil.
A few years later in 2004 there was a referendum recall vote of the communist party president, Chavez. My neighbor voted to recall him as he "was convinced he was crooked and enriching himself". Not long after the election, with Chavez still in power, he was called to an office after his shift to meet with the equivalent of HR. He was told that he was no longer allowed to work there and to pack up his belongings and go home. Several of his close friends at PDVSA did not vote in the recall and were not fired. One was in the administrative office and confirmed that he was indeed fired for voting against Chavez and many other people were let go the same week for the same reason.
In the following weeks and months the vacant positions formerly held by those who voted to remove Chavez were filled with unqualified communist party members, many from Cuba. It was a policy from PDVSA at that time that it would provide you a home to live in while you were employed. If you worked for the company for 15 years, you would then own the home outright. During this anti-communist purge, many of the now vacant homes were filled with not only new oil company employees, but also now doctors and other professionals from Cuba, all of them communist party members. Your economic status was no longer relative to your productivity or good investment decisions but instead whether or not you were a good communist party member.
I dont know the exact statistics but GDP tanked, inflation soared and poverty boomed during this period and forward from there. My neighbor likes to describe how before he left you could not buy basic goods like diapers or baby formula. It simply did not exist on the shelves. People were rationed beans and rice. You could find some "American" items like electronics or food goods but could only buy them in the back room and with US dollars. After he was forced from PDVSA he made a living by sneaking across to Columbia and buying goods there to bring back home to resell for a profit. He started flying from Columbia to Miami and bringing back shoes and other items that were very rare and very valuable in Venezuela. As inflation climbed and life became more bleak, he decided to stay in America as he had an uncle working here who managed to find him a work visa at the same company.
He likes to illustrate how communism is bad by the fact that the Chavez government shut down International flights in order to prevent people from fleeing the country. In order to get out you would have to sneak into Columbia or even Brazil and fly from there. "The people no longer own themselves". Individuals are now owned by the country as slaves to the communist party.
My neighbor's wife says that as bad as it is in Venezuela, it is worse in Cuba: "If they hear you talk bad about the government on the phone, you disappear, never seen again"
The cannot wait to vote Trump tomorrow. They say that they cannot believe anyone in the USA can vote for a party so aligned with socialism or communism as the democrat party, especially when anyone can look to Venezuela to see how a wealthy country can fall into abject poverty all in the name of redistribution and equality of outcomes. "Ignorance" is their only explanation.
I agree with my neighbors that a vote for Biden is a step towards communism. Please join us in voting against communism by voting against Biden.
My neighbor owns a successful business here in Louisiana. He is from Venezuela and his wife is from Cuba. They have a wonderful family and have been bringing their relatives over via asylum or other means like work visas where possible. They are incredibly productive and hospitable people and embody what makes a great American family. In the 1950s Venezuela had the 4th highest GDP per capita in the world. As recently as the 80s or 90s it was still the wealthiest country in South America.
He worked for the Venezuelan state owned oil company (PDVSA) and it was considered a good job for someone from a modest family and without much education beyond high school. By 22 he was managing a small crew on a barge that was servicing oil drilling and production in Lake Maracaibo, a large reserve of oil.
A few years later in 2004 there was a referendum recall vote of the communist party president, Chavez. My neighbor voted to recall him as he "was convinced he was crooked and enriching himself". Not long after the election, with Chavez still in power, he was called to an office after his shift to meet with the equivalent of HR. He was told that he was no longer allowed to work there and to pack up his belongings and go home. Several of his close friends at PDVSA did not vote in the recall and were not fired. One was in the administrative office and confirmed that he was indeed fired for voting against Chavez and many other people were let go the same week for the same reason.
In the following weeks and months the vacant positions formerly held by those who voted to remove Chavez were filled with unqualified communist party members, many from Cuba. It was a policy from PDVSA at that time that it would provide you a home to live in while you were employed. If you worked for the company for 15 years, you would then own the home outright. During this anti-communist purge, many of the now vacant homes were filled with not only new oil company employees, but also now doctors and other professionals from Cuba, all of them communist party members. Your economic status was no longer relative to your productivity or good investment decisions but instead whether or not you were a good communist party member.
I dont know the exact statistics but GDP tanked, inflation soared and poverty boomed during this period and forward from there. My neighbor likes to describe how before he left you could not buy basic goods like diapers or baby formula. It simply did not exist on the shelves. People were rationed beans and rice. You could find some "American" items like electronics or food goods but could only buy them in the back room and with US dollars. After he was forced from PDVSA he made a living by sneaking across to Columbia and buying goods there to bring back home to resell for a profit. He started flying from Columbia to Miami and bringing back shoes and other items that were very rare and very valuable in Venezuela. As inflation climbed and life became more bleak, he decided to stay in America as he had an uncle working here who managed to find him a work visa at the same company.
