The Nightmare Of Grocery Shopping In Venezuela

[Bacchus4.0]

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/10/29/452636462/the-nightmare-of-grocery-shopping-in-venezuela?ref=yfp


Empty shelves, like these at a supermarket in Caracas, are a common sight in Venezuela. People can shop only on designated days at government-run stores. They're limited in what they can buy and must undergo fingerprint scanning to prove their identity.


In Venezuela, government supermarkets sell price-controlled food, making them far cheaper than private stores. But Valero explains that people are allowed in state-run supermarkets just two days per week, based on their ID card numbers. The system is designed to prevent shoppers from buying more than they need and then reselling goods on the black market at a huge markup.

Venezuela is rich in oil, but now poor in just about everything else. Economic mismanagement combined with low oil prices and high inflation has created one of the world's most troubled economies. The government has stopped giving regular economic statistics, but many independent economists say inflation is now north of 100 percent annually.




Anny Valero and Yossmy Benaventi came away from a recent shopping trip with sardines, diapers, detergent and a few other items. They had to produce their son's birth certificate to prove the baby was theirs and that they really did need the diapers.

[COLGATE4]

1. The glories of the Bolivarian 'revolution'. To think that, just

15 short years ago these folks would have had to suffer having stores full of all types of consumer articles - no lines, no documentation, no waiting, no hassle. But, living on sardines will make them stronger soldiers in the ongoing fight to expand the splendid Chavez legacy. Imagine what their children can look forward to!!!

[Judi Lynn]

2. NPR’s John Otis Lies about Venezuela

NPR’s John Otis Lies about Venezuela
By Joe Emersberger
March 8, 2015

John Otis tells NPR’s audience

“In 2002, Chavez was briefly ousted in a military-backed uprising that he claimed — without proof — was supported by the United States.”

That is quite a whopper even by the abysmal standards of the US media.

The US government publicly supported the 2002 coup in Venezuela. Bush Administration spokesmen Ari Fleischer and Philip T. Reeker both said that “Chavez resigned” and that a “transitional civilian government has been installed.” They regurgitated the opposition’s version of events and added that they welcomed “early elections”.

Imagine Venezuela reacting that way if Obama’s government was overthrown – not by calling for Obama’s reinstatement, but by parroting the lies of the coup perpetrators and making it obvious that Venezuela welcomed Obama’s ouster. What kind idiot, or liar, would say there was “no proof” that Venezuela “supported the coup”?

As Eva Golinger points out here, US government documents show that the CIA was briefing US officials that a coup was imminent and that it had detailed knowledge of the strategy that would be used. The documents also show that the US continued funding various groups who were involved in the coup after it was defeated.

As noted here by Mark Weisbrot, the U.S. State Department’s Office of Inspector General stated that

“It is clear that NED [the National Endowment for Democracy], Department of Defense (DOD), and other U.S. assistance programs provided training, institution building, and other support to individuals and organizations understood to be actively involved in the brief ouster of the Chavez government.”

If the US had that much evidence of Venezuela’s involvement with a coup in the USA, not even just “support” for it, ,,,,Well just consider the countries the USA has bombed all over the world.

ADDENDUM

Here is a video of a Washington Post reporter, Scott Wilson, acknowledging US “involvement” – not just “support” – for the 2002 coup. NPR is so dishonest it cannot even acknowledge the very public “support” the US gave the coup.

https://zcomm.org/zblogs/nprs-john-otis-lies-about-venezuela/