CARACAS, Monday September 01, 2008 | Update
Politics
"Ludicrous!" Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez spared
no adjectives to describe the collection of signatures on
the initiative of the opposition against the inclusion of
the contents of the failed constitutional reform in presidential
directives enacted via enabling law.
"What I fancy is to request another enabling law, to hammer
into them additional 26 laws," boasted Chávez during
the 319th edition of his TV and radio show "Aló, Presidente,"
aired from Santa Rosa, western Barinas state.
"It is just plain stupid. The Organization of American States
(OAS) has nothing to do with it. This mirrors a US-supportive,
unpatriotic way of thinking. What does the OAS has to do with
some laws issued in a sovereign manner? Enabling laws are
to the people's benefit."
11:00 AM. Economy. Based on the official data, more and more families failed to get out of poverty in 2008; the exclusion status of more people moved faster and fewer people are on their way to overcome this situation. According to the data provided by the official National Statistics Institute (INE), last year the poorest homes in the country recorded an average monthly income of USD 401.82, whereas the food basket amounted to 417.77