Chat with a Venezuelan

C

Crazy Ivan

Well-known member
I just got finished with an Uber ride. My driver was an immigrant from Venezuela. He's been here 7 years, having left Venezuela to start a new life here. His comments...

"Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world because of oil and so many other natural resources. But it's all in the wrong hands. It's all in the hands of Chavez. It's so sad that in a country so wealthy that most of the people are so poor."

"So many Americans talk about socialism like it's a great thing. It may look good on paper, but I've lived it, and it's terrible. The people suffer greatly."

"America is a place with problems of course, but every country has problems. For me, it's a place of so many opportunities. Look at me. I'm poor by this country's standards, but I have my own house, I have a car, I have a job, I can go to the grocery store and buy whatever I need. I'm poor for an American, but I'm rich compared to most of the world, especially compared to people in my home country."

"America gave me a chance for a better life. One that I didn't have in socialist Venezuela."
 
Crazy Ivan said:
I just got finished with an Uber ride. My driver was an immigrant from Venezuela. He's been here 7 years, having left Venezuela to start a new life here. His comments...

"Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world because of oil and so many other natural resources. But it's all in the wrong hands. It's all in the hands of Chavez. It's so sad that in a country so wealthy that most of the people are so poor."

"So many Americans talk about socialism like it's a great thing. It may look good on paper, but I've lived it, and it's terrible. The people suffer greatly."

"America is a place with problems of course, but every country has problems. For me, it's a place of so many opportunities. Look at me. I'm poor by this country's standards, but I have my own house, I have a car, I have a job, I can go to the grocery store and buy whatever I need. I'm poor for an American, but I'm rich compared to most of the world, especially compared to people in my home country."

"America gave me a chance for a better life. One that I didn't have in socialist Venezuela."
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Our neighbors, Armondo and Marlena, left Venezuela. They are helping me with my Spanish, and I'm helping them with their English.

We got together one night and, this being Florida, the subject turned to hurricanes. subject turned to hurricanes.

I explained that where I'm from, we get both hurricanes and tornadoes and that much preferred hurricanes. When they ask to why, I explained to them that were they heard came, you have several days to prepare and leave, if you have to. Butt, with a tornado, You hear a siren and you have a few seconds to grab your things and get in the basement before it destroys everything hear a siren and you have a few seconds to grab your things and get in the basement before it destroys everything.

That's when their son, Gabriel, said, "Yes, and Venezuela the government is the tornado."

They will be happy to tell you at great length what is wrong with socialism.

End this being Florida, I also happened to have neighbors who escape from Cuba who will also be happy to tell you all about socialism.

You know what's funny, is that when I lived up north, and a college town, you used to Che Guevera T-shirts and posters everywhere. I've been living in south Florida for about five New year's now add have yet to see a single Che Guevera T-shirt. Probably because there are enough people here who lived under Che Guevera and had loved ones murdered by him, that anyone wearing his T-shirt would probably get their butt whipped.

If you want to know about socialism, best to ask those who lived in suffered under it.
 
For sure. Yet we have people in this forum who champion it while living cushy lives in their capitalist nation. I see it all the time in college students - bemoaning capitalism and championing socialism while never having experienced anything but the fruits of a mostly capitalist society.

I guess your neighbors and my Uber driver last night fled these socialist utopias for horrible America just on a lark.
 
I hired a Marriot Casino/Hotel manager. He married a lady from Venezuela who he met in Scientology.
She had a difficult time selling her condo and moving the cash out of the country.

I hired an executive from Venezuela. She was educated, moved to Wall Street and was a bond trader. She was recruited by a major bank to manage their latin American banks portfolio.

She had financial skills to move money. Came to get her children safer places to live and private school education.

One of my companies I acquired had a history of business years ago with P.D.V,SA. State owned oil business that was a disaster.

The gubment is the trouble maker.
 
Crazy Ivan said:
For sure. Yet we have people in this forum who champion it while living cushy lives in their capitalist nation. I see it all the time in college students - bemoaning capitalism and championing socialism while never having experienced anything but the fruits of a mostly capitalist society.

I guess your neighbors and my Uber driver last night fled these socialist utopias for horrible America just on a lark.
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Socialism is generally defined as a system in which all means of production are owned collectively and managed by the government.

Who on this forum advocates for that in America? Cannot think of any.

OTOH, we have many socialist programs here, like SS, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, the military. All of which are quite popular.

Venuzuela is more of a dictatorship, a failed dictatorship. For some reason, when conservatives want to bash any program that can be described as socialist, they bring up Venuzuela or Cuba instead of Denmark.
 
vibise said:
Socialism is generally defined as a system in which all means of production are owned collectively and managed by the government.

Who on this forum advocates for that in America? Cannot think of any.
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You don't appear to know what socialism is.
vibise said:
OTOH, we have many socialist programs here, like SS, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, the military. All of which are quite popular.
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And it's statements like this that make us laugh when you claim to have a PhD.

Of this list, the only thing that's actually socialist is Obamacare.
vibise said:
Venuzuela is more of a dictatorship, a failed dictatorship. For some reason, when conservatives want to bash any program that can be described as socialist, they bring up Venuzuela or Cuba instead of Denmark.
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Yes, how dare we bring up socialist countries as examples of socialism, and not non-socialist countries.

Denmark isn't a socialist country.
 
Mike McK said:
You don't appear to know what socialism is.

And it's statements like this that make us laugh when you claim to have a PhD.

Of this list, the only thing that's actually socialist is Obamacare.

Yes, how dare we bring up socialist countries as examples of socialism, and not non-socialist countries.

Denmark isn't a socialist country.
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Ok, so where is your formal definition of socialism?

I wondered how long it would take you to get back to your usual mockery of my educational background, war_eagle.
 
vibise said:
Ok, so where is your formal definition of socialism?

I wondered how long it would take you to get back to your usual mockery of my educational background, war_eagle.
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It is easy as an anonymous person on the internet to lie about their educational background in an attempt to give their posts some gravitas. It is best not to do it.
 
vibise said:
Ok, so where is your formal definition of socialism?
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My definition, or the definition?
vibise said:
I wondered how long it would take you to get back to your usual mockery of my educational background, [childish name calling omitted].
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Well, when you show a laughable ignorance of the topic you're trying to lecture us on, that's a pretty sure indication you're not educated.
 
Mike McK said:
My definition, or the definition?

Well, when you show a laughable ignorance of the topic you're trying to lecture us on, that's a pretty sure indication you're not educated.
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Vaccine deniers claim that Fauci is not a scientist! They are not likely to recognize real science.

So your definition of socialism differs from standard definitions?
 
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