Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro accuses US government of fabricating a crisis to start war in Sou

[MRubio]

Source: ABC News

When asked if he would allow opposition Venezuela leader Juan Guaido back into the country, Maduro said. "He can leave and come back and will have to see the face of justice because justice had prohibited him from him leaving the country."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/maduro-accuses-us-government-fabricating-crisis-start-war/story?id=61215212

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Mods, I assume that you consider ABC News as a reliable news service. I tried to contact Yonnie3 to appeal the locking of my thread from Sputnick News on the issue of Guaido being arrested when he returns to Venezuela, and supply him with this link, but because of my post count, I'm not allowed to initiate private messages.

[DetlefK]

1. Come on. Don't tell me you seriously expect unbiased behavior from Sputnik News.

[MRubio]

2. Sputnik news quoted ABC News.....

.........and I was discussing the ramifications of the quote, if accurate. It was obviously accurate. I'm new here and did not realize that using Sputnik news was not allowed. Cut me some slack.

[DetlefK]

4. I don't know whether Sputnik News is forbidden on DU, but it is a problematic news-source.

Sputnik News and RT both follow the same pattern:

1. Pick a narrative. Lie by omission by cutting facts from the story until the story fits the narrative.

2. Scandalize each and everything. The world is a hellhole of scandals, injustice and fights. These people you already hate are the worst. Hate, hate, hate.

3. Except for Russia. Never write anything bad about Russia. People who think that Russia did something bad are crazy and hysterical.

[MRubio]

5. Thanks DetlefK.......

......I understand all that though again, in my other thread which used Sputnik a source, I was addressing a specific quote they attributed to Maduro, and further to ABC News.

I was hoping the mods would allow my other thread to continue unlocked, perhaps pointing out that ABC News had reported the quote, so that others would discuss the topic.

It really is an important topic as Guaido plans to return to Caracas this week. Maduro either has to arrest Guaido to save face or perhaps act like he never said what he is quoted as saying. I suspect he'll go with the latter, as usual.

[Bradical79]

10. The rules are that the source has to be a real mainstream news source

Basically a Russian propaganda network, blog post, some guy's Twitter, etc. don't count, regardless if they're quoting a real news source. If it's quoting a real story from a real news source, that real source is where you should pull from.

[marble falls]

30. Can't beleive that Sputnik is being sourced here. Its worse than RT!

[marble falls]

31. Try citing the ABC source, then. Sputnik is a state organ fer Pete's sakes.

[MRubio]

32. I orginally couldn't find the ABC source..........

.......which was why I posted the original thread with the qualifier, "if accurate".

Having said that, there are now many posts but I don't think any of them address my original desire to discuss what might happen when Guaido returns to Venezuela and what effect it might have on this whole situation.

[Maxheader]

3. usofa? Fabricating a crisis to start a war? naa..

iraq, iran, granada
, central americu, vietnam, somalia, MEXICO...

[GatoGordo]

8. USA is to blame?

For people starving to death in Venezuela? Because that is the Chavistas spin on every problem there.

Maduro is BEGGING for a military intervention that would absolve him of this Bolivarian Socialist disaster.

[JonLP24]

9. Sanctions impact the poor

Economic sanctions lead to an increase in the poverty gap and deprived sections of the population feel the most impact.
For the most part sanctions fail to achieve their aims and elites manage to negotiate the adverse effects to a far greater level than poorer citizens.
Sanctions have a damaging effect on income inequality and impact ordinary people more than the sanctioned country’s leaders.
Sanctions tend to harm rural and non-industrialised areas more, as resources are refocused in power and production centres.
Economic sanctions have a negative impact on the cost of reconstruction and economic growth following the lifting of the sanction(s) or regime change.
Sanctioned regimes often attempt to magnify the sanctions’ negative effect on the economy to prevent the population from revolting.

https://gsdrc.org/publications/impact-of-economic-sanctions-on-poverty-and-economic-growth/

Over 40 regime changes in a century

The United States participated, directly or indirectly, in Latin American regime change more than 40 times in the last century, according to historian John Coatsworth. That figure doesn't include a number of failed missions like the 1961 Bay of Pigs assault in Cuba.
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/696057482/trumps-venezuela-moves-follow-long-history-of-intervention-in-latin-america

[MRubio]

11. I don't doubt that sanctions will eventually make things even tougher for all of us here.......

........though things have been absolutely horrid for a long while now. Hyper-inflation, which really kicked into high gear last year, has been the nail in the coffin for so many.

"Sanctions tend to harm rural and non-industrialised areas more, as resources are refocused in power and production centres."

