Venezuela jails 100 bourgeois capitalist parasites in crackdown on price-gouging - Polidicks

[quote]CARACAS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist government has arrested more than 100 "bourgeois" businessmen in a crackdown on alleged price-gouging at hundreds of shops and companies since the weekend, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday. "They are barbaric, these capitalist parasites!" Maduro thundered in the latest of his lengthy daily speeches. "We have more than 100 of the bourgeoisie behind bars at the moment." The successor to the late Hugo Chavez also said his government was preparing a law to limit Venezuelan businesses' profits to between 15 percent and 30 percent. Officials say unscrupulous companies have been hiking prices of electronics and other goods more than 1,000 percent. Critics say failed socialist economic policies and restricted access to foreign currency are behind Venezuela's runaway inflation. ... Since the weekend, soldiers and inspectors have gone into 1,400 shops, taken over operations at an electronics firm and a battery-making company, and rounded up a handful of looters. The move - Maduro's boldest since taking office in April - is reminiscent of the dramatic governing style of Chavez, who nationalized swaths of the OPEC member's economy during his 14-year socialist rule. Like Chavez, Maduro says he is defending the poor. The inspections have shaken Venezuela three weeks before local elections that his opponents are casting as a referendum on the 50-year-old former bus driver. Maduro has made preserving Chavez's legacy the mainstay of his government and has been matching his former mentor's anti-capitalist rhetoric.[/quote] [URL="http://ca.news.yahoo.com/venezuela-president-vows-no-letup-price-gouging-crackdown-010034869--sector.html"]Rueters, through Yahoo News Canada[/URL] [t]http://frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Nicol%C3%A1s_Maduro.jpg[/t]

I could make a fortune selling these guys toilet paper but that would be price gouging apparently. [editline]15th November 2013[/editline] [QUOTE]Maduro's economic policies were "chillingly similar" to those of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. [/QUOTE] Excellent. Soon everybody will be millionaires. Take that capitalists.

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;42874960]I could make a fortune selling these guys toilet paper but that would be price gouging apparently. [editline]15th November 2013[/editline] Excellent. Soon everybody will be millionaires. Take that capitalists.[/QUOTE] [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ty8md1TLpYo/TcqaQCFkxjI/AAAAAAAAAWk/e702hp19wr8/s400/zimbabwe_100_trillion_dollar_bill.jpg[/img] Trillionaires, at the current rate if they decide to enact those "laws" regarding businesses.

Oh yeah, Maduro sponsored looting of stores time! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEg7xAD2qQE[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG5YyuGl6mM[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DYMJUP8kw[/media] This is definitely not going to backfire! In other news, since they needed one more vote to get an enabling act for Maduro, one member of the National Assembly from the opposition side was arrested, to have her substitute (Who curiously has the same last name than Maduro's wife Celia Flores, what a coincidence!) give the necessary 99th vote for the act to pass.

And that's how a country's economy collapses

The favored authoritarian socialist/communist tactic in face of economic failure is to blame it on the je- I mean capitalists and then arrest them.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;42875264]The favored authoritarian socialist/communist tactic in face of economic failure is to blame it on the je- I mean capitalists and then arrest them.[/QUOTE] To be fair, even though I'll be the first to agree that Maduro's economics are utter shit, and so were Chavez's, I'm disappointed that he didn't do this sooner. I think that the fact that he or Chavez didn't arrest these guys sooner (and for this reason- at least it's for once a reasonable socialist reasoning, even if it is a ruse) is a disappointment. We on the left do not dislike Maduro because he is authoritarian, we dislike Maduro because he is not socialist enough.

[QUOTE=Big Bang;42875081]In other news, since they needed one more vote to get an enabling act for Maduro, one member of the National Assembly from the opposition side was arrested, to have her substitute (Who curiously has the same last name than Maduro's wife Celia Flores, what a coincidence!) give the necessary 99th vote for the act to pass.[/QUOTE] For real? Fuck I don't understand why all the internet communists circlejerk about Venezuela, it's pretty far from what they want.

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];42875452']To be fair, even though I'll be the first to agree that Maduro's economics are utter shit, and so were Chavez's, I'm disappointed that he didn't do this sooner. I think that the fact that he or Chavez didn't arrest these guys sooner (and for this reason- at least it's for once a reasonable socialist reasoning, even if it is a ruse) is a disappointment. We on the left do not dislike Maduro because he is authoritarian, we dislike Maduro because he is not socialist enough.[/QUOTE] I thought you were a left libertarian though? If you had to shoot every capitalist if you thought it would bring a workers state, would it be worth it in the end?

[QUOTE=Big Bang;42875081]Oh yeah, Maduro sponsored looting of stores time! This is definitely not going to backfire! In other news, since they needed one more vote to get an enabling act for Maduro, one member of the National Assembly from the opposition side was arrested, to have her substitute (Who curiously has the same last name than Maduro's wife Celia Flores, what a coincidence!) give the necessary 99th vote for the act to pass.[/QUOTE] He also told the police not to intervene if people broke into the stores.

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];42875452']To be fair, even though I'll be the first to agree that Maduro's economics are utter shit, and so were Chavez's, I'm disappointed that he didn't do this sooner. I think that the fact that he or Chavez didn't arrest these guys sooner (and for this reason- at least it's for once a reasonable socialist reasoning, even if it is a ruse) is a disappointment. We on the left do not dislike Maduro because he is authoritarian, we dislike Maduro because he is not socialist enough.[/QUOTE] we have annual 45% inflation rate with currency exchange controls, prices are that high because our fucking currency is paper, nobody wants to invest in venezuela, we have ridiculous taxation, we have ridiculous laws, so imported products (hint, about 90% of everything available in a supermarket) have a lot of markup compared to the official bolivares to dollar exchange because the official exchange just doesn't match reality. the easiest way of becoming rich in Venezuela is through arbitrage, really, just grab dollars for the official exchange and sell them in the black market, it's more cost effective than drugs. our economy is a fucking mess, and I'm living to the closest thing of a far right dictatorship right now. there's NOTHING to redeem from Maduro's policies, and nothing to redeem from whatever was left from Chavez either.

