It ain’t only about empty shelves and soaring prices.
A friend who lives in an undisclosed location in Latin America writes:
I have been doing online dating for about 2 months now on a site directed at Latin American singles. I get a lot of messages from women in Venezuela saying things like “I don’t care that you are more than twice my age, get me out of here.” Seriously I get explicit offers from young women my daughter’s age. Heart breaking, but that is f**king socialism. …
Their situation is very sad. You have middle class families that have lost everything. They are reduced to unimaginable conditions. No electricity for weeks at a time, no running water and now no food. These girls have sent me explicit pictures, their Facebook & Skype contacts and a whole bunch of other information to prove they are real (I also get more than a few scam offers, but these are not). Basically saying get me to your country, marry me and you can have anything you want. Really awful situation.
Oh my. This is so sad.
I lived in Valencia and Maracaibo in youth for 5yrs or so, mostly in the 80’s. My brother was born there and has a passport. It was corrupt then, but off the scale now.
My father was an engineer and worked for a large commodities firm; he built pasta plants and flour mills. The company left because it was unprofitable because of price controls. He passed a few years ago but lamented Venezuela circling the toilet bowl. IMO, textbook socialism.
Just keep on chasing those unicorns, socialists. It will work out NEVER.
I wonder what it would cost to sponsor several as college students. Say to the Seven Sisters, or Harvard, or Yale. Even to the University of Texas at Austin.
Or as speechwriters and public speakers for Republican and Libertarian candidates.
LarryA, “marriage” is just an application for welfare. These young women are sure someone owes them a living, why not you? All they’ve learned is that the socialism in Venezuela doesn’t have the right person in charge.
If a geographically concentrated group of millions of age 12-30 in Venezuela suddenly decides they are libertarians, and going to work for a living and kill anyone who tries to stop them, that movement would be unstoppable. There wouldn’t even be a war. Why don’t they do this? Because anyone older than age 5 knows that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, and that wealth only comes from human work. Few prefer to work. All “political” speech is a confidence game, and the speakers know it.
Don’t fall for ‘I’m college age, and you should pay for me to party for five years’. Anyone who actually wants to learn can take their 5 hours/day of disposable time and read libertarian books instead of watching Dancing with the Stars. “Marriage” to a mail-order bride means a couple years of meager sex to string the man along until the green card arrives.
Same argument as Fred Reed pointing out how American Black parents aren’t asking for schoolbooks containing longer words. Making libertarian books available as free pdfs and putting educational videos and free software online has removed all the excuses. Venezuelans have earned the sucky life outcomes they so carefully worked for. Laugh at them and point.
(Whine, whine, gripe, grumble, etc.)