The agricultural sector is but a mere shell of its former self, absolutely devastated by Chavez himself. If you want examples, ask, I've lived them and seen them firsthand over and over again. The road system hasn't been attended to for years. I personally know huge potholes on the local national highway that have been around longer than Maduro has been president. Spare parts and tires have become almost impossible to find and when found, too expensive to afford by the average Venezuelan. What effect does that have on rural areas? The trucks that used to supply the local chinese merchant no longer arrive and haven't for several years now. His market, I would estimate, is operating at about 10% of its former capacity. I don't know how he hangs on. Many have given up.

"Economic sanctions have a negative impact on the cost of reconstruction and economic growth following the lifting of the sanction(s) or regime change."

In the case of Venezuela, that's almost laughable as the national economy has been absolutely crippled at all levels, especially at the private level. There is virtually no construction activity today because it is almost impossible to find cement and other supplies to build. Outsiders have no idea how dire things are. My point being, any uptick in economic growth will be huge for the populace.

Long before serious sanctions against PDVSA were instituted, oil production, oil exports and importation of food & medicines were in almost constant month-to-month decline. That's why something on the order of THREE MILLION Venezuelans gave up on their country and fled for a better life elsewhere.

Regime members had sanctions placed on their personal holdings scattered around the world, but that has virtually nothing to do with imports, exports, or PDVSA production and everything to do with trying to protect and ultimately return Venezuelan treasure stolen over the years.

Watching Chavez TV earlier, Chancellor Jose Arreaza is now asking for dialogue with the opposition.

[JonLP24]

12. I'm well aware how dire things are in Venezuela

I also know of dire places that are US allies and probably other dire places I haven't heard of yet know their economy is heavily dependent on oil production.

I don't support US military intervention or whatever secret operations they got going on in Venezuela given our track record. The Neo cons main interest is to privatize oil production which is why the US has long been interested in Venezuela or even sanctioning them while doing nothing to Saudi Arabia. It is the hypocrisy that sickens me.

[GatoGordo]

15. How aware are you?

Do you live in Venezuela?

Have family there? Friends?

A lot of us do. We don't read about Venezuela in ThinkProgress or Salon. We live it and hear about it first hand. None if this is "theory" to us.

None of its want a military intervention. We want to eat. We want antibiotics and immunizations. We want a currency that has value. We are tired of the excuses for failure.

Do you have a solution for us besides telling us to how shitty the USA is?

[JonLP24]

16. I don't have a solution for the people of Saudi Arabis, Syria, CAR, Yemen

Either because I'm not in charge. What I would do with a regime change is start with the worst human rights violators and work down the list whether they are an ally or not.

I don't have a solution to all the problems going on in this world it is all very overwhelming. I'm just opposed to the Republicans leading the charge on this especially considering we just pulled out of Syria, wants to pull out of Afghanistan and who is cozying up to Kim Kong Un who I view as a legit national security threat and is apparently taking Putin's advice on what to do in NK.

I'm sorry. Hopefully the interim President takes care of things and this all can be resolved. I think Maduro should be replaced but I think about that when it comes to a lot of leaders including my own Trump.

[GatoGordo]

20. You don't have to be in charge to offer aid to those who are hurting

Venezuelans want to eat. The vast majority would love to keep "Chavismo" (or a version of it.)

But you know... priorities.

[MRubio]

19. Check out this article about construction in Venezuela

Venezuela's construction sector 95% inoperative: trade body

The Venezuelan construction sector is around 95% inoperative due to the lack of rebar, investment and interested buyers for housing, the Venezuelan Chamber of Construction (CVC) said Wednesday.

According to the CVC's president Juan Andres Sosa, the sector reports "inoperability close to 95%."

"What is currently operating in the sector is only maintenance, not new works," Sosa added.

Roughly 50% of Venezuela's rebar market is supplied by Sidor, 40% by Complejo Siderurgico Nacional and 10% by private company Gerdau Sizuca.

Venezuela's largest steelmaker, Sidor, hasn't operated since August with no timetable to resume production.

The country's state-owned steelworks CSN hasn't produced steel since July 2017 and a restart of operations was postponed several times during 2018. No future date for a restart is available.

CSN's Casima plant has been completely stopped since July 2017. It is responsible for over 70% of all semi products destined for other plants for rolling into rebar and other long products.

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/metals/022719-venezuelas-construction-sector-95-inoperative-trade-body

-------------------------------------------

Formerly functioning and profitable companies nationalized and now not operating at all. Chavez also nationalized Cemex, the Mexican cement company and today it's almost impossible to find cement to build. I'd say it's probably easier to find rice and pasta than cement today.

[GatoGordo]

22. It's a good thing Maduro gave everyone a few more days off during Carnival

You know, a few more days to kick back and earn another 18 cents per day without doing anything. Not that anything much is getting done. But the few coins of working cash a business owner might have adds up with all these mandated days off.

