October 2, 2007

The authoritarian government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

By now there are no surprises in Venezuela’s political life with the daily statements made by Lt. Col. Hugo Chávez announcing measures that are contrary to the normal life in a representative democracy, in a country with the rule of law that respects private property. Last weekend, the Venezuelan ruler, taking a defiant stance, has said that private medical clinics should charge the rates that the government will set supposedly to help the public. Television programs have been showing scenes that corroborate that public hospitals in Venezuela are going through a serious crisis in the services that they offer. This would indicate that once private clinics as well as private medical practices are confiscated or nationalized, the whole country would be afflicted by a huge deficiency in health care.

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