basic goods needed for survival. They are currently being used in Argentina, eg, supposedly for a two month period. They have been used throughout history, including by THIS country and so long as they are temporary, CAN get a country though a difficult period. Of course Friedman 'capitalists' want no 'controls' whatsoever for any reason. And we all know how successful that form of predatory capitalism has worked for the world.
The problem as always, is with those who see opportunity to profit from human suffering. If price controls have failed it is because of the profiteers who create a greater shortage by hoarding food, a reprehensible thing to do, in order to enrich themselves.
Every government that has tried these policies has cracked down on those who attempt to profit illegally from an attempt to make necessary goods available to everyone.
The article, short though it was, was pretty clear to me. If you object to any kind of price controls, that is your right.
I eg, believe that runaway Capitalism should be reigned in. Interest rates on Credit Cards, eg, should be limited when they reach the point they have now, which can only be described as 'usury'.
People can debate how to ensure that people do not starve or freeze to death due to out of control high prices for necessary goods and services. Some countries refuse to privatize some of these necessary goods and services, such as WATER, Energy Companies, HC etc. But to say a government doesn't have the right to try everything they can to protect ALL of its people, is utter nonsense. And when criminals subvert those efforts for profit, they should expect consequences.
The issue is that price gauging and usury and hoarding right now is against the law in Venezuela, as it has been here and elsewhere.
Whether the policies will work or not, is another matter. But they certainly won't work when profiteers with no regard for human beings, are deliberately undermining them.
We've seen around the world what the absence of regulations has done to the world's economies. Those policies have turned First World countries into Third world nations with no sovereignty in many cases.
If you have a solution to make sure that everyone has access to life-saving goods and services, then present it. Meantime, thanks to the criminals who crashed the world's economies, not to mention our own disastrous policies towards Latin America over the past century, every country in the world is suffering, including Venezuela and their government, just like ours has done in the past, has the right to try whatever they think will work to help their own people survive during these times. And anyone who undermines those efforts for profit, are despicable human beings.
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