International - Venezuela - Current History

Venezuela’s economic fortunes have been tethered to the price of oil for most of the country’s modern history, a dependency that only worsened after a charismatic former paratrooper named Hugo Chavez took office in 1999. Chavez, who came to power in the wake of an oil crash that decimated Venezuela’s traditional parties, ramped up political patronage to a degree the country had never seen when crude prices suddenly began to soar again.

The windfall temporarily masked the economic devastation caused by his version of socialism—a toxic mix of expropriations, subsidies, and currency and price controls. By Chavez’s final years, Venezuela’s economy was starting to buckle, even with prices north of $100 a barrel, and then they crashed. His chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, replaced patronage with repression and persecution. Maduro’s iron-fisted rule has allowed him to remain in charge of what’s become a failed state. His days may be numbered.

Chavez’s First Year in Office

New Constitution - Venezuela held a referendum to approve a new constitution extending the president’s term to six years and reducing Congress to a unicameral National Assembly. Chavez was re-elected in 2000 under what he called a new Magna Carta, and members of his MVR party won a majority in the nascent National Assembly.

Then an opposition march on April 11 turned violent after it changed course and headed toward the presidential palace, where Chavez supporters were holding their own rally. Shots broke out, and by evening 19 people were dead, including both supporters and opponents of the government. Prominent businessman Pedro Carmona, who had helped organize the general strike, named himself president, detained Chavez, and dissolved the National Assembly. But much of the military and the population were still with Chavez, and a countercoup was quickly launched. Chavez was restored to office shortly after his ouster, and Carmona fled the country.

Military officers who had been dismissed for participating in the April coup began organizing street protests, and a general strike began on Dec. 2 to demand that Chavez resign. After Chavez stood firm, he eventually regained control of the oil company and gradually restored production. Chavez then launched a campaign to blacklist oil workers who had participated in the strike from working at PDVSA or its foreign partners in Venezuela . . . Venezuela’s oil production never fully returned to pre-strike levels of 3.3 million barrels a day.

Currency Controls - The government pegged the local currency to the dollar and set price controls for basic goods in an attempt to contain capital flight and inflation following the two-month strike. The result was a booming black market for dollars and shortages of the basic goods being sold at a loss under price controls.

Welfare Programs - Chavez started plowing rising oil revenue into a host of social outreach programs, known a missions, to provide education, medical services and subsidized food to low-income communities. The hugely popular programs helped Chavez win re-election campaigns and improved living standards. The spending was ultimately unsustainable and poverty returned with a vengeance after oil prices crashed in 2014.

Political Blacklist - Political persecution accelerated after electoral authorities published a list of more than 2.4 million Venezuelans who had signed a petition to recall Chavez. Tascon’s List, named after a ruling party lawmaker who was instrumental in making it public, was used to deny government jobs, benefits and even documents for the opposition's rank and file.

Oil Grab - The Chavez administration began forcing foreign oil companies to accept higher taxes and smaller, non-controlling stakes in oil projects amid what it described as an oil nationalization . . . Venezuela wound up nationalizing more than 1,000 companies during Chavez's 14 years in office. The moves eventually backfired by crippling domestic production and leaving the country more reliant on imports.

Hollywood Darling - Chavez cruised Venezuela’s countryside in an open jeep with Oscar-winning actor and fellow Bush critic Sean Penn. Chavez’s initial success at using the oil windfall to reduce poverty made him popular throughout the developing world and a darling among left-wing celebrities, including Danny Glover, Oliver Stone and Michael Moore.

"They're destroying the world," Chavez said, citing melting glaciers in the Andes and predictions of rising sea levels. "The human race will be finished if we don't change the world capitalist system."

From late 2009 Venezuela has suffered power cuts of up to six hours at a time across the country, sparking public protests and disrupting economic and business activity;
The government claimed that the shortages were the result of unusually low rain and a related fall in electricity from the Gurí hydroelectric dam, which provides approximately 60% of Venezuela’s electricity output. In 2009, 74.0% of Venezuela’s electricity was produced by hydroelectric generation;
However, the shortages also reflect long-term underinvestment in energy infrastructure. The departure of many private companies from the energy sector has left the government solely responsible for infrastructure projects. Ongoing shortages will harm the business environment and reduce the potential for business profits and consumer wage growth.

