Michael Rowan
El Universal 

Eight years ago a barrel of oil sold for $10, today for $100. So much money poured into the government that it's hard to imagine, but the national debt was quadrupled anyway. If the state's lavish oil windfall profits had been invested rationally in people, by now poverty and corruption could have been eliminated.  But that did not happen.

Getting the poor to create new wealth is not rocket science. People need tools to create wealth. Those tools are education, private property, enterprises, credit, and technology like computers.  To work those tools, people need an environment of freedom and security protected by law.  Law can also de-corrupt government by eliminating state monopolies and creating independent checks on abuse of power by the executive.  Maintaining a lawful environment is also no secret - most of the nations on earth are doing OK at it.  Venezuela is not.  Over half the population still has no access to the tools of wealth creation and the environment for using tools is a chaotic failure.  Instead of decentralizing power the government has strengthened its monopolies where corruption naturally flourishes.

Eight years and $500 billion have been wasted by this government. The fact that previous governments also wasted their opportunity to solve the problems of Venezuela is no excuse.  There is no excuse for the highest inflation rate on the continent. There is no excuse for more homicides than occur in Iraq. There is no excuse for wasting $100 billion outside Venezuela. There is no excuse for a five-fold increase in the drug trade. There is no excuse for one family suffering from poverty no less one of every two or three.  There is no excuse for the lack of decent housing, jobs and sanitation. There is no excuse for the pathetic service delivered at public hospitals and schools - and the missions as well.
Enough with the films by Oliver Stone and Danny Glover! Enough with the interviews with Naomi Campbell and Sean Penn! Enough with the whining, crying victim of a big bad world! Grow up, get to work, pick up the garbage, stop the crime, punish the corrupt and give the tools to the poor so they can help themselves rise from poverty and misery. 

michaelrowan22@gmail.com