LIKE A slow-motion car crash, the unraveling of Venezuela’s economy and political system is a fascinating, as well as sickening, spectacle. Last month we noted the attempt of Nicolás Maduro, the would-be caudillo who succeeded Hugo Chávez as president, to distract public attention from world-beating inflation, shortages, power outages and crime by expelling several U.S. diplomats who he claimed were engaged in nefarious sabotage. Now, with prices still rising as fast as his popularity is dropping, Mr. Maduro has adopted a drastic tactic: state-sponsored looting.
This month, Mr. Maduro, a former bus driver whose ignorance of economics is shockingly obvious, ordered the national guard to invade electronics stores and drastically lower the prices of goods. Mobs soon besieged the outlets, carrying away televisions and other appliances, sometimes without paying; even some of the soldiers helped themselves. More than 100 shop owners and other small businessmen were rounded up and jailed.
It's a shame that so many people will have to suffer before they can be free from the tyranny of the crazies down there.
Having said that, it's extremely gratifying to watch a leftist regime collapse when it has all the resources it needs to sustain itself. Nearly every problem facing Venezuela can be traced to the political stance of their government.
I wish that it were certain that after Maduro kills the private sector with this looting that the mob would turn on him and realize that his way is not the way toward a bright and sustainable future. However, it's entirely possible that the mob is too stupid to realize any of this and will continue to lap up the steady stream of excrement they've been fed for the last few decades. Maybe they will become the next Cuba, as the article suggests. If so, the minority will likely have to be purged or repressed. I'm sure Castro could send over a "how-to" manual since Maduro seems fairly incompetent.
