Politics rule everyday govt in Venezuela

[Zorro]

A sea of marchers in red and yellow T-shirts flowed through the capital's main downtown boulevard, paralyzing traffic while state TV cameras stood ready to record every second. The crowd had come out to show their support for the late President Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro, but they weren't student activists or community organizers.

The march had been launched by state-run telecommunications company CANTV, and the hundreds of employees were heading for the presidential palace to "deliver" the company's 2012 dividends to Maduro, Venezuela's acting leader and the official candidate to replace Chavez.

"We want this political project to continue," said customer support supervisor Maya Leon. "We're all Chavistas here."

Former government workers and experts said Monday's event was only the latest example of changes a decade in the making. The late leader transformed this country's enormous state industries into political arms of the government, they said, with partisan loyalties trumping technical competence in hiring and ministries turning out thousands of civil servants for election year rallies.

http://news.yahoo.com/politics-rule-everyday-govt-venezuela-185531200.html

[COLGATE4]

1. They're reaping the 'benefits' of the inept people

Chavez installed in all branches of government. Politics trumps professionalism, technical knowledge or education. Loyalty to the governmental party is the prerequisite to key administrative posts. In the meantime the country's infrastructure is crumbling, daily goods are in scarce supply. the government throws away 18 billion dollars a year in order to sell gasoline at 6 cents a gallon (not to mention giving away uncounted more billions to buy friends and help support 'kindred' political sytems in Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Nicaragua and Cuba) while linflation eats away at the money of ordinary Venezuelans who can't buy dollars from the 'official' black market and criminality is reaching levels unheard of even a few years ago. A genuine triumph of naked ideology over even the most rudimentary planning.

[xtraxritical]

2. Gas at six cents a gallon and you're fomenting about inflation?

[COLGATE4]

7. I wish I understood what point you're trying

to make - 'fomenting' is not the word you're looking for. But leaving that aside, the fact that gasoline is subsidized at such a ridiculous level that it costs the Venezuelan people at least 18 Billion dollars a year (monies that could certainly be used for something productive) has nothing to do with the overall inflation problem people there are suffering. You really need to get some understanding of basic economic concepts before interjecting yourself into the grownups conversation. "Better to keep your mouth closed and have people think you're a fool...".

[ocpagu]

3. "Politics rule everyday govt in Venezuela" (some days before elections)

as opposed to...

...

...

.

Really? We came to this?

[Judi Lynn]

4. Sad, isn't it? n/t

[joshcryer]

5. CNE has barred political ads until April 2nd.

edit: date was wrong, sorry about that

[COLGATE4]

8. How about 'before elections, during elections

and after elections'?

[joshcryer]

6. CANTV's YouTube channel titles are similar to SEBIN Informes.

It's really weird.