US takeovers dwarf my nationalisations: Venezuela’s Chavez

[bemildred]

Source: Reuters

CARACAS: Socialist President Hugo Chavez has said the $900bn being spent by the US government to bail out failing financial companies dwarfed his bill for nationalising a big chunk of Venezuela’s economy.

Chavez, who calls capitalism an evil, also found himself agreeing with Republican US presidential nominee John McCain, calling him “comrade” for criticising America’s financial system. McCain has called Chavez a dictator.
Chavez said the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression was the crash of “neo-liberal” capitalism, and showed his “21st Century Socialism” was the way forward.

In recent years, Chavez has nationalised a string of energy, telecoms, and heavy industry companies as part of a drive to turn the Opec nation into a socialist state, spending about $12bn from an oil boom in the process.

---

“They have criticised me, especially in the US, for nationalising a great (telecom) company, CANTV, that didn’t even cost $1.5bn,” Chavez said at a ceremony that included representatives of US oil company Chevron.

Read more: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=242756&version=1&template_id=48&parent_id=28

---

So, the question is: are we going to allow the clowns who put us in this humiliating situation to save their own asses to our yet further detriment?

Edit: Oh yeah ...
:popcorn::popcorn:

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Turn About Is Fair Play - Zing - Touche!

eom

[fascisthunter]

2. Hey Chavez.... McCain likes this....

[ohio2007]

8. Some would call that a ringing endorsement

and you know how many people lock step with Hugo so.... ;):popcorn:

[EFerrari]

10. Chavez knows he's making McWar look bad by agreeing with him.

He's got a wicked sense of humor.

lol

[fascisthunter]

14. good point...

I thought about that too.... especially the comrade part... it almost sounds as if he is ridiculing McCain's "my friend" BS.

[Judi Lynn]

12. DU'ers support keeping our noses out of their business, and our hands off their countries. n/t

[fascisthunter]

15. Well Most of Us, Anyway

you'd think all of us would be more concerned with our own back yards since it's ours....

[ohio2007]

21. Some people make it a point to remind us daily to ignore other countries. Never mind there is a

forum where such issues are supposed to be discussed
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=moderators&forum=405

but as you can see, certain board members look the other way ;)

[IndianaGreen]

26. And there is a forum for a Middle East even though Americans have died

as a result of our pandering to a shitting little country in that region.

BTW, neither Iran nor Pakistan are in the Middle East.

[Behind the Aegis]

46. Do you EVER stop with the ignorant bullshit propaganda?

Seriously? What a load of crap. Why does DU allow your type of hate-mongering and bullshit?!

[EFerrari]

28. So, LBN shouldn't be posted to LBN?

:)

[jwirr]

17. As to those who like Chavez - it depends on the income level. Many

of my neighbors have been receiving energy assistance from him for years. We do not see him as bad even if he is a socialist. At least he is an honest outright socialist not a neocon masquerading as a capitalist.

[EFerrari]

3. No wonder they hate him.

lol

[asthmaticeog]

4. Hugo Chavez, Hugo Chavez. God damn, I fucking love Hugo Chavez. nt

[EFerrari]

7. I love the part where he calls McCain "Comrade".

lol

[madrchsod]

5. i`m glad he pointed out that it is neoliberalism that doomed us

[MasonJar]

6. I just love Chavez. Go, Hugo!

[Gregorian]

18. So do I.

This thread has me wondering about "monopolies". Just off the top of my head on a foggy morning, I think what is causing us so much trouble is the large corporations, and how they're treated as beings. Hugo seems to have a leash on that.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Supergreat. The guy isn't timid, is he? It's about time South America stopped trying to accomodate

people in Washington who have NEVER had their people's interest at heart.

In the past, it was easy to divide and conquer these great countries, and do all the business with corrupt oligarchy figures. The tide has turned, PERMANENTLY. They have learned from their experiences, and they are NOT going to go that way again.

You can see how our right-wingers are climbing the walls, desperate for any excuse to unleash pure hell on them, since they can no longer be so easily controlled. Looks as if our Republicans are going to have to go through those growing pains themselves, and learn democracy means respect for people's choices.

Hands off Latin America, _{George W. Bush.}





Beep!

[fascisthunter]

11. "...Washington who have NEVER had their people's interest at heart."

heck, they don't even have average American's interests at heart.

[Judi Lynn]

25. Did you think you would ever hear an American President refer to the oligarchy as "my base?"

He's here to represent us ALL.

Republicans don't think so. "We're a REPUBLIC," they hasten to gibber.

[not fooled]

43. Oh Gawd, Judi Lynn

Did you HAVE to post those pics? I think my corneas are permanently burnt.:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Judi Lynn]

47. Sorry! Now that I've got the chance, would like to remind you they said that adults would be taking

over the White House when they got there. You may remember they also said that they were going to have to fumigate the place. Pretty odd, coming from them, isn't it?

