Forbes: Venezuela Is Quickly Becoming 'Uninhabitable'

[TomSea]

Venezuela Is Quickly Becoming 'Uninhabitable'
Kenneth Rapoza

Life in Venezuela is getting worse by the week. The ruling Socialists United (PSUV) have failed at every turn to improve the situation.

With money running out due to increasing sanctions on banking activity within the dollar-finance system and blocks on PdVSA accounts from repatriating U.S. crude oil revenues, Venezuela is basically bankrupt. It has become less hospitable to its citizens. Only those with wads of dollar bills hiding in lockboxes are getting by. By every estimate, the migrant crisis out of Venezuela is expected to get worse.

On Monday, videos of Venezuelans carrying jugs of water down by a riverside should serve as a testament to the fact that PSUV’s well, too, is running dry.

Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2019/03/12/venezuela-is-quickly-becoming-uninhabitable/#30602e557a03

Okay, what the article mentions in that 3rd paragraph, the Venezuelans have had to search for water sources, check this video out. What I wonder about is that one does see some traffic in the background.  So, I'm sure it's bad for most, the vast majority but that made me wonder.

https://twitter.com/carlaangola/status/1105135083755917312

Plenty of video now though, that even water coming out of sink faucets is black water. Contaminated water, black as night.

[Bigun]

Forbes is about three weeks behind in their reporting if you ask me.

[TomSea]

Forbes is largely doing more economic analysis but that of the people scooping up water where they could, that did just happen yesterday.

[XenaLee]

It's hard to believe that just 20 years ago, Venezuela was a thriving economy.... with happy, productive people.   This is the best real life, real time, example of how socialism (communism w/a smiley face) destroys everything it touches. 

[thackney]

China offers help to Venezuela to restore power
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-china/china-offers-help-to-venezuela-to-restore-power-idUSKBN1QU0ZM
MARCH 13, 2019

China offered on Wednesday to help Venezuela restore its power grid, after President Nicolas Maduro accused U.S. counterpart Donald Trump of cyber “sabotage” that plunged the South American country into its worst blackout on record.

Maduro, who retains control of the military and other state institutions as well as the backing of Russia and China, has blamed Washington for his nation’s economic turmoil and denounced opposition leader Juan Guaido as a puppet of the United States.

With the power blackout in its sixth day, hospitals struggled to keep equipment running, food rotted in the tropical heat and exports from the country’s main oil terminal were shut down.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said China had noted reports that the power grid had gone down due to a hacking attack.

“China is deeply concerned about this,” Lu said.

“China hopes that the Venezuelan side can discover the reason for this issue as soon as possible and resume normal power supply and social order. China is willing to provide help and technical support to restore Venezuela’s power grid.”...

[XenaLee]

China offers help to Venezuela to restore power
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-china/china-offers-help-to-venezuela-to-restore-power-idUSKBN1QU0ZM
MARCH 13, 2019

China offered on Wednesday to help Venezuela restore its power grid, after President Nicolas Maduro accused U.S. counterpart Donald Trump of cyber “sabotage” that plunged the South American country into its worst blackout on record.

Maduro, who retains control of the military and other state institutions as well as the backing of Russia and China, has blamed Washington for his nation’s economic turmoil and denounced opposition leader Juan Guaido as a puppet of the United States.

With the power blackout in its sixth day, hospitals struggled to keep equipment running, food rotted in the tropical heat and exports from the country’s main oil terminal were shut down.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said China had noted reports that the power grid had gone down due to a hacking attack.

“China is deeply concerned about this,” Lu said.

“China hopes that the Venezuelan side can discover the reason for this issue as soon as possible and resume normal power supply and social order. China is willing to provide help and technical support to restore Venezuela’s power grid.”...

Lol!  If there 'was' any hacking involved, it was more than likely China that did it... so that they could then swoop in and "help" fix it.  It's how leftists (commies) roll, after all.

[Sanguine]

It's hard to believe that just 20 years ago, Venezuela was a thriving economy.... with happy, productive people.   This is the best real life, real time, example of how socialism (communism w/a smiley face) destroys everything it touches.

Their economy managed to hum along for quite a while even though the government was doing everything it could to destroy it.  It is a cautionary tale. 

[thackney]

Lol!  If there 'was' any hacking involved, it was more than likely China that did it... so that they could then swoop in and "help" fix it.  It's how leftists (commies) roll, after all.

I REALLY doubt Venezuela was using modern internet enabled relays systems.  More likely old electro-mechanical relays that work like the old spinning disk electric meters.

[XenaLee]

Their economy managed to hum along for quite a while even though the government was doing everything it could to destroy it.  It is a cautionary tale.

Well... it should be.  But unfortunately, with the hair-brained nitwits we have in Congress now.... caution does not compute.   

[Sanguine]

Well... it should be.  But unfortunately, with the hair-brained nitwits we have in Congress now.... caution does not compute.

They have what they need to survive well - we're the ones who will pay.

[XenaLee]

They have what they need to survive well - we're the ones who will pay.

As is always the case.  The elitists in Venezuela are doing just fine too... for now.   I would really like for that situation to change, though.   

