The last one in the class

[Bacchus39]

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/08/06/en_ing_esp_the-last-one-in-the_06A4299013.shtml


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While our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere overcome the global crisis and excel in development indexes, Venezuela, like “the worst pupil in the class,” occupies the last positions

Venezuela has flunked major tasks, such as economic growth, insecurity, transparency, inflation or corruption (Photo: Juan Barreto / AFP)
Economy
Venezuela ranks 162 in corruption; occupies the second to last position in economic growth in the Western Hemisphere, and takes the lead in violence and inflation both in the world and the region. With regard to economic liberties and transparency, Venezuela is, together with eight countries, among the worst ranked on planet.

It could be said that Venezuela, in the hands of its "Great Helmsman" and the 21st Century socialism, has failed to successfully complete the most important tasks that define progress, security and quality of life in a nation. While the rest of the world overcomes the so-called global crisis and Latin America has outperformed over the past two years in the fields of economic and social growth, Venezuela takes the opposite direction.

Only in the index on poverty and inequality, Venezuela is above nine countries in the Western Hemisphere, thanks to the windfall oil profits in 2006-2008 which helped to raise the income of the underprivileged. However, in 2009 a slight setback was recorded and threatens to continue in 2011. At least 800,000 families live crowded together; 4.5 people on average share a room.

Violence
While insecurity-related problems date back to 1998, that year a total of 4,550 murders was recorded, or 20 murders every 100,000 inhabitants. Ten years later, in 2009, the numbers trebled to reach 16,047 murders; or 52 murders every 100,000 inhabitants. The numbers come from surveys into violence conducted by NGO Venezuelan Violence Watch, presided over by sociologist Roberto Briceño León.

This rate places Venezuela nowadays among the most violent countries in the world; but also almost doubles the rate of countries where the largest number of murders is recorded, such as Colombia and Salvador.

Corruption
In the field of corruption, based on the studies conducted by Transparency International, Venezuela occupies one of the worst positions in the world, together with Burundi, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia. Even Zimbabwe is above Venezuela.

Economic growth
From the second half of 2009, economic recovery started in Latin America after a global crisis. Economic growth is expected to reach 5.2 percent ending 2010, as estimated by the Economic Study for Latin America and the Caribbean authored by the Economic Commission for Latin American and Caribbean (Eclac). However, such growth will not be homogeneous; the black sheep of the Western Hemisphere are Haiti and Venezuela, which have shown economic decrease for two years in a row.

The report notes that those countries able to implement public policies with strong domestic markets powered by regional support and increasing share in exports, particularly to Asia, also grew.

For the Eclac, the growth of such economies in the Latin American and Caribbean region was premised on three tiers: private consumption, rising investment and exports surge.

Inflation
Venezuela is top in the list of the countries displaying the highest inflation rates in the world and the Western Hemisphere, at almost 30 percent by 2010.

Economic freedom
With regard to the index which measures economic freedom, namely: free economic performance; State regulations that may hinder or favor investment; steps for economic management, and the potential for export or import, among others, Venezuela ranks 138 among 140 countries.

Competitiveness
On competitiveness and income per inhabitant, which measures the country's ability to create wealth; lay the foundations for economic development; offer comparative advantages for investment, such as availability of skilled labor, or better legal and political conditions, Venezuela ranks 177 among 180 nations.

Transparency
Transparency refers to public information necessary to learn about the standards on economic and social processes, such as takeover bids, administrative steps and, to sum up, the country's ability to set and observe the rules of the game in the economic and legal fields. Venezuela ranks 167 among 180 countries. In Venezuela, for instance, access to public information is getting harder and harder. Even in the case of indispensable statistics, such as epidemiology, there are not updated data. This is also true for the numbers that should be timely provided by the Central Bank of Venezuela.

[Vogon_Glory]

1. Just As Trickle Down Economics Supporters Are Enthusiastic

Just as "trickle-down" economics supporters are enthusiastic about the economic policies that have widened social and class divisions here in the US, DU's Chavez apologists are equally enthusiastic about the sort of "tumble-down" economics that are driving Venezuela into its own ditch.

As grumpy and reactionary as many of the rose-tinted glasses-wearing left may find my belief, I strongly believe that one of the most important jobs of a political leader is to raise the general welfare, and that economic policies that stifle prosperity and job growth are ample grounds for firing in free and fair elections by an understandably-disgruntled electorate.