Comments on: Falling oil prices: Adios, Chavez’s grand plans http://www.yourish.com/2008/10/27/5519 Cutting straight to the point Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:56:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Michael Lonie http://www.yourish.com/2008/10/27/5519/comment-page-1#comment-34014 Michael Lonie Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:18:31 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=5519#comment-34014 So they sold their votes for the bribe of a pittance? I'm hardly likely to have any sympathy for them in that case. They must have known about Hugo's coup attempts, at the least. They failed to use the simplest foresight and allowed themselves to be bribed for a paltry sum of money. For that they have plunged their country and themselves into deep excrementum tauri. As I said, my sympathy goes to the people who tried to stop Chavez and whose loyalty to Venezuela and its Constitution was betrayed by the venal Chavistas. Poorly educated? It's the most highly educated people who continually fall for the same odious slogans of socialism and empower fascist/communist tyrants to gain it. This is not a new thing. The attraction of Communism for the highly educated is well known. Less well known, but equally true, was the attraction of Nazism and Fascism for the highly educated. Avant-garde artists were on the cutting edge of Fascism (eg Marinetti). Lots of highly educated people admired Musso and what he was doing, people like H. G. Wells. And the Nazis have been described as having conquered the universities even before they conquered Germany. In Britain it was the less educated trade unionists who resisted Communism while the intellectuals of the Labour Party, like Aneurin Bevin, swooned over it. Highly educated vs poorly educated doesn't explain it. Stupidity (highly educated does not exempt from stupidity), envy, and venality (thinking you can get rich by the government stealing from somebody else and giving you the money) do. For people who allow these vices to govern their political judgement I have no sympathy. There is a reason that envy is one of the seven mortal sins in Catholic theology. A people who cannot control its passions and vices is unfit to rule itself. We too may be about to find out just how unfit we are, having lost the virtues the Founders believed were necessary for a free people. So they sold their votes for the bribe of a pittance? I’m hardly likely to have any sympathy for them in that case. They must have known about Hugo’s coup attempts, at the least. They failed to use the simplest foresight and allowed themselves to be bribed for a paltry sum of money. For that they have plunged their country and themselves into deep excrementum tauri. As I said, my sympathy goes to the people who tried to stop Chavez and whose loyalty to Venezuela and its Constitution was betrayed by the venal Chavistas.

Poorly educated? It’s the most highly educated people who continually fall for the same odious slogans of socialism and empower fascist/communist tyrants to gain it. This is not a new thing. The attraction of Communism for the highly educated is well known. Less well known, but equally true, was the attraction of Nazism and Fascism for the highly educated. Avant-garde artists were on the cutting edge of Fascism (eg Marinetti). Lots of highly educated people admired Musso and what he was doing, people like H. G. Wells. And the Nazis have been described as having conquered the universities even before they conquered Germany. In Britain it was the less educated trade unionists who resisted Communism while the intellectuals of the Labour Party, like Aneurin Bevin, swooned over it. Highly educated vs poorly educated doesn’t explain it. Stupidity (highly educated does not exempt from stupidity), envy, and venality (thinking you can get rich by the government stealing from somebody else and giving you the money) do. For people who allow these vices to govern their political judgement I have no sympathy. There is a reason that envy is one of the seven mortal sins in Catholic theology.

A people who cannot control its passions and vices is unfit to rule itself. We too may be about to find out just how unfit we are, having lost the virtues the Founders believed were necessary for a free people.

]]> By: corwin http://www.yourish.com/2008/10/27/5519/comment-page-1#comment-34013 corwin Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:35:45 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=5519#comment-34013 Meryl, The only place I've ever seen 'twaddle' used was "A Study in Scarlett". And Michael;Some of these people are very poorly educated and being given money to support Chavez.I would be more inclined to forgive them than tyhe US sympathizers who love any anti American dictator Meryl,
The only place I’ve ever seen ‘twaddle’ used was “A Study in Scarlett”.
And Michael;Some of these people are very poorly educated and being given money to support Chavez.I would be more inclined to forgive them than tyhe US sympathizers who love any anti American dictator

]]> By: Michael Lonie http://www.yourish.com/2008/10/27/5519/comment-page-1#comment-34005 Michael Lonie Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:34:03 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/?p=5519#comment-34005 The schlub who voted for Hugo will be getting what he asked for. He elected a guy who was known to be a radical and who had already made attempts to overthrow the government and Constitution of the country. The Venezuelan majority voted him in because he promised them he'd rob "the rich" to give them bribes. (Come to think of it, Obama is making the same promise). Socialism always causes poverty, and the more socialism you have, the worse the poverty. People who voted for such a man to be President will be getting what they deserve when the economy turns even more sour and they end up impoverished. It's Hugo's opponents who will be, or should be, the ones we have sympathy for. They tried to prevent the disaster and got squashed and villified for their pains. If the Venezuelans were halfway intelligent they'd put such people into office and throw Hugo and his consiglieri into prison. I suspect a good case against him for corruption could be made. But Hugo probably already has enough power to prevent any recurrence of democracy in Venezuela, so the schlubs will get fascist/commie oppression in addition to poverty for their support of Hugo. Not schlubs, schmucks. The schlub who voted for Hugo will be getting what he asked for. He elected a guy who was known to be a radical and who had already made attempts to overthrow the government and Constitution of the country. The Venezuelan majority voted him in because he promised them he’d rob “the rich” to give them bribes. (Come to think of it, Obama is making the same promise). Socialism always causes poverty, and the more socialism you have, the worse the poverty. People who voted for such a man to be President will be getting what they deserve when the economy turns even more sour and they end up impoverished. It’s Hugo’s opponents who will be, or should be, the ones we have sympathy for. They tried to prevent the disaster and got squashed and villified for their pains.

If the Venezuelans were halfway intelligent they’d put such people into office and throw Hugo and his consiglieri into prison. I suspect a good case against him for corruption could be made. But Hugo probably already has enough power to prevent any recurrence of democracy in Venezuela, so the schlubs will get fascist/commie oppression in addition to poverty for their support of Hugo. Not schlubs, schmucks.

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