Venezuela has never been "the wealthiest country" of South America

[OBenario4]

That's just the new post-truth argument that the US mythomaniac press has taken out of its ignorant butt to deceive even more ignorant people.

In the 1950s, Venezuela already had some of the largest slums of the continent. Petare was everywhere in the media as a symbol of inequality and poverty in Latin America.

Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay are the three wealthiest nations of South America since the 19th century. That hasn't changed and one just has to compare literacy rate, child mortality, and other social indicators to realize that.

That's basic history.

[applegrove]

1. They had oil. And the money all went to the very rich. Then they got Chavez.

And instead of corrupt capitalism they had corrupt socialism. They need to be a mixed market economy and get rid of corruption of all kinds.

[OBenario4]

2. We could debate if Chavismo helped them or not...

... that would be the intellectually honest thing to do.

But to make up out of nowhere, with basis in NOTHING, that they were "the wealthiest country of South America" is beyond pathetic.

I mean, any idiot can see this is a lie by just seeing U.N. HDI comparisons throughout time.

[Bacchus4.0]

5. The HDI includes health and education indices

And other measures of whatever it is supposed to signify. Why would you attempt to introduce those factors into a discussion of economic wealth? Because you love Che I imagine

[OBenario4]

7. Because wealthy nations have good health and education indicators.

And Venezuela never had. It had oil. Period.

The people lived in dire poverty. And all social indicators shows that.

[Bacchus4.0]

8. nope. Not indicators of richness or wealth

Venezuela was prosperous and now it’s not , case closed

[DBoon]

3. I suspect many of the anti-venezuela posts here have ulterior motives

Their purpose is not to relay the facts about the country but to discredit left wing movements in general.

[OBenario4]

4. Exactly.

They only criticize left wing movements. Even moderate ones.

And only cheer for right-wingers and fascists in general.

It's quite obvious.

[Bacchus4.0]

6. Chavismo has been soundly discredited

No other country is following that path to ruin.

[Jake Stern]

9. It's not "discrediting left wing movements in general"

to point out that Chavismo has failed and that Maduro is as much a dictatorial asswipe as Trump.

The only fundamental difference is that Maduro has been miles more successful at imposing his will and stacking the government than Trump.

Orange Julius can only daydream wistfully of shutting down opposition media, jailing opposition figures, packing every seat in the Supreme Court with his cronies, have the Supreme Court strip legislative power from congress and get a special assembly, more powerful than congress, where only his handpicked candidates are on the ballot.

[Judi Lynn]

10. They do stand out in a zone where one expects to see comments from progressives, leftists, clearly.

Takes all kinds.

[GatoGordo]

12. The only anti-Venezuela types in this forum

are the Chavistas, who can find any excuse to carry the water of anyone who hates the United States.

They are more concerned about disparaging the US than uplifting Venezuelans.

FWIW, there are plenty of left wing movements to support. Chavismo isn't one of them.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Greedy fascists are NOT the ones to speak for Americans. Never were, never will be.

They've tried to seize the US government repeatedly, but it's not going to happen.

Too many decent, moral, sane people here to allow it.

[GatoGordo]

14. And who are the greedy fascists?

The opposition, who sees the disaster that is Chavismo?

The usual suspects IN THIS VERY FORUM are more concerned with their all consuming hatred for anything they perceive as "right wing" than they do with lifting Venezuelans out of despair.

If Venezuelans have to starve and be imprisoned so that Communism prevails... then that is the price to be paid.

[applegrove]

11. Here is an economist article on the issue:

https://www.economist.com/news/americas/21715694-nicol-s-maduro-draws-wrong-conclusions-economic-crisis-venezuela-crumbles?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/asvenezuelacrumblestheregimedigsin