http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7124313.stm

Guess his people knew what was best for them.  Its actually a sigh of relief IMO.  Direct democracy amongst a nation state full of poverty can be scary.

I think he will bring this proposal up over and over again as long as he is in office.  The major contributing force of why is was shot down (marginally) is b/c...there were just enough smart people in Vene. to know that this proposal was inching closer towards authoritarianism.   I doubt the Spanish royal remark had very much impact on the results.  The big impact was the fundamental value in the proposal.

A direct democracy in a poor nation state is scary b/c they whatever the vote for en masse is going to be the outcome...where in the US we do not vote on federal proposals.  Out elected officials do that for us.  Poor people are typically uneducated and vote on emotion derived from propaganda.  Thats what scary...they can and do make the wrong decision.

They can always voted out next election in the US...and it happens after they are exposed...if they are exposed.

They do a great job of masking their actions of special interests....thats why they are in office.  Its part of the profession IMO.  A good politician must be able to balance special interests and those of the public and their own career interests simultaneously.

He's a socialist economically speaking and a communists politically speaking.  I would say he aims fall relatively clear under Castro and Che's philosophy.

I'm not an expert but I am well informed on the subject and on Chavez himself.  Baldar is prolly the closest person to an expert on Vene and Chavez at IAP.  I know he did a lot of business there and resided there for a few periods of time as well.

What do you mean the "UK as federal?"

My feeling is that you're right, but I don't have enough background to gauge it. 

There are ways of rigging elections, especially in a country where poverty is prevalent.  Why would he not do that, why risk everything on the will of the people if he is really a crook?  It gives the impression that he is genuinely abiding by the process and has the good of the country at heart.

Neo, I think you didn't give an opinion on that question...do you believe he is for the people or has ambition to be a tinpot dictator?  He plainly wants to retain power but perhaps that is for the best of reasons, that he believes he is the person to improve his country's situation.

As to the UK question, it's off thread, but I have read other conversations where US citizens categorize all political systems by their own experience.  The UK system is vastly different from the US, but it has been argued that the UK government is basically federal.  I wondered what you think of that?

I'm sure Chavez thinks what he is doing is best, but its not.  He prolly thinks the best thing for Vene. is for him to be in complete and total control...like Castro

You talk about how if he was truly crooked he would have rigged the elections...perhaps he tried and is just too incompetent to pull it off.  Thats just speculation obviously.

I have a feeling we'll be talking about this again in a year or two.

Bit of a sweeping statement there.  Can I ask specifically what it's based on?  How is it proven?

The success or failure of Castro depends on your viewpoint.  You are in the US, where capitalism is king.  I am in Scotland where socialism is more prevalent. 

Although Andrew Carnegie, the father of capitalism, was Scottish, the system as currently used is not IMO what he envisaged or proposed.  The part about giving back the wealth to improve the lot of the common man has been overlooked...



It is.  I think it may be key though, to what he is.  If we knew the truth about that...


Probably around election time in Caracas.