More blame game and corruption!!! Opposition Mayor Arrested Without Warrant http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mayor-antonio-ledezma-arrested-and-dragged-out-of-office-like-a-dog-by-police-in-venezuela-10058691.html A mayor in Venezuela was arrested in dramatic scenes yesterday after dozens of armed police broke into his office and forcibly removed him from the building. Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma was physically escorted out of the premises by Sebin officers after being accused of sowing seeds of unrest in the country and allegedly plotting a coup to bring down the government. A trail of supporters in the building followed Mr Ledezma, of the Fearless People’s Alliance, as he was being led away to the lifts. The government have also transferred nearly all of his powers to a newly-created body. Opposition politician Ismael Garcia wrote on Twitter that he saw Mr Ledezma carried away and said “they pulled him out of his office like he was a dog.” The charges for his arrest, without a warrant, are yet to be known. Mr Ledezma, 59, is a long-time critic of the country’s socialist government and the president said he would be punished for being one of its most vocal opponents. President Nicolas Maduro said in radio and television reports that Mr Ledezma, who is believed to be held at intelligence service police headquarters, will “be held accountable for all his crimes.” The mayor had mocked the accusation made by Mr Maduro by saying the real threat to Venezuela – which is going through a severe economic crisis – was the corrupt government. He also went on a hunger strike in protest. Venezuelans protested against his arrest by spontaneously banging pots from their windows and dozens were demonstrating last night outside the Sebin building. Tensions have been running high in Venezuela with the one-year anniversary of the start of weeks of anti-government street protests that resulted in more than 40 deaths. Police arrested several other mayors and former mayors during that unrest, including Leopoldo Lopez, who is considered by human rights groups as South America’s most high-profile political prisoner. Allies of Mr Ledezma called for more protests today to demand his immediate release in a call that has been echoed by Human Rights Watch. Last week, Mr Maduro named Mr Ledezma – who was elected as mayor in 2008 after beating a socialist candidate – among critics and Western powers he believes are enemies to his government. The US state department called his accusations of coup-plotting “baseless and false”, and said they are to distract from Venezuela’s severe economic problems such as widespread shortages and inflation that reached 68% last year.
[glynch mode on]Yeah but an opposition mayor to my favorite government must have been a CIA agent anyway so it's ok. Israel started it. The mayor might have been paid by the Mossad. He was probably part of the elite that oppresses the masses. And crusades, anyway.[/glynch mode off]
Venezuela would be in terrible shape even if Chavez had not come along. Their oil is not cheap to extract and since before the 80s they have had an economy that is way too dependent on extraction. After the early 80s oil shock, during the entirety of the 80s, and well into the 90s they had super high levels of inflation though perhaps not as high as they have had in the last 6 months with oil sitting a record low prices. The 100% consumer prices inflation rate they had before Chavez came to power was likely the reason for his longevity. Now the huge inflation levels will likely be the undoing of Maduro.
They have always had leaders who were incompetent and abused human rights. The question has always been "who benefits." Similarly, under previous administrations the inflation rate has been super high and the country has failed to diversify its industry. Just as long ago as 1989, the government massacred somewhere between 286 and 2000 people. As weird as it sounds coming from America where we actually have freedoms and the government for all its faults is one of the best in the world, Venezuela has always been screwed up. The only question is who is at the top of the pile and who is extracting the most value out of their export economy. Here in Houston, a lot of us work with Venezuelans who were on the wrong side of the Chavista government, people who prefer the old regime and would like things to go back to the halcyon days that never were because it was what they were used to. The old regime was finally brought down by rampant dissatisfaction due to poor quality of living by most Venezuelans and I expect the Chavistas to suffer the same fate. The pendulum will just keep swinging.