"Venezuela is using public investment, foreign direct investment, public education, and the law in order to craft a sustainable solution to the rapidly growing demand for electricity that has resulted from economic growth and poverty reduction."

Re-Election - Chavez began campaigning against Henrique Capriles at a time that polls showed the two contenders in a dead heat. Saying he was "totally free" of cancer, he started holding campaign rallies across Venezuela and hosting foreign leaders to show he remained fit for office. Chavez ramped up social spending during the campaign, helped by billions of dollars in oil-backed loans from China, and won by a comfortable yet narrower margin than in previous elections.

Under the new law, only the army, police and certain groups like security companies will be able to buy arms from the state-owned weapons manufacturer and importer.

In 2013, just 37 weapons were handed over voluntarily. More than 12,500 were confiscated by force.
Maduro ramped up the program in 2014, expending more than $47 million to enforce the ban. His tactics included “grandiose displays of public weapons demolitions in the town square,” according to Fox News.

Javier Vanegas, a Venezuelan teacher exiled in Ecuador, told Fox News. “The government security forces, at the beginning of this debacle, knew they had no real opposition to their force. Once things were this bad, it was a clear declaration of war against an unarmed population."

Chavez Dies - Chavez died at a military hospital in Caracas. A sobbing Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's chosen successor, announced he would carry out Chavez’s legacy of socialism for the 21st century.

Maduro Wins Close Election - Maduro defeated Capriles by the narrowest margin for a Venezuelan presidential election since 1968 and inherited a country crippled by galloping inflation and shortages of consumer goods. Unlike his response to the previous election, Capriles refused to concede and demanded a recount, citing irregularities he said had impacted hundreds of thousands of votes. The disputed results triggered protests that turned violent and claimed seven lives.

Maduro announces on state-run VTV that he is expelling three U.S. diplomats. He claims they were involved in a widespread power outage earlier in the month. "Get out of Venezuela," he says, listing several names. "Yankee go home. Enough abuses already."

Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz said on Thursday that people involved in hoarding of basic staples would face serious sanctions. In the regard, she called on prosecutors to seek their detention.

In 2013, many began to suspect that the outlook for Venezuela was grim when prepping became illegal. The Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, called on prosecutors to target people who are “hoarding” basic staples with serious sanctions.

Shortly thereafter, grocery stores instituted a fingerprint registry to purchase food and supplies. Families had to register and were allotted a certain amount of supplies to prevent “hoarding.”

The United States:
Early in 2020, supplies began to be difficult to find due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the potential of a lockdown. When folks couldn’t find basics like toilet paper, fingers immediately began to point at “preppers” and “hoarders.”

There’s Already an Executive Order in Place
The game pieces have already been moved into place to ban “hoarding” in America. In 2012, our Fearless Leader signed an executive order that gives the federal government authority over every resource and infrastructure element in the United States . . .

'In a widespread emergency where supply lines have been threatened and millions of Americans are without essential resources because they failed to prepare, the government will swoop in and attempt to take complete control.'

'They will enter our homes and search them without a warrant. They will confiscate contraband. And they will take any ‘excessive resources’ that you may have accumulated. This includes food, toiletries, precious metals and anything else emergency planners and officials deem to be a scarce material.'

In the wake of a gun ban, Venezuela sees rising homicide rate
There are an estimated six million firearms (registered and unregistered) in Venezuela. However, voluntary surrenders were close to nil. For example, in 2013, only 37 firearms surrendered, while 12,603 were confiscated. More importantly, the national homicide rate rose from 73 per 100,000 in 2012 to 90 per 100,000 in 2015. The real figures are likely higher as the Maduro regime is well known for purposely undercounting crime.  

One effect of gun prohibition has been the increase of lethal violence against law enforcement. Venezuelan law enforcement are targeted specifically for their firearms with 252 officers being killed in 2015.

