No electricity, no antibiotics, no beds, no soap: A devastating look inside Venezuela's socialism.

[georgephillip]

"With dire shortages of basic goods, a looming foreign debt payment, horrific street crime and intransigent political divisions, Venezuela is in danger of collapsing into waves of deadly violence, U.S. intelligence officials warned Friday."
U.S. intelligence warns of Venezuela collapse
What you won't read in the LA Times:
"The US war against Venezuela started shortly after President Chavez’s election in 1999. His convoking of a constitutional assembly and referendum and the subsequent inclusion of a strong component of popular participatory and nationalist clauses “rang bells” in Washington. The presence of a large contingent of former guerrillas, Marxists and Leftists in the Chavez electoral campaign and regime, was the signal for Washington to develop a strategy of regrouping traditional business and political clients to pressure and limit changes."
The Official James Petras website » US and Venezuela: Decades of Defeats and Destabilization

 

[SassyIrishLass]

LOL....Venezuela is yet another "we told you so" moment. Bbbut Socialism will work this time!!!!!"

It never has and never will

 

[Decus]

Electricity, antibiotics, beds........Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all those things

Maybe because they built their economy on more than just oil

The Nordic countries are also struggling. Just one example, Finland where labor costs are too high and unions are making economic reforms difficult. The situation is so bad that the Finnish parliament has discussed leaving the Euro:

"Finland’s economy grew at a 0.4 percent clip in 2015 after three years of recession. The growth rate was the weakest in the European Union after Greece, according to Fitch."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-rating-from-fitch-as-growth-prospects-weaken

According to Finnish Interior Minister Petteri Orpo:

“The Finnish economic situation is alarmingly bad and unemployment is too high,” Orpo said. “We can’t stand still.”

Finland Hopeful Calls for 'Courageous' Economic Policy

.

 

[rightwinger]

Electricity, antibiotics, beds........Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all those things

Maybe because they built their economy on more than just oil

Here we go. The Nordic countries again. They are so freaking predictable.

The freaking morons have no clue. They even deny they are socialists and then defend socialism incessantly.

They then bring up the Nordic countries as If they understand a thing.

I hate them.

Explain the socialism in Nordic countries compared to Venezuela?

Why did one prosper and the other fail?

 

[rightwinger]

Electricity, antibiotics, beds........Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all those things

Maybe because they built their economy on more than just oil

The Nordic countries are also struggling. Just one example, Finland where labor costs are too high and unions are making economic reforms difficult. The situation is so bad that the Finnish parliament has discussed leaving the Euro:

"Finland’s economy grew at a 0.4 percent clip in 2015 after three years of recession. The growth rate was the weakest in the European Union after Greece, according to Fitch."

Finland Loses AAA Rating From Fitch as Growth Prospects Wane

According to Finnish Interior Minister Petteri Orpo:

“The Finnish economic situation is alarmingly bad and unemployment is too high,” Orpo said. “We can’t stand still.”

Finland Hopeful Calls for 'Courageous' Economic Policy

.

Finland’s economy is slowly reviving after three years of recession, triggered by the demise of Nokia Oyj’s mobile phone business, a slump in the paper industry and falling trade with neighbor Russia.

 

[Decus]

Electricity, antibiotics, beds........Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all those things

Maybe because they built their economy on more than just oil

The Nordic countries are also struggling. Just one example, Finland where labor costs are too high and unions are making economic reforms difficult. The situation is so bad that the Finnish parliament has discussed leaving the Euro:

"Finland’s economy grew at a 0.4 percent clip in 2015 after three years of recession. The growth rate was the weakest in the European Union after Greece, according to Fitch."

Finland Loses AAA Rating From Fitch as Growth Prospects Wane

According to Finnish Interior Minister Petteri Orpo:

“The Finnish economic situation is alarmingly bad and unemployment is too high,” Orpo said. “We can’t stand still.”

Finland Hopeful Calls for 'Courageous' Economic Policy

.

Finland’s economy is slowly reviving after three years of recession, triggered by the demise of Nokia Oyj’s mobile phone business, a slump in the paper industry and falling trade with neighbor Russia.

According to an article in yesterday's Helsinki Times the forecast for the Finnish economy is very uncertain:

“It is fantastic that domestic markets are picking up steam. The outlook is unfortunately overshadowed by a number of risks and the sluggish development of exports,” Reijo Heiskanen, the chief economist at OP Financial Group, says in a press release."

"He adds that the basis for the outlook for next year is increasingly unstable because the measures discussed as part of the ongoing negotiations over a competitiveness pact are set to provide less support to growth than initially estimated."

OP: Economic growth to exceed expectations in 2016, fall short of them in 2017

The "competitiveness pact" is an-ongoing negotiation with Finland's unions. Seems understandable why Finnish economic forecasts remain uncertain.

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