[Social_Critic]

Sal, unemployment is going up , the statistics include informal employment with no benefits. I dont see foreign investment up. For example there are no major contracts for foreign owned projects. Remember, i lived there for a long time and i keep track of real activity, not government baloney. FYI today Venezuela ranks next to lást in investment climate in Latinoamérica. But let us discuss what you know. Tell me of any real investments by foreigners. Find me a few and I'll show you they are faked. Companies do not invest in a country led by a megalomaniac running a corrupt ill managed economy with no security, price controls, forex controls, record inflation and which runs government debt at 10+% of GDP. It just doesn't happen. Now go dig, and remember what you asked for: ideas on how to use "socialism" to help Venezuelans. So far nobody here in this forum has any such ideas. There aren't ideas because what you got in Venezuela is autocratic fascism dressed up as socialism - it's all about corruption, lawlessness, thuggery and irrational behavior.

[Social_Critic]

I think Salamis must have found out Chavez is in Cuba dying of cancer...or maybe he got rubbed off ? Anyway, I suppose everybody agrees Venezuela is a basket case.