Who would have expected to see President #43 doing a little fancy butt work right at the feet of the statue of Lincoln? Guy's got style, doesn't he? :eyes: He may as well have urinated on the statue after that. Would only have elevated the general tone of the event.





Shakin' what their mamas gave them. (shudder)

[bitchkitty]

13. Viva Chavez! n/t

[Solly Mack]

16. snicker

[IndianaGreen]

19. Chavez is nationalizing foreign assets for the Venezuelan people while in America...

the working class is being asked to bail out the bankers that have exploited them for decades.

[AlphaCentauri]

24. Chavez is investing while we are waisting

[L0oniX]

20. K & R

[trthnd4jstc]

22. Capitalism is Evil, and a mixed economy is superior to the "Free Market". n/t

[aquart]

23. Now this is the guy I'd like to have a beer with.

A beer. Not a government. But he just has this irrepressible sense of humor. And he's not gonna stop laughing all week with this one.

[Pavulon]

27. "US to Nationalize all Citgo Assets..

physical property and assets deposited in US institutions, as well as their indy team.." That would be a funny fake release.

And then the laughing stops. Nationalizing international companies is different than making me pay for financial fraud (criminal). He presides over an economy directly linked to US consumption and that economy is a tiny fraction of the US GDP.

He still earns his living selling us oil. Maybe he should work on making wide body jets or some radical shit in how computing works..

[tama]

39. Fair

As long as if you get your wish you don't complain about "insane" prices for gas and shortages... and starving... :)

But then, if you really are an addict cursing his pusher (weelly weelly smaart!), shouldn't you waste your energy on badmouthing the Saudis?

[Pavulon]

42. They all suck..

saudis, russians, all but a few oil states are problematic, at best.

Hugo's economy is teenty tiny blip when compared to us gdp. Abject poverty there is still happening. Hey did you hear hugo is buying Chinese jets now. Just dont drink any milk on the trip...

[Mesteryo]

29. Chavez is no economist..

Of course the US will spend more money fixing our economy than Venezuala, our GDP is $13 trillion and theirs is $300 billion. Not a very bright guy.

[daleo]

30. At 700 billion, the per capita U.S. banking bailout is about $2500

Or about $10,000 for the average family.

You're right, I doubt that the Venezuelans could match those very impressive numbers. Plus, there is an excellent chance those numbers will increase enormously as the bailout is put into effect.

[Mesteryo]

31. the numbers can't increase..

Congress only authorized $700 billion.

[ret5hd]

32. How much for Freddie and Fannie? All the way from $200B to $2T...with a T for Trillion.

[bemildred]

33. Congress has not authorized anything. nt

[Mesteryo]

34. Congress will have to authorize this plan..

Which does have a $700 billion cap.

[bemildred]

35. Or what? nt

[Mesteryo]

36. or it won't happen..

nt

[bemildred]

37. So what's the problem?

Does anybody not get elected if Congress doesn't pass this? Does the eventual shitstorm become worse because we don't stave it off a bit longer? Why does Congress have to do anything they don't want to? What reason is there to think that if we do give these weasels all this money they will not just continue to fuck things up?

[tama]

40. Because

Saving Wall Street and Global Capitalism is much much more important (there is nothing as important as Greed!) than living - and I don't mean just human living.

[Mesteryo]

48. you aren't familiar with history..

In 1929 the govt. did nothing to save failing backs and that pushed us into a market crash. Hoover is the one who argued against assisting banks.

What guarantee do we have that any govt. action actually work?

[bemildred]

49. Well, if Hoover caused the 1929 crash, as you allege, that would seem to indicate

that government action can be effective, was effective. And, it would seem reasonable to think that it would be just as effective if used for the public interest, as when used against the public interest.

[Mesteryo]

50. I agree that's why I'm for Obama..

Govt. action should serve public interest. This crap wouldn't have got this far if Bush addressed it early on. Now we're screwed either way.

[daleo]

45. So they pass a new law, increasing the limit

They do that all the time when it comes to the deficit.

[judasdisney]

38. Hands off Chavez, Obama

[KakistocracyHater]

41. I agree Chavez seems to b 1 good guy

but Chavez better quit attacking Halloween-it has deep roots in his own culture too.

[unkachuck]

44. Hugo, you da man!

....I didn't know you and johnny were comrades?

"...the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression was the crash of “neo-liberal” capitalism..."

....you can't argue with that....

"...and showed his “21st Century Socialism” was the way forward."

....well, something has to be the way forward....what we have now totally sucks!

[joshcryer]

51. Nice bit of propaganda there.

It's true but it's not. It's true from a raw number perspective, but it's not per-capita.

Cute.