[thackney]

As is always the case.  The elitists in Venezuela are doing just fine too... for now.   I would really like for that situation to change, though.   

Some of the elitists, but this power interruption impacted many of them.  Especially if they needed hospital services.  They can afford to buy fuel, but when the refineries quit making fuel, it begins to get scarce for all.

[thackney]

As is always the case.  The elitists in Venezuela are doing just fine too... for now.   I would really like for that situation to change, though.   

You may be closer to the reality than I realized:

In The Great Blackout, Caracas Steakhouses Are Busier Than Ever
https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/in-the-great-blackout-caracas-steakhouses-are-busier-than-ever#gs.0r9yyf

The staff at Maute Grill never stopped uncorking the bottles of fine Chilean reds. The place was packed at night, and the lights were on, while every inch of Caracas without a generator was in the dark.

The famed steakhouse has one, of course. “We’re attending to a specific kind of clientele,” said Ramon Villarreal, a waiter serving up sirloin steak and pork tenderloin to the lunch crowd Tuesday.  “But there has been a flood of people.”

The great blackout -- in its fifth day in some parts of Venezuela -- derailed water service, stalled refineries, knocked the Caracas subway out of commission and carved another dividing line between rich and poor in a devastated economy. Those who can afford it have passed the time in power-flush restaurants and bars or booked rooms in self-sufficient hotel.  Many of the rest are still putting their kids to bed by candlelight....

[Sanguine]

You may be closer to the reality than I realized:

In The Great Blackout, Caracas Steakhouses Are Busier Than Ever
https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/in-the-great-blackout-caracas-steakhouses-are-busier-than-ever#gs.0r9yyf

The staff at Maute Grill never stopped uncorking the bottles of fine Chilean reds. The place was packed at night, and the lights were on, while every inch of Caracas without a generator was in the dark.

The famed steakhouse has one, of course. “We’re attending to a specific kind of clientele,” said Ramon Villarreal, a waiter serving up sirloin steak and pork tenderloin to the lunch crowd Tuesday.  “But there has been a flood of people.”

The great blackout -- in its fifth day in some parts of Venezuela -- derailed water service, stalled refineries, knocked the Caracas subway out of commission and carved another dividing line between rich and poor in a devastated economy. Those who can afford it have passed the time in power-flush restaurants and bars or booked rooms in self-sufficient hotel.  Many of the rest are still putting their kids to bed by candlelight....

Exactly.

[XenaLee]

Some of the elitists, but this power interruption impacted many of them.  Especially if they needed hospital services.  They can afford to buy fuel, but when the refineries quit making fuel, it begins to get scarce for all.

Part of me (the eeeeeeevil part)... would like to think that Trump or the US actually has had something to do with their "issues" currently.  But... I doubt that is the case.  I shall chalk it up to those unintended consequences of making bad choices (voting for/choosing a commie diktator) and maybe a dash of karma.   

I was there in the 80's.  The country was just fine as long as it was running on capitalism and democracy.  The commies ruined it (yet another instance).

[Lando Lincoln]

I spent some time in Caracas in the 1980's.  The business district was vibrant, modern and quite cosmopolitan.  It's oil-based economy promised to make Venezuela the jewel of South America.  It is incredible how severe the collapse has been.

Meanwhile in Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain, countless people are taking to the streets to protest socialism.  The ignorant and zealous will always feed the monsters who tout the philosophy.

[TomSea]

Thanks @LandoLincoln  and everyone for their input.

[TomSea]

Rubio says a news outlet caught Maduro's son with ecstasy pills and being a big partyer at clubs in Madrid:

«Y aquí tenemos al hijo de Padrino López aquí en Madrid comprando botellas de 700 euros y pastillas de éxtasis para regalarlas a todo el mundo», se puede leer en la publicación.

https://www.abc.es/estilo/gente/abci-controvertida-fiesta-madrid-hijo-hombre-fuerte-maduro-201903121301_noticia.html#ns_campaign=rrss-inducido&ns_mchannel=abc-es&ns_source=tw&ns_linkname=noticia-foto&ns_fee=0

I'm not going to go deep in this, except here is Rubio's tweet:

Marco Rubio
‏Verified account @marcorubio
5h5 hours ago

While people in #Venezuela have no food,drink polluted water & die from lack of dialysis media outlet @ABC_gente catches son of head of #MaduroRegime military @vladimirpadrino partying in #Madrid using ecstasy pills.

#Spain should revoke his visa.

https://www.abc.es/estilo/gente/abci-controvertida-fiesta-madrid-hijo-hombre-fuerte-maduro-201903121301_noticia.html#ns_campaign=rrss-inducido&ns_mchannel=abc-es&ns_source=tw&ns_linkname=noticia-foto&ns_fee=0 … via

https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1105842765869580290

Another good reason to show how crooked the elite are over there. Sheesh, I briefly searched the news on the son, there was some article about his threatening to take guns to the White House.

[truth_seeker]

Congrats are due, to Rubio.

I would like to see/hear somebody inthe US, with Hispanic identity creds, risk becoming the antidote to AOC and her democrat socialism.

Hopefully somebody that is fluent in Spanish.

Why the caravans to the US? Because socialism failed, where Americanism succeeded.