“For most of your readers (and staff) who dont understand Venezuela or Chavez let me enlighten you a bit

I have unfortunatly been in and out of Venezuela for over 12 years and it is a country that only gets worse and in my opinion has no chance in hell of ever getting better.

You have to understand the Venezuelan people who have grown up being fed a diet of propoganda (over 30 some years) telling them to be proud that they have the one of the worlds largest oil deposits. It has made them ignorant, lazy, arrogant and very selfish (yea I know not very politically correct but unfortunatly the sad truth).

The Venezualans by nature never have and never will invest in there own country. Miami banks are full of rich Venezuelans who keep accounts in the hundreds of thousands of Dollars earning 3-4%. I have personally seen Venezuelans park $100K in Checking accounts earning 1-2%!

This has left the country with very little infastructure (tijuana looks far better than caracas), and when new infastructure is required, it normally takes 5-6 years to complete. You see Venezuelans dont like to work, so even hotel projects take 5 years or more to finish. case in point Melia’s Hotel in Caracas took 5-6 years. Presently there is only one 4 star hotel near the airport for anything of similar stature or better one has to travel the 30 Miles to downtown Caracas. A receint bridge replacement was completed quickly linking the airport to Caracas only as it was done with foreign workers and contractors!

Food is either horrible street food (and I generally love street food) or very high priced gourmet food. The Venezuelans spend money as fast as they have it, all on imported items such as new cars, tv’s, and clothing as Venezuela only produces one thing OIL! Case in point Venezuela compared to Colombia spend six times per capita on imported alchohol, yet it is priced double in Venezuela than in Colombia!

Gas is cheaper than water but the highways are like parking lots due to everyone buying cars and a “Birthright” to almost free gasoline!

Most readers do not realise that Venezuela has a curency control in place, so even if you cash dollars upon arrival in an official change office if you dont spend all your crap money while your there you have toilet paper to use when you leave.

The reason for the curency control (which other administrations had off and on before Chavez), is partially to punish the rich which he wants to force an exidus from his socialist paradise. The other reason is that he and his cronies can make major money by keeping the Bolivar overvalued at the official rate and sell these official dollars at 2,000.oo Bolivares to friends while everyone else pays 4,000.oo. It takes no imagination to see how a car dealer who can buy dollars for half the price of his competition can make money, and will support Chavez!

think about it does Venezuela have a shortage of Dollars exporting all that Oil? Of course not!

A few years ago this lover of democracy instituted a law under the guise of tax payments requiring every merchant the enter the clients National ID number in the register. I am sure this is the first step to requiring all merchants to link to a national database to eventually black list oponants. what a better form of control than controlling if one can buy food or nesecities?

I dont blame Chavez for what he’s doing I blame the spoilt Venezuelans who were stupid enough to elect a former coup de etat leader who said he was reformed and pro democracy. They did this believing his lies about improving life quality.

Facts you all should consider is that Caracas now is one of the most crime infected cities in the world, so bad that it has overtaken Rio and Sao Paulo. So bad that the cruise ship industry no loger docks in Venezuela and they have lost all but a sliver of the tourist trade they once had. Yea I guess the tourist have spread the word that Venezuela is full of dangeroius criminals, staff in shops and restaurants who wont work, and if you want to buy anything in shops or restaurants you will pay double or more in comparison with the US or Canada.

Never have I seen such a place with such potential squander it, and they deserve Chavez, I do not have any sympathy for them or what they are going through. Reciently I read a opinion in a Colombian Economic Paper which was titled Rich Country Poor Country and it compared Singapore (rich country) with Venezuela (poor country) and it rightly pointed out that despite Venezuelas riches in natural resources (which Singapore has none of) Singapore is a rich country due to its people!

I know I have probably said some volitile statements but if you care to show this to someone who knows Venezuela and its people they will have to agree with me. I live in Colombia and let me tell you besides being like night and day compared to Venezuela everyone I have ever stated my opinion about that country only agrees with me. Not once in 12 years have I ever had an argument even from other Venezuelans!

Now that you know a bit more about Venezuela perhaps after verifying my statements and opinions you will do your readers a favour by publishing my letter to you, and give Hugo (Chavez) a break he’s what the people there wanted, elected, and deserve!

Oh and one last thought, Cuban style socialism will never work in Venezuela you see if it isnt working in Cuba a land of hard working people how can it ever work in a place where no one works?”