Data Blackout - Venezuela’s central bank stopped regularly releasing economic data, including economic growth, inflation and public spending. The economy has shrunk by more than 50 percent since 2013, according to the opposition-controlled National Assembly, and gets more dysfunctional by the day. Annual inflation has surged into the hundreds of thousands of percent, by some measures. Others see it climbing into the millions.

As Vice News reports, President Nicolás Maduro signed a new law last week that requires "all workers from the public and private sector with enough physical capabilities and technical know-how" to work in agricultural fields on demand. The new law mandates that citizens can be required to work in the agricultural sector for a period of 60 days which can be extended "if the circumstances require it."

Nicholas Maduro ,the President of Venezuela has ordered the troops to enter the cities of the country and declared a state of martial law.To exclude mass riots, armed forces will be deployed to the streets of Venezuela’s cities. The corresponding order was given by the President of the country Nicholas Maduro just minutes ago.

This decision was due to the mass protests taking place in the country, which are accompanied by numerous acts of violence. The opposition said that on April 19 it plans to hold a large-scale action “Mother of all protests”.

Rigged Election - Maduro’s election to a second six-year term was marred by the jailing and disqualification of opposition politicians and had the lowest turnout for a presidential election in decades. Most of the opposition joined a boycott of the vote, while government workers were coerced to turn out amid reports of fraud. The result was dismissed as illegitimate by the U.S., the European Union and the 14-nation Lima Group

Migration Crisis - The number of Venezuelans fleeing escalating crime, hyperinflation and food shortages reached 3 million in what became the world’s largest migration crisis in recent years. The mass exodus has created social tensions in neighboring countries, including Colombia, which is hosting more than a third of the migrants.

“(b) Firearm registration system.—

“(1) REQUIRED INFORMATION.—Under the firearm registration system, the owner of a firearm shall transmit to the Bureau—

“(A) the make, model, and serial number of the firearm, the identity of the owner of the firearm, the date the firearm was acquired by the owner, and where the firearm is or will be stored; and

“(B) a notice specifying the identity of any person to whom, and any period of time during which, the firearm will be loaned to the person.

“(2) DEADLINE FOR SUPPLYING INFORMATION.—The transmission required by paragraph (1) shall be made—

“(A) in the case of a firearm acquired before the effective date of this section, within 3 months after the effective date of this section; or

“(B) in the case of a firearm acquired on or after the effective date, on the date the owner acquires the firearm.

“(3) DATABASE.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall establish and maintain a database of all firearms registered pursuant to this subsection.

“(B) ACCESS.—The Attorney General shall make the contents of the database accessible to all members of the public, all Federal, State, and local law enforcement authorities, all branches of the United States Armed Forces, and all State and local governments, as defined by the Bureau.

“(c) Licensing system.—

“(1) REQUIREMENTS.—

“(A) GENERAL LICENSE.—Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Attorney General shall issue to an individual a license to possess a firearm and ammunition if the individual—

“(i) has attained 21 years of age;

“(ii) after applying for the license—

“(I) undergoes a criminal background check conducted by the national instant criminal background check system established under section 103 of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, and the check does not indicate that possession of a firearm by the individual would violate subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 or State law;

“(II) undergoes a psychological evaluation conducted in accordance with paragraph (2), and the evaluation does not indicate that the individual is psychologically unsuited to possess a firearm; and

“(III) successfully completes a training course, certified by the Attorney General, in the use, safety, and storage of firearms, that includes at least 24 hours of training; and

“(iii) demonstrates that, on issuance of the license, the individual will have in effect an insurance policy issued under subsection (d).

“(2) PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION.—A psychological evaluation is conducted in accordance with this paragraph if—

“(A) the evaluation is conducted in compliance with such standards as shall be established by the Attorney General;

“(B) the evaluation is conducted by a licensed psychologist approved by the Attorney General;

“(C) as deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist involved, the evaluation included a psychological evaluation of other members of the household in which the individual resides; and

“(D) as part of the psychological evaluation, the licensed psychologist interviewed any spouse of the individual, any former spouse of the individual, and at least 2 other persons who are a member of the family of, or an associate of, the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional, and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms.

A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.