Venezuela's limbo and the illness of Hugo Chávez (It's official, he's dead)
- Thread starter maxmordon
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At the moment all the TV networks are showing the same broadcast of his coffin being taken through the streets. What is more worrying, they haven't say who's gonna take power. The constitution says Speaker of the House Diosdado Cabello, and Chavez himself said so, but they are talkings to swear in the VP and designated successor Nicolás Maduro.
Also, I said something over Twitter that got RT by a celebrity and then by a bunch of rather conservative people in the US while many liberals like Sean Penn and a Democrat congressman mourn Chavez. I'm more and more convienced that the problem with the US political perspective is due being observed in an universal two-dimensional way, thinking the Right-Left dichotomy as seen in the US applies everywhere.
Either that, or I'm a right-winger and I didn't know it. I seriously hope this is not the case, if it is, I feel cheated and start to doubt all what I know. What if Chavez was a terrific president and I am too blind to see it?
Also, I said something over Twitter that got RT by a celebrity and then by a bunch of rather conservative people in the US while many liberals like Sean Penn and a Democrat congressman mourn Chavez. I'm more and more convienced that the problem with the US political perspective is due being observed in an universal two-dimensional way, thinking the Right-Left dichotomy as seen in the US applies everywhere.
Either that, or I'm a right-winger and I didn't know it. I seriously hope this is not the case, if it is, I feel cheated and start to doubt all what I know. What if Chavez was a terrific president and I am too blind to see it?
Totally off topic, but mourning photos from places out of the US always make me wonder how many of our emotional reactions are strictly cultural.
I'm also never sure if people are crying because they are upset or because they are "mourning."
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Wow. How many ways does this ring true? Thanks for this, Max.
Thing is, Chavez was both beloved and hated, villainized and idolized. His impact on Latin America may well, in later years, (still) be deemed profound. But which way the scales tilt is going to require the distance of years.
Pretty much the same as with any other internationally influential figure.
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I would say that Chavez was a decent leader. The country was more successful than many of its neighbors, he put in a healthcare system that far outshines the US', and he did help out a lot of poor people in the US by offering them fuel. On the other hand, his government did crackdown on the press. Like most leaders, there was good and bad things that came from his administration, though for him, it was probably a bit more of a balance between the two than others.
Wage: That's per month and due devaluation now is closer to 300$. Which is heavily underminded by inflation. NYC is cheaper than Caracas. A hamburger in Burger King costs 17 US $, no cab will take you somewhere for under 15 US $ and books seldom cost under 20 US $. Since pretty much everything has to be imported, the few cheap things are not affected by inflation but generally suffer from scarcity.
Gasoline: Yes, but it's an illusory measure. Do you think it's alright the price of 80 oil litres should be the same of half a litre of water? The oil prices has been frozen for almost two decades now.
Education: It was free before Chavez as well. Chavez failed to renew the school curriculum and failed on making new schools in masse, leaving behind free, overcrowded schools teaching the same than 20 or 30 years ago. The only noteworthy contribution were the Universidades Bolivarianas, basically ideological diploma mills.
Extreme poverty: It did reduced, I will grant you that, but so did the Middle Class, creating a bigger cliff between the rich and the poor.
Oil and Power: Oil, I mentioned above, while Power, it has always been owned by the government. It's currently underfunded and power shortages are far too common during the hot months except in Caracas. Also, a friend's mother works as a HR manager for the power company and she hasn't been paid in a year, yet she's forced to go to political meetings.
Wow. It's always amazing to see how facts are twisted into bullshit. Disgusting, but very interesting.
Thank you so much for the answer.
Believe me, we're far behind Colombia and Brazil, especially Brazil. Also, I'm not sure how the US healthcare system is doing, but my great-aunt died in a public hospital were patients had to buy theirnown oxygen tanks, gauzes and syringes since they didn't have any. While, it did spawn small free first aid offices around, most hospitals were pretty much left on its own.
Indeed, I'm aware Chavez is probably the most influencial figure for my generation lof Venezuelans and that we will be talking about it, try to understand it for the rest of our lives.
I didn't realize that Colombia was doing better than it, and I somewhat take back the better healthcare thing. Here, you'll get stitched up if you're bleeding, but that's about all you're going to get before the hospital gives you the boot if you don't have insurance.
Don't worry, Shadow Dragon. He did have good intentions, mostly. He just was... misguided.
Despite all the attention-whoring, I think he had potential, if he diverted just a little of all the energy he dedicated to his obsession against the evil imperialist U.S.A.
So, Chavez has been dead for 22 hours now... and nobody is sure who is running the country.
The law says the Speaker of the House should be sworn in to be president as elections are called in 30 days, but some say they will "re-interpret" it so then the VP can rule 30 days since besides the VP, he's also Chávez's designated successor. This breaks at least two laws, since the acting President cannot be also a candidate.
Also, while Chávez was said to be buried in his home state as he demanded, lots of his followers and some ministers have demanded to be buried at the National Pantheon along with Simón Bolivar and the rest of the Founding Fathers.
The law says the Speaker of the House should be sworn in to be president as elections are called in 30 days, but some say they will "re-interpret" it so then the VP can rule 30 days since besides the VP, he's also Chávez's designated successor. This breaks at least two laws, since the acting President cannot be also a candidate.
Also, while Chávez was said to be buried in his home state as he demanded, lots of his followers and some ministers have demanded to be buried at the National Pantheon along with Simón Bolivar and the rest of the Founding Fathers.
Sarpedon
Banned
Hmmm, other leaders have solved the burial problem by burying the heart in one place, but the rest of the corpse someplace else.
Constitutional problems are not so easily solved. It will take more than a knife. (at least I hope they don't try to solve the constitutional problems with knives! Beware the Ides of March!)
Constitutional problems are not so easily solved. It will take more than a knife. (at least I hope they don't try to solve the constitutional problems with knives! Beware the Ides of March!)
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Max, I've been reading your posts. It's really nice to get the perspective of someone who knows. I've seen dissenting opinions about Chaves from people here in the U.S., with one side viewing him as a hero and the other comparing him to Stalin and Hitler in one online argument about him.
Stay safe, and keep us posted!
Stay safe, and keep us posted!
They just named VP Maduro as President-In-Charge:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20664349
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20664349
Pictures of the farewell to Chávez from Los Proceres parading grounds:
http://www.noticias24.com/fotos/not...rea-humana-despidio-a-hugo-chavez-en-caracas/
http://www.noticias24.com/fotos/not...rea-humana-despidio-a-hugo-chavez-en-caracas/
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Haven't found any English link with the news, but Chavez's body will remain exhibited for one additional week, plus his body will rest in a glass coffin at the Military Museum.
State funeral is tomorrow.
State funeral is tomorrow.
Sarpedon
Banned
So they totally are embalming it! You'll have your very own Mao!
I hope they don't use too much formaldahyde this time. And the backup dummy is a good idea.
I hope they don't use too much formaldahyde this time. And the backup dummy is a good idea.
