First thing to note: This is an Associated Pukes 'news' article.
The Associated Pukes are notorious for lies, distortions and outright campaigning against former President Hugo Chavez and current President Nicolas Maduro.
The "AP" identifying the article--and thus serving as a warning to readers that lies, distortions and rightwing campaigning will follow--has been removed in this post. Although the required "AP" attribution does not appear it this post, it does appear in the upper lefthand corner of the Huffington Post use that is cited and appears prominently in the lede line of other versions, or prominently just prior to the text, for instance:
http://www.newsdaily.com/article/9d2b6897c39ffbe4b7bf342313713dcb/venezuelan-president-shuffles-cabinet
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51620114/ns/world_news-americas/#.UXagmo58vFI
Second thing to note: The photoshopped insult in this post is unattributed but perfectly illustrates the Associated Pukes' crude propagandistic attitude toward the Chavez/Maduro government. Well done, Bacchus4.0! (if it's your work--if not, please tell us who the clever one is).
Third thing to note: The headline and storyline make no sense. Maduro is a Chavez ally; he was Chavez's vice president; he was picked by Chavez as his successor. Thus, to say that Maduro is "shuffling" his cabinet to put "Chavez allies" in "key positions" is nonsensical. OF COURSE he would have "Chavez allies" in "key positions"!
Fourth thing to note: A question, What is this so-called 'news' article really about?
To figure out the answer, it helps to know that, a) The "neo-liberal" (rightwing/corporate) government that preceded Chavez produced inflation of OVER ONE HUNDRED PERCENT*, and b) The Chavez government has generally kept inflation in the 20% to 30% range, including a reduction during 2012 from 26% to 18%*, amidst a significantly rebounding economy, increases in wages and general prosperity.
The Associated Pukes quite deliberately OMIT this vital information.
Fifth thing to note: Venezuela recently suffered a catastrophic DROUGHT. THAT rather heavily impacts their hydroelectric power plants. The Chavez government was swift to address the problem but of course infrastructure development takes time. The blackouts have NOTHING TO DO with "lack of investment and maintenance." Further, their drought-caused energy problem is exacerbated by a POSITIVE problem: Very fast economic growth and spreading of the wealth. Venezuelans are USING MORE ENERGY because they are newly PROSPEROUS.
Sixth thing to note: Like everything else in this so-called 'news' article, "Many Venezuelans are fed up with (blackouts)" is AN OPINION. There are no polls cited. There is not even a quote by a disgruntled Venezuelan that the Associated Pukes 'reporter' contrived to corner in the American bar in Caracas (or the Mafia bar in Miami). There is not one bit of evidence to support this OPINION. It reads like a rightwing campaign "talking point" faxed from Langley.
It MAY BE that SOME Venezuelans are "fed up" with this or something else. It is NOT THE JOB of a reporter to ASSERT such a thing on his or her own authority and without at least SOME evidence. How many Venezuelans has the reporter talked to? How many of those were "fed up"? How was this expressed? And how did the respondent weigh this issue against other issues? And--very important also, if the job is "journalism" and not propaganda--is there anyone who DISAGREES?
For instance, maybe poor folk in the barrio who have electricity for the first time and are glad for one lightbulb? Or people in newly electrified rural areas? Or the newly prosperous all over Venezuela who want to add
more electrical appliances, now that they can afford them, and understand that it takes time to upgrade power infrastructure--maybe some of those Venezuelans who rated their own country FIFTH IN THE WORLD on their own sense of well-being and future prospects, in the recent Gallup "Well-being" poll?
And how about a government spokesperson, eh, defending their energy policy? All "black-holed"** by the Associated Pukes.
Geez. This article is such shit.
------------------------------
*
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/inflation-cpi
**A black hole is a large dark object into which light disappears and cannot get out.
= new reply since forum marked as read