Venezuela's President Calls for Prosecution of Food Magnate

[Little Tich]

Source: Voice of America

CARACAS, VENEZUELA— President Nicolas Maduro has called for the prosecution of Venezuela's biggest businessman for allegedly conspiring against his government in a phone call discussing a possible international bailout for the crisis-stricken, oil-dependent economy

Maduro late Sunday accused billionaire businessman Lorenzo Mendoza, president of the Empresas Polar food and beer conglomerate, of waging an "economic war" against Venezuela with the aim of surrendering control of the country to the International Monetary Fund.

The sharp rebuke was in response to a phone conversation aired on state TV last week between Mendoza and outspoken government critic Ricardo Hausmann, a Harvard University economist who suggested Venezuela needs a $40 billion IMF bailout to stem a deep crisis marked by triple-digit inflation, widespread shortages and an estimated 10 percent shrinking of the economy this year.

"The biggest of bigwigs thinks he has power that he doesn't have," Maduro said in the call, employing a jab frequently used to mock his opponents among Venezuela's business class.

Read more: http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-venezuelas-president-calls-prosecution-food-magnate/3013738.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. Venezuela's big business class pines for the days when they did have power....and doing all they

can to sabotage the economy to get it back.

[COLGATE4]

2. A cogent, highly articulated and closely reasoned analysis. nt

[GGJohn]

3. At least this time Fred didn't mention the US/CIA as the aggressor. eom.

[COLGATE4]

7. Probably slipped his mind. nt

[Little Tich]

5. You forgot the sarcasm tag. n/t

[COLGATE4]

8. My bad.

[7962]

4. The people pine for the day they could wipe their rear with paper.

And be able to get what they needed from a store, not an alley.
It will return one day, when the people rise up. And they will

[Bacchus4.0]

12. There was a time, long ago, when you could buy milk at the supermarket of all places

Can you imagine a place where you can buy milk and chicken at the supermarket?

[7962]

14. Get OUT!! You're obviously a conspiracy theorist.

The sad thing is, how many kids under 15 have known nothing but hardship and shortages their whole lives?
Reminds me of the show "Black=ish". The dad is upset because the two youngest kids dont think its a big deal that obama is the president and black. His wife reminds him, "Honey, thats the ONLY president these two REMEMBER"

[Throd]

6. Perhaps they hired Maduro for the job.

If anyone is going to sabotage an economy, the Chavista playbook seems like a good way to go.

[Marksman_91]

10. Spoken like a true comrade

You don't care about dissenters being arrested as long as they are against a supposedly leftist regime. And you don't even say a damn thing about that warrantless phone tapping. What a hypocrite you are.

[Fred Sanders]

11. Hit a mark, did I?

[Marksman_91]

13. You've still yet to explain what mark you hit in the first place

You keep avoiding the points I or anyone else makes and think you're too smart to argue it. That, to me, is typical of someone who supports something that's indefensible and doesn't have arguments to defend their ideas. You're no better than a Teapublican.

[Fred Sanders]

15. What kind of Teapublican does one think I am? The Capitalist or the religious kook? I think I know!

[brooklynite]

9. I wonder if they had a warrant to listen in on a private citizen's phone call?

Oh, who am I kidding...