"My Day w/ The Despot, By Elder Brinton"
http://www.borev.net/2010/01/my_day_w_the_despot_by_elder_b.html#commentsBut more importantly...
I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KENW IT! I KWEN IT! I KNWE IT-T-T-T-T!
Venezuela finally devalues the bolivar, jumps several points up the S&P index, Wall Street mortgage derivative purveyors yelling at them to do this for months, for years, and they finally do it, they FINALLY do it, at the best possible moment to, a) let everybody know that they
are in a position to do it (low debt, high cash reserves, good prospects), and b) to discourage imports and encourage domestic production, and they TAKE A HIT doing it just prior to national assembly elections, pissing off the middle class who like the cheap Gucci bags and cell phones, but do it anyway cuz it's the
right thing to do, financially (and maybe they can compensate--even things out politically--with government spending), and it's a wise decision, and it's a judicious decision, pretty carefully calibrating financial plusses and minuses and holding their own in the elections, and...
GUESS WHO SAYS THIS IS THE CRACK OF DOOM FOR VENEZUELA?
You got it--Rupert Murdoch!
Can the Freepers at DU be far behind?
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"Check it Out: WSJ Favors Socialist Market Controls After All"
http://www.borev.net/2010/01/check_it_out_wsj_favors_social.html#comments-------------------
I can't believe the quote. They blame Chavez for the 103% inflation in 1996, before he was even born (well, when he was just getting out of jail for protesting those fuckers). Chavez gives Venezuela five straight years of economic solidity and spectacular growth and a 45% increase in high school and higher education enrollment (!) (I can't get over that one!*), and they blame him for " three decades of economic turmoil"!
Truly, the Wall Street Urinal is Rupert Murdoch's piss-pot!
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Venezuela Debt Rating Outlook Raised to Stable by S&P
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x29069*Update: The Venezuelan Economy in the Chávez Years
http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/downloads/cepr%20report.htm