The hospitals in Venezuela are overcrowded with children suffering from extreme malnutrition and dehydration. Because of hyperinflation, the Venezuelan Bolivar is all but worthless.
The country’s only source of revenue is oil, but thanks to corruption and neglect, oil production is down. Making matters worse for everyone in the county, especially innocent children, the US has had sanctions on Venezuela since 2014, but not on oil.
Today, US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson says U.S. Weighing Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil Sector.
The Trump administration is weighing restrictions on Venezuela’s oil exports and the sale of U.S.-refined petroleum products to the country, but it is wary of the damage that may cause to American companies, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
Spotlight Cuba
The US had sanctions on Cuba starting with sugar import restriction in 1960 under Eisenhower. The US never managed to drive Castro from power. Not only did those import restrictions cause the US to overpay for sugar, cigars and the like, the people most hurt by the sanctions were innocent growers in Cuba, not the Cuban government.
Please consider this December 2016 Japan Times article: U.S. Would Be Wise to End Sanctions on Cuba.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, ending subsidies for the Castro regime, many analysts believed that Cuban communism was doomed. But 22 years later the Castro regime staggers on, an embarrassing specter from the past.
The belief that doing ever more of the same decades after imposing the embargo would yield a different result suggests that U.S. policymakers suffer from at least a touch of insanity. More than a half century of sanctions have not sparked a popular uprising, forced the Castros and allies from power, moderated the regime, delivered democracy, promoted economic liberalization, cut regime ties with other communist systems, stopped foreign investment, or achieved much else of note.
In fact, this is a fairly common experience for sanctions. Few governments are inclined to dismantle themselves under foreign pressure.
It would be wonderful, of course, if the Donald could end Cuban communism by simply speaking the word. But the embargo won’t help them to do that. Better to flood Cuba with Americans bearing dollars.
Then the rewards from engagement will be obvious to all. That doesn’t guarantee Cuba will become free — the fearful regime actually has stepped up political repression and religious persecution over the last two years — but openness offers a better long-term alternative. The more the country is immersed in the world, the harder it would be for the regime to preserve the sclerotic, impoverished, repressive system.
How Pathetic
The US is concerned about US oil profits and does not give a rat’s ass about starving children. The US is not to blame for the sorry state of affairs in Venezuela, but there is no reason for the US to add to Venezuelan misery..
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
The Elite love Socialism for themselves. They must be Stupid as they have all the money.
Socialism for the private sector, Capitalism for the citizens, Socialism has been used all the time to bail out private banks,corporations for centuries lol
This will seem mean, but hey – the Venezuelians got the government and economic conditions they voted for. Hopefully it will be a warning to other countries citizens who like socialism, but Stupid Is As Stupid Does.
True the USA does not give a rats ass about hungry USA children, homeless people and once the Obama medicaid is gone 20 million people receiving medical emergencies, so not much chance they would care about anyone but themselves.
Much like the rest of the oil producing countries, until mineral rights are traded and ownership by people is permitted there won’t be any change. When citizens are allowed to own something valuable they tend to value it. When the government owns something valuable the citizens want to be the government.
“Thousands of children in Venezuela have starved to death.” Maduro doesn’t care.
Neither side of the aisle cares about citizens in foreign countries. The only reason they care about US citizens is we elect them. The difference is the dems are more hypocritical about it. We let VZ and many African nations turn into tyrannical hell holes and go after Assad instead. Destroying the lives of millions of Syrians who don’t want us there.
Misery caused by politicians and policies is nothing new. Humankind never seems to learn anything.
I know full well VZ oil production is in the gutter because of pure mismanagment and lack of good engineers and business managers. Why should we have to place sanctions then? It’s a declaration of war actually. We should stay out of it. Did you not read the bits about Cuba. Did sanctions change Russia?
Remember, VZ was the #2 leader in oil production in the OPEC 1970’s heydays. Now they are nothing on the market. I agree GeeWhiz – there’s no way any relief coming from the oil sales (even if they are able to get more to the market) it will not provide any help to the average citizen, except extend their misery by propping up a government that needs to be toppled. VZ is socialism correctly implemented. Socialism is Communism’s close cousin and there’s not a bit of difference to the non-politically connected.
VZ oil production is in the gutter because of pure mismanagment and lack of good engineers and business managers.
Mish – you’re too far away from the problem. VZ is starving because their politics and business decisions are one in the same. I work in the Oil & Gas industry and can tell you that i witnessed top to mediocre engineers flee from VZ to the US and Canada (and I suspect other regions) when the government started at first limiting their salaray, but then reducing it (wage control).
CARACAS—With hospital shelves bare and the government stumped on how to settle $5 billion in arrears to pharmaceutical companies, cash-strapped Venezuela recently offered some foreign suppliers alternative compensation: diamonds, gold and coltan, the rare metal used to make cellphones and Playstations.
The proposed exchange perplexed the pharma representatives, whose companies had no policies on accepting precious gems and metals as payment, according to three people familiar with the meeting last month where Venezuela’s health minister made the offer.
While it isn’t clear if any of the firms accepted it, the proposal underscores how Venezuela’s economic collapse is forcing President Nicolás Maduro’s embattled administration to improvise to pay for goods as severe dollar shortages push the country toward a barter society.
Noone in any position of political power, gives even a fractional toot about starving children. The very fact that the kids are starving, means they can afford neither lobbyists nor campaign contributions, nor buying themselves harebrained credentials certifying, to dumb progressives, that they are “smart” “experts” and should therefore be listened to.
The reason politicians impose sanctions, is because it gets them on Tee Vee. Where they can grandstand, to the reliably imbecile sycophant army simultaneously dumb and well indoctrinated enough to still believe governments as currently constituted are some sort of useful institution. If they can impose sanctions, they will impose them. To get on TeeVee. The rest is just childish excuses, which they figure they can get away with claiming as a justification for their look-at-me antics.
Yeah, like any effect of our sanctions would help the kids? The Vz gov officials would just get richer and richer.