Now Venezuela is running out of toilet paper

[Bacchus4.0]

http://news.yahoo.com/now-venezuela-running-toilet-paper-070756934.html


CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- First milk, butter, coffee and cornmeal ran short. Now Venezuela is running out of the most basic of necessities — toilet paper.

Blaming political opponents for the shortfall, as it does for other shortages, the embattled socialist government says it will import 50 million rolls to boost supplies.

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"This is the last straw," said Manuel Fagundes, a shopper hunting for tissue in downtown Caracas. "I'm 71 years old and this is the first time I've seen this."

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"State-controlled prices — prices that are set below market-clearing price — always result in shortages. The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union," said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University.

[joshcryer]

1. Stupid hoarders.

Wiping their ass, and such.

[Flatulo]

2. Can you spare a square? I don't have a square to spare.

[Bacchus4.0]

11. all that oil and nothing to eat or wipe with n/t

s

[naaman fletcher]

3. Price controls cause shortages

"State-controlled prices — prices that are set below market-clearing price — always result in shortages. The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union," said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University.

The question remains: Are chavistas stupid, or were they perfectly aware what would happen but at the time the price controls made for good politics?

[Bacchus4.0]

4. diarrhea of the mouth from chavistas caused this shortage

looks like they really are doing the old Cuban model.

[Zorro]

5. Sacrifices must be made for the Bolivarian Revolution

Only fascists would complain about shortages.

[naaman fletcher]

6. I think we are looking at this the wrong way:

I recently learned that washing your own clothes by hand was a GOOD thing. (http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=133391)

Perhaps wiping your ass by hand is a good thing as well. After all, it is a simpler way of life. There is no need to hire a driver to go and by toilet paper. All you need is a good setup for washing your hands after you crap.

[Bacchus4.0]

7. hahaha, I bet each of those women at the community "pila" would prefer a washing machine

to scrubbing clothes.

I paid someone to wash my clothes. Maybe I can pay our chavista friend to wipe my ass.

I also note with amusement where that poster "uncovered" a special washing device where you can wash clothes on one side of the sink and dishes on the other. This is known as a "pila" and is present in nearly all households where this person purportedly lives. It might not be in the weathier households where there may be more American style sinks.

[naaman fletcher]

8. "It might not be in the weathier households"

I would imagine that in a neighborhood where Rios Montt's kids live and you hire a driver to take you to the grocery store that it would take some searching to uncvoer a pila.

[Bacchus4.0]

9. yes, one would have to leave the weathiest sections and venture to middle class, poor, and rural

areas in order to the witness the "pila phenomenom" where 95%+ of the population resides. One should be able to hire a driver to take you to such places.

[joshcryer]

14. Yeah, Rosling uses the washing machine as a metric for living standard.

Basically it emancipates women around the world from drudgery. Hours and hours spent for large families. I can imagine for a rich single person and a few clothes a yuppie would be OK with using it, even on a regular basis. But for most it is not such a novelty.

[Bacchus4.0]

10. Neither soap nor Toilet Paper: Shortages in Venezuela becoming more critical

No soap or toilet, yuck!!!

http://elcomercio.pe/actualidad/1554929/noticia-ni-jabon-ni-papel-higienico-escasez-venezuela-cada-vez-mas-critica

Ni jabón ni papel higiénico: escasez en Venezuela es cada vez más crítica

La crisis en Venezuela se percibe especialmente en esta época de incertidumbre política. (AP)

En Venezuela, la ausencia de una buena oferta de productos en los mercados es algo común desde hace varios años, peor aún fuera de Caracas. Sin embargo, desde finales del año pasado, la crisis parece haber alcanzado niveles críticos, al punto de no poder encontrar bienes de primera necesidad como harina, aceite, jabón o papel higiénico.

La escasez es un desajuste económico que comenzó localizado en rubros que sufrían problemas de producción por “épocas”. Así, se podía ver escasez de carne, luego de azúcar o de aceite, pero estos eran resueltos en cuestión de semanas.

Sin embargo, los anaqueles de los mercados y abastos ya no vuelven a su estado regular. En Caracas se nota con la limitación del número de productos que se pueden comprar (“solo dos botellas de aceite por mercado”), pero dentro del país, estos productos ya no están.

[Zorro]

12. It's called Livin' La Vida Caca

With Manuro leading the band.

[joshcryer]

13. "Livin' La Vida Caca"