He likes to illustrate how communism is bad by the fact that the Chavez government shut down International flights in order to prevent people from fleeing the country. In order to get out you would have to sneak into Columbia or even Brazil and fly from there. "The people no longer own themselves". Individuals are now owned by the country as slaves to the communist party.
My neighbor's wife says that as bad as it is in Venezuela, it is worse in Cuba: "If they hear you talk bad about the government on the phone, you disappear, never seen again"
The cannot wait to vote Trump tomorrow. They say that they cannot believe anyone in the USA can vote for a party so aligned with socialism or communism as the democrat party, especially when anyone can look to Venezuela to see how a wealthy country can fall into abject poverty all in the name of redistribution and equality of outcomes. "Ignorance" is their only explanation.
I agree with my neighbors that a vote for Biden is a step towards communism. Please join us in voting against communism by voting against Biden.
This post was edited on 11/2/20 at 8:43 pm
Posted on 11/2/20 at 8:37 pm to WizardSleeve
quote:
If they hear you talk bad about the government on the phone, you disappear, never seen again"
Scary. This is what cancel culture will eventually lead to in America.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 8:43 pm to WizardSleeve
You could just look currently at the old West Germany to the old East Germany.
The eastern area of Germany still lags behind the western parts, 30 years after reunification.
You vote for communism, you're voting it for the rest of your life and probably your kids
The eastern area of Germany still lags behind the western parts, 30 years after reunification.
You vote for communism, you're voting it for the rest of your life and probably your kids
Posted on 11/2/20 at 8:48 pm to WizardSleeve
Read every word. Thank you for posting it
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:00 pm to WizardSleeve
I was in Venezuela helping with a sailboat delivery summer in 2010. Everything basic was scarce. You couldn’t buy cornmeal, coffee, electrical connectors. The stores were barren. The people I was with were living on the black market trading currency and basics because the bolivar was worthless. The airport would refuse to trade back to USD when you left.
I recall a news story that Weekend the entire Maraicaibo port of container ships filled with food all rotted because they couldn’t unload after the government seized everything.
We had to bribe port officials to leave. Can’t believe those people haven’t revolted already, but they are unarmed.
I recall a news story that Weekend the entire Maraicaibo port of container ships filled with food all rotted because they couldn’t unload after the government seized everything.
We had to bribe port officials to leave. Can’t believe those people haven’t revolted already, but they are unarmed.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:01 pm to WizardSleeve
quote:Cancel culture. Sound familiar?
My neighbor voted to recall him as he "was convinced he was crooked and enriching himself". Not long after the election, with Chavez still in power, he was called to an office after his shift to meet with the equivalent of HR. He was told that he was no longer allowed to work there and to pack up his belongings and go home. Several of his close friends at PDVSA did not vote in the recall and were not fired.
quote:Yah, but they got rid of "income inequality". No more rich people! Success!!
My neighbor likes to describe how before he left you could not buy basic goods like diapers or baby formula. It simply did not exist on the shelves. People were rationed beans and rice.
quote:
They are incredibly productive and hospitable people and embody what makes a great American family.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:07 pm to jlc05
My girlfriend and another couple went to LaGuara for a week in the 80s . What a absolutely beautiful country with awesome vibrate people . Can’t say enough about how much fun we had . Sad to see what happened.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:14 pm to WizardSleeve
Yep. I have a distant relative from Venezuela who is now a US citizen. They can see what’s happening.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:19 pm to WizardSleeve
Very well written - I too know many people from Venezuela who say very similar things
Then you have the Central American countries who were never rich - but do the exact same thing. All through the 70s and 80s people disappearing for what they said or losing jobs (which there weren’t many) - in some respects it’s the same but they have a little better luck with the governments now as long as they side with the cartels
Then you have the Central American countries who were never rich - but do the exact same thing. All through the 70s and 80s people disappearing for what they said or losing jobs (which there weren’t many) - in some respects it’s the same but they have a little better luck with the governments now as long as they side with the cartels
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:26 pm to WizardSleeve
Book marked. Thank you.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:28 pm to GreenRockTiger
This should be a chapter in every history book.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:37 pm to GreenRockTiger
Venezuela's downfall started in the 60s when the gov't expropriated land from foreigners. Joel Salatin's family lost a huge farm but rebuild their lives in America, Venezuela's loss.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:38 pm to WizardSleeve
Have direct family members who grew up in and fled Venezuela over the past years. Some 20’years ago, some in the past few years.
The government took their businesses... they were very well off.
They still love Obama and would vote Biden if they could.
Some people never learn.
The government took their businesses... they were very well off.
They still love Obama and would vote Biden if they could.
Some people never learn.
Posted on 11/2/20 at 9:46 pm to mohalk
quote:
Can’t believe the people haven’t revolted yet.
Really. Same reason the Cubans haven’t or East Germans of the mid-twentieth century didn’t or any other communist slave state vassals couldn’t. The state controls information, there is a secret police and web of informants and, oh yes...the subjects don’t have guns.
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