I'm not exactly sure why Maduro doesn't tell everyone to not come to work anymore and just pull magic Bolivar Soberanos out of his ass.

Is anyone over in Guayana City working anymore?

[MRubio]

23. Yeah, just what the country needs, a few more vacation days......

......no school, and anyone with employees who wants to remain open, has to pay double-time and all the other government-mandated goodies required.

As for those magic Bolivares Soberanos, he's already pulling them out of his ass and giving them to anyone who has the Carnet de La Patria. And they wonder why there's hyper-inflation.

[GatoGordo]

13. Up until recently, the sanctions affected 40 Chavista honchos

The other half of the sanctions barred US citizens and entities from refinancing PdVSA's shitty loans. (Google "Hunger Bonds Goldman Sachs)

It didn't affect the poor in any way. Maduro has ALWAYS been able to buy food and medicine. The problem is he refuses to, then blames the US for the privation. (right out of the Castro playbook)

A 99.99999979% devaluation in the Bolivar/Fuerte/Soberano didn't occur over the span of a few months. That was 20 years in the making.

The US government isn't responsible in any way for the current minimum wage of 18 cents per day.

The US government isn't responsible for the 1.7 million percent inflation rate in 2018. Nor the expected 10 million percent inflation this year.

[JonLP24]

14. Sanctions affect the GDP which can cause hyperinflation

I agree the US isn't responsible for a lot of problems facing Venezuelans authoritarian regime. I say let Venezuela take care of the problem the US also has a playbook for South America and do not trust this party at all leading the charge.

Link to tweet

?s=19

[GatoGordo]

17. So you dont want military and you dont want sanctions

Perhaps harsh words and a proper "finger wagging" ought to suffice?

[MRubio]

18. Perhaps dialogue between the two sides is in order?

LOL, goddammit I crack myself up sometimes.

[MRubio]

21. Sanctions can cause hyperinflation?

I guess so, but in this case I'm thinking the government sending every man, woman, and child who holds a Carnet de La Patria money every month for, well, just because, probably has more to do with it. What do you think?

[JonLP24]

24. I don't know if Venezuela is caused by sanctions

I looked up hyper inflation and it can be caused by a shrinking GDP. We knew sanctions affected the poor back during Iraq.

We don't even sanction Saudi Arabia.

[EX500rider]

25. Hyperinflation, as always, is usually caused by over printing money. nt

[MRubio]

26. These bastards can't even afford to print new money, they just........

.......create it digitally and send it out. Right now it's The Carnival Bonus. Yeah, true story. Don't recall how much the bonus is, but everyone who holds the Carnet de La Patria is supposed to get the bonus this week.

To show you how hyper-inflation works, the new currency, the Bolivar Soberano, was introduced last 20 August with a value pegged at 60 BsS per dollar. Today the unofficial black market rate is 3700 and change per dollar.

New bills were actually introduced last 20 August, knocking 5 zeros off the old currency, the Bolivar Fuerte. The new bills were issued in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 BsS.

Today, just 6 months after being introduced, merchants are no longer accepting the 2, 5, and 10 BsS notes because it takes too long to count them. The bills are still brand new, but no longer circulating.

The economy here has been wrecked, and it was wrecked long long long before sanctions were in place.

[JonLP24]

27. Hyperinflation

When associated with depressions, hyperinflation often occurs while there is a significant increase in the money supply not supported by gross domestic product (GDP) growth, resulting in an imbalance in the supply and demand for the money. Left unchecked, this causes prices to increase, as the currency loses its value.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hyperinflation.asp

[GatoGordo]

28. So, who is causing the hyperinflation in Venezuela?

People wipe their ASS with the Bolivar. It is far cheaper than toilet paper!

Over the last 20 years, the Bolivar/Fuerte/Soberano has devalued by 99.99999979%. Remember, Clinton was in office when Chavez took the reins and the economy started to spiral down the shitter.

20 years ago, Venezuela was the economic envy of Latin America. PdVSA pumped out 3 million gallons of oil PER DAY. Now, they can't pump out 1 million.

Today, the minimum wage is $5. Not per hour. Not per day. Not per week. PER MONTH. That's less than 17 cents per day.

Last years inflation was 1.7 million percent. It is expected to top 10 million percent this year.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DISASTER? Trump? Trump can't organize a two car parade!

[MRubio]

29. Yeah, well at least we got patria!

So there's that.

[hack89]

6. No - Maduro wrecked the economy and left his people starving and destitute

this has been a slow motion train wreck that started under Chavez.

[GatoGordo]

7. How can you tell when Maduro lies?

His lips move.

[ripcord]

34. Maduro is turning away food as Venezuelans starve

What kind of monster could do that?