Chávez suspends electricity rationing in Caracas

[ChangoLoa]

Source: El Universal

Around midnight on Wednesday, President Hugo Chávez told state-run TV network Venezolana de Televisión that he ordered the suspension of the electricity rationing that his government was implementing in Caracas.

The ruler argued that the move caused some "troubles" and was "burdensome." Chávez added that, following assessment of some cases in the capital city, he decided to discontinue the electricity rationing. "I have realized that this move had an undesired impact. Therefore, I would like to tell the people of Caracas that the rationing plan is suspended," said Chávez.

"Rectifying is wise. There was a negative impact and for that reason rationing was discontinued in Caracas only," he added.

He further reported that in view of what happened on the first day of the schedule, he called for the resignation of Minister of Electricity Ángel Rodríguez. "He has accepted as a soldier," said Chávez.

Read more: http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/01/14/en_eco_esp_chavez-suspends-elec_14A3286691.shtml

[onehandle]

1. ...as he noticed the inevitable ropes coming for his neck. nt

[Baclava]

2. The damage is done. He's told us the way to cripple his country is to blow up that one dam

Loose lips sink ships. Shhhhhh
No dam - no electricity.


"The country's main hydroelectric dam, the Guri, supplies 73% of Venezuela's electricity."

[slackmaster]

6. I think our military and intelligence community already knew that

:nuke:

[Baclava]

9. They do now - but I wasn't signing up for the job to blow the damn

That's a job for all you young stealth commandoes - crawling around and setting charges in the dark of night

[slackmaster]

15. I'll turn 52 in less than three weeks

But thanks for the compliment!

:hi:

[naaman fletcher]

3. Rectifying is wise.

Ha. Nice of him to pass judgement on his own actions. I guess this is one of those few news sources we are supposed to trust on Chavez matters. Nice to see him pass the buck to the Minister of Electricity.

[slackmaster]

5. Rectifying is sometimes the best thing to do in the face of resistance

The current situation in Venezuela is nothing to amp out about.

[slackmaster]

4. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Rationing electricity was a VISIONARY move!

[WriteDown]

12. Yesterday people were singing it's praises....

Where are they today?

[slackmaster]

14. The Chavez Can Do No Wrong Club will no doubt see this as another "visionary" decision

By Dear Leader.

[carla]

33. There is no such club.

Support for progressive policies is non-partisan. Chavez gets criticized in this forum by supporters as well as detractors. Nice of you to tar us all with the same brush, though. Beware of the spatters.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[naaman fletcher]

8. Either way you support a lunatic because he wears a red beret.

[EFerrari]

10. What an elegant argument you have there.

[WriteDown]

13. What are your feeling on the Minister of Electricity? nt

[fascisthunter]

16. no... but you seem to hate him for his red beret

would this hat be ok?:

[naaman fletcher]

19. Not much difference between Mussolini and Chavez.. I hate them both.

[Flaneur]

21. Okay, that's just stupid.

[naaman fletcher]

23. Please explain the difference...

It might be hard. It's like two different cheerleaders for different teams. Sure there is a massive difference on the surface, the uniforms, the cheering, etc. But in reality they are both cheerleaders.

Sure on the surface there is a huge difference between the two, in the words they use, etc. But, both are essentially the same.

[EFerrari]

26. LOL

[naaman fletcher]

35. "lol", yet you can't do it.

[bitchkitty]

27. It might be hard to explain the difference

between Chavez and Mussolini?

Are you on drugs?

[naaman fletcher]

36. If it's that easy, then please do it.

[carla]

34. Definitely,

stupid. I second the notion...

[naaman fletcher]

37. Yet none of you can offer the explanation.

[bitchkitty]

29. Are you having fun?

Because you're reminding me of a drunk guy trying to talk politics.

I don't support him because of a red beret. I support Hugo Chavez because he is my idea of a leader. Yes, I am left. So fucking what?

[Dave From Canada]

11. He makes the minister of electricity resign for his own stupid idea? LOL, as if Angel Rodriguez did

anything without Chavez's approval.

[Igel]

18. Perhaps.

Officially it's for how it was implemented. Apparently street lights and hospitals weren't exempted and the same area was subject to two rolling blackouts in one day.

Don't know if this is a true claim, but even if it is it shows zero tolerance.

Minister's underling makes a mistake, the minister must go. He's incompetent and can never be trusted--the responsibility for the problem stops with the mistake-maker's boss and you punish the supervisor and the employee because even if the supervisor fires the mistake-maker, he cannot be absolved of guilt.

Hugo's underling makes a mistake. Hugo's underlying must go--Hugo shows his competence by continuing on, but cans the underling. The responsibility for the problem stops with the mistake-maker. You must not punish the supervisor because by firing the underling the supervisor is absolved of guilt.

[naaman fletcher]

20. Sounds to me like Hugo should go.

It's possible to have a wise leftist leader, like De Lula. A man who governs with intelligence and wisdom, not a chest beating power hungry soldier who is a moron and is destroying his country.

[Flaneur]

22. Well, you can vote for his opponent in the next election.

If you're a Venezuelan. Otherwise, tough shit.

[naaman fletcher]

24. And I'm sure you never criticize leaders of countries you are not a resident of.

Or are you a hypocrite?

[EFerrari]

28. HIs name is Lula da Silva. And he is a very close friend of Chavez

whom you hate.

lol

[bitchkitty]

30. Ah yes, the learned Dr. De Lula.

Won't catch him doing any chest-beating, because he has no chest. He doesn't even freaking exist!!

You're cracking me up! Are you a performance artist?

[Igel]

17. Well, since Hugo likes to be direct,

I guess he would consider rectifying electrical current to be wise.

[unkachuck]

25. "Rectifying is wise..."

....when you're flexible and want to do the right thing for your people, sometimes you must change your mind....

"There was a negative impact and for that reason rationing was discontinued..."

....now, our previous 'ruler' in Washington wouldn't or couldn't change his chimp mind and we were saddled with a ten year 'negative impact' war costing us well over a trillion dollars....

....our current 'ruler' in Washington doesn't suffer from that problem....he has changed mind we must believe in....

[robcon]

31. Odd list of preferential items

"Whale sperm, pickles and the pain reliever codeine will be considered essential goods in Venezuela and receive a preferential exchange rate under President Hugo Chavez’s new currency structure.

Bleach, cheese and whisky have been deemed nonessential. Importers of essential items will pay 2.6 bolivars per dollar, while goods not on that list will get a rate of 4.3 per dollar, according to the government’s Official Gazette.

Chavez on Jan. 8 devalued the bolivar by as much as 50 percent and created a multi-tiered exchange system to help stem an outflow of dollars. He scrapped the 2.15-per-dollar official rate and created the essential and nonessential rates. Venezuelans unable to get government authorization to purchase dollars at either of those rates turn to the parallel market, where the bolivar traded at 5.80 today.

“It’s going to become a highly politicized game, rife with corruption, impossible to manage,” said Moises Naim, the former Venezuelan minister of industry who is now editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine. “This will be a goldmine for corruption and create incentives so that the main game in town is how to get hold of the preferential rate.”

Following the devaluation, Chavez said his government and the agency in charge of allocating dollars, known as Cadivi, need to closely supervise the multi-tier exchange rate to avoid graft. He said that importers who receive the 2.6 rate must not be able to sell the product at 4.3."
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-14/chavez-deems-whale-sperm-pickles-codeine-essential-items.html

[Vidar]

32. Too bad Obama isn't this good at recognizing & fixing his mistakes. Good for Chavez!