Chavez to provide cheap oil to poor Americans

[GOP = Terrorists]

Chavez has intentionally pushed a policy of lower oil supplies to inflate the price and hurt the U.S.  Of course, this is a lose-lose situation, as oil makes up 60% of Venezuela's economy.

Could also be that he wants to make sure it is there as a source of profit as long as possible and not gone in a generation.

"Chavez has compounded his country's loses by selling very cheap oil to Cuba."

Yep no doubt profit isn't his goal as the transaction involved Cuba sending a ton of Doctors to Venezuela's poorest areas where no health care system existed.

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Don't think he cares about bringing down the price of heating oil.  He is just supplying oil cheap to the poor.  Which DOES have an effect on the poor. =)

The American Right should be careful of demonizing Chavez as no different than Castro... Latin America is trending his way.  It wont be long before the only countries not under his sway will be dictatorships that we prop up.

[GOP = Terrorists]

Chavez is subsidizing Cuba to the tune of $2 billion per year, in cheap oil and in cash.  If all the Venezuelans are getting out of this is 13,000 doctors (one figure I saw), then that's over $150,000 per year per doctor.  Considering the standard of living in Venezuela, I'm sure they could train and hire Venezuelan doctors for a fraction of the price.

I'll take your word on those figures.  I never thought it was an even trade but I guess its a little more uneven than I though.

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Until Fox loses to Obrador next year. =)

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Do you think the average Venezuelan recieved more benefits from their oil before Chavez?  I think Chavez is essentially trying to create a Bolivarian Republic from the Rio Grande to Patagonia and thats why you see favorable deals.

[GOP = Terrorists]

That's a poor excuse for Chavez.  Was Stalin a good guy because Tsar Nicholas II was a jerk?  Was Hitler a good guy because the Weimar Republic was terrible?  Is Castro good because Batista was a crook?

I've never said that Chavez was a good guy.  He attempted an anti-democratic coup before being elected President.  I have NO RESPECT AT ALL FOR THAT.  However he isn't the evil dictator that the right tries to portray him as.  I'm merely saying that Chavez has done A TON of good for the Venezuelan people including selling them gas at like 14 cents a gallon...

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Again I'm not claiming he is a particularly good leader I'm just saying he isn't the demon that he is being portrayed as and that if the American right portrays him internationally as such all it does is further his objectives.

Another thing to think about is that now 70% of Venezuala recieves free healthcare and their economy grew by over 17% last year...   And while I'm sure you're against his land reforms I think redistributing land to allow for the creation of a middle class is a good thing. =)