Venezuela Cannot Sink Any Lower

[Bacchus4.0]

http://panampost.com/andrea-rondon/2015/09/24/venezuela-cannot-sink-any-lower/

On September 15, the Canada-based Fraser Institute released the 2015 Economic Freedom of the World Report. CEDICE Libertad, a Venezuelan think tank and contributor to the annual study, presented the report’s findings in Caracas.+

The study measures economic freedom in five major areas: size of government; legal system and property rights; access to sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and regulation of credit, labor, and business.+

Dictatorships such as the Republic of the Congo, Libya, Chad, and Syria, came in near the bottom of the list, as expected, and yet these countries are still more economically free than Venezuela, which came in dead last out of 157 nations.
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Behold the legacy of a dead communist dictator.

[COLGATE4]

1. Look for Maduro to keep pimping a war with Guyana

in an attempt to divert attention and get the 'patriotic' vote - assuming of course that elections even happen.

[Bacchus4.0]

2. yep, or w Colombia nt

[COLGATE4]

3. Colombia is the proverbial bete noir for Venezuela. No matter

who the Venezuelan leader is, (s)he can always point to Colombia as the origin of all their problems and distract the populace at least in the short run (viz - the closing of the border with Colombia because of 'Colombian paramilitaries', etc. etc.) But with Colombia Venezuela runs the risk of actual military confrontation, with Colombia receiving tons of assistance from the US on the ground in Colombia. Venezuela hasn't forotten the lessons learned when Colombia bombed FARC leaders across the border in Ecuador. Guyana, on the other hand appears to have little to no international support and less than no ability to resist militarily. In addition, Guyana has what Maduro craves - oil.

[Bacchus4.0]

4. They are doing their best to create a situation with Colombia. I think Venezuela wants Colombia

to shoot down a plane or kill someone and then throw a huge tantrum which is what the Venezuela leadership does best. But I agree they are playing with fire, and picking on Guyana is a safer bet.

[COLGATE4]

5. Entirely possible. Maduro is anything but

rational.