It's like I'm reading out of Pravda c. 1960

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];42875452']We on the left do not dislike Maduro because he is authoritarian, we dislike Maduro because he is not socialist enough.[/QUOTE] Are you implying that it's okay he's authoritarian?

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];42875452'] We on the left do not dislike Maduro because he is authoritarian, we dislike Maduro because he is not socialist enough.[/QUOTE] Authoritarian socialists are completely fine? Thats a strange turn from anarchism.

[QUOTE=Antdawg;42876708]Are you implying that it's okay he's authoritarian?[/QUOTE] You prefer the democracy of the us? A good dictator is better than a bad democratic government imo.

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;42876784]Authoritarian socialists are completely fine? Thats a strange turn from anarchism.[/QUOTE] he's not an anarchist though. as an anarchist i would know ;) but he's right. if you want a general response to maduro from the left that includes both the authoritarian and libertarian leftists, then maduro is too far from socialism to get any praise or sympathy from any of "us"(although i don't personally want to be associated with authoritarian leftists more than i have to be).

It bothers me how much that guy looks like my dad. I guess all middle-aged brown men with black hair, thick eyebrows and mustaches look the same to me

also this fuckwad and fuckwads like him are the reason why people look at me like i'm a crazy stalinist whenever i use the term "bourgeois" when discussing class/economic issues.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42876843]also this fuckwad and fuckwads like him are the reason why people look at me like i'm a crazy stalinist whenever i use the term "bourgeois" when discussing class/economic issues.[/QUOTE] Well the term applies to both the middle class and wealthy tycoons so its not much of a term to win people over.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42876843]also this fuckwad and fuckwads like him are the reason why people look at me like i'm a crazy stalinist whenever i use the term "bourgeois" when discussing class/economic issues.[/QUOTE] maybe you shouldn't use socialist buzzwords.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;42875631]I thought you were a left libertarian though? If you had to shoot every capitalist if you thought it would bring a workers state, would it be worth it in the end?[/QUOTE] this is a tough question, for anyone who acknowledges economic violence and structural violence to be a thing. it's only morally acceptable if it's the only effective route. a better way to frame it is "if socialism(insert own ideology here, mine would be communism) could ONLY come about through shooting every capitalist, would it be worth it?" and the answer would be yes. if it can be discerned that this is the minimum amount of self-defense required to end violence, then it is acceptable as a means.

[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;42876808]You prefer the democracy of the us? A good dictator is better than a bad democratic government imo.[/QUOTE] but Maduro isn't a good dictator.

[QUOTE=Antdawg;42876889]maybe you shouldn't use socialist buzzwords.[/QUOTE] bourgeois is not only a buzzword though: [QUOTE=Rangergxi;42876869]Well the term applies to both the middle class and wealthy tycoons so its not much of a term to win people over.[/QUOTE] not really, it's a very specific term with a very specific meaning. [editline]15th November 2013[/editline] most of the middle class is still proletariat. even the upper middle class(doctor sort of people) can be considered proletariat.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42876905]this is a tough question, for anyone who acknowledges economic violence and structural violence to be a thing. it's only morally acceptable if it's the only effective route. a better way to frame it is "if socialism(insert own ideology here, mine would be communism) could ONLY come about through shooting every capitalist, would it be worth it?" and the answer would be yes. if it can be discerned that this is the minimum amount of self-defense required to end violence, then it is acceptable as a means.[/QUOTE] Reverse the roles. if achieving capitalism was done by murdering all socialists and communists, would you sympathise with that objective, because you would do the exact same thing if the gun was in the hand of the other group? ideology doesn't justify murder.

[QUOTE=Antdawg;42876976]Reverse the roles. if achieving capitalism was done by murdering all socialists and communists, would you sympathise with that objective, because you would do the exact same thing if the gun was in the hand of the other group? ideology doesn't justify murder.[/QUOTE] no because in that case it would be an act of violence. capitalism is systematic violence as a means of economic distribution which means it is morally acceptable to use violence defensively to end it. would it be alright to kill someone who was robbing your house? robbing doesn't justify murder.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42877024]capitalism is systematic violence as a means of economic distribution which means... [/QUOTE] Not sure where you get that from.

the real socialists among us do NOT believe in tolerance of the "other guy". the other guy has exploited and persecuted whenever he has a chance. it is only through dismantling the "other guy" that we become free.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42876925]bourgeois is not only a buzzword though[/QUOTE] you can try your hardest to justify it for yourself, but to everyone else it is only a buzzword. if you don't want people looking at you weirdly, don't use it.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;42876843]also this fuckwad and fuckwads like him are the reason why people look at me like i'm a crazy stalinist whenever i use the term "bourgeois" when discussing class/economic issues.[/QUOTE] Yeah, [I]that's[/I] why [QUOTE=yawmwen;42877044]the real socialists among us do NOT believe in tolerance of the "other guy". the other guy has exploited and persecuted whenever he has a chance. it is only through dismantling the "other guy" that we become free.[/QUOTE] Ah, so they're only a [I]true[/I] socialist when they agree with you, alright

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;42877040]Not sure where you get that from.[/QUOTE] i'm not gonna argue all about it here, but that's what we on the left believe and have logically asserted from our analysis of capitalism. if you admit capitalism is a system of violence then it is acceptable to use violence to dismantle it.