Most original and democratic experiment in the world: Venezuela

[Mathematician]

The workplace was delightful, yet clearly not much work was being done. These were not the regimented factories of the maquiladoras along the Mexican border with the United States, let alone the sweatshops of Asia. The guide explained that the 142 workers were mainly housewives involved in a government job-training programme, Vuelvan Caras, that seeks to get untrained people into socially useful work within the framework of a cooperative. This is admirable, but here too much remains to be done.

Cooperatives are becoming the basic organising tool of Chávez's Bolivarian Revolution, with thousands springing up all over the country. I found a group of security guards, watching over a peasant collective, who had formed themselves into a cooperative of their own, and a group of cooks in a student kitchen had done the same, calling themselves the Flavour and Revolution cooperative. In the revised constitution that will be subjected to a referendum on December 2, the cooperatives will receive constitutional approval. Article 112 declares that the state will promote different kinds of economic enterprises, be they private, mixed, or run by a local community, to create the best conditions "for the collective and cooperative construction of a socialist economy."

Other articles in the revised constitution promise everyone a six-hour day, and extend social security provision to all unorganised workers (fulfilling the ambition of Simón Bolívar, the guiding genius of the state, who invented the term in 1818). This is not so much populism as sensible democratic politics. Chávez needs to win elections. Whereas Fidel Castro has spent half a century explaining to Cuban people why they can't have their cake today, Chávez needs to promise everyone the moon in order to retain his popularity at the polls. Such is the challenge of revolutionary politics in the democratic era.

There isn't much backing up my claim, but I've read on the internet that Chavez is trying to convince Castro to bring more democratic reform to Cuba. Cuba does have community democracy [some local politicians don't belong to the Communist Party], but Castro has remained in power out of fear the United States will set up another puppet government like they tried to do in the rest of Latin America.

Chavez better make sure he's not shot.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I can't believe Castro is still around........I'm starting to become convinced he'll still be there at the turn of this century, and maybe the even the next.

 

[Mathematician]

I find it a little sad countries like Venezuela have national referendums and we don't. The move towards direct democracy has been stunted by big government liberals and big government conservatives.

 

[Smoke]

I find it a little sad countries like Venezuela have national referendums and we don't. The move towards direct democracy has been stunted by big government liberals and big government conservatives.

The last thing we need is direct democracy. Politicians don't get away with all the crap they do because the American people are bright and well-informed.

 

[Mathematician]

The last thing we need is direct democracy. Politicians don't get away with all the crap they do because the American people are bright and well-informed.

Politicians keep people purposely uninformed and confuse the issues. Look how much partisan bickering plays a role in our debates; not the issues, just he said, she said. A society that has direct democracy will have recognized why they're better than the alternative.

Manipulators deserve no respect in society.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The last thing we need is direct democracy. Politicians don't get away with all the crap they do because the American people are bright and well-informed.

The American people also tend to be lazy and easily mislead.

 

[yossarian22]

Politicians keep people purposely uninformed and confuse the issues.

Which is very function of politics

Look how much partisan bickering plays a role in our debates; not the issues, just he said, she said. A society that has direct democracy will have recognized why they're better than the alternative.

Direct democracy will wind up degrading into something worse than what we see in current politics. Factions with even less interest in cohesion on the national level.

Manipulators deserve no respect in society.

People look to others for information. Manipulation will stil exist in direct democracy

 

[Smoke]

The American people also tend to be lazy and easily mislead.

Seriously. Today I drove from Columbia, South Carolina to Statesboro, Georgia and back, and I wish I had a dollar for every "Support President Bush" and "Nuke the ********" bumper sticker I saw. I'm beginning to think the American people really deserve the government we have. The South does.

 

[Mathematician]

If the Venezuelan people can vote on the issues, I think we can, considering the differences in our education.

More evidence that the "Castro is a dictator" crowd are just blowing smoke. Our tax money is illegally going towards the opposition party of Venezuela. Some of the opposition has also been involved in anti-democratic reforms.

The NED and Venezuelan Democracy--Venezuela Information Office
George Ciccariello-Maher: Behind Venezuela's "Student Rebellion"
Fox News Venezuela Coverage: "Fair and Balance" or Quasi-Official U.S. Government Propaganda?

What Harrigan failed to disclose however is that Lopez, as the municipal mayor of the Caracas district of Chacao, has worked closely with the Primero Justicia party. According to Venezuelan human rights lawyer Eva Golinger, Primero Justicia is the “most extreme opposition party to Chávez.” What is more, Golinger has written that after the April 2002 coup against Chávez, Lopez signed the “Carmona Decree” which dissolved all democratic institutions including the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Attorney General and Public Defender. Additionally, the Carmona Decree did away with “an overwhelming number of laws and constitutional rights implemented during the Chávez administration.” At the time, this action was denounced by almost all of Latin America’s leaders.

Primero Justicia received training and support from the International Republican Institute, a nonprofit U.S. organization which receives millions of dollars in laundered funding from the U.S. taxpayer funded National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

[Mathematician]

Chavez loses referendum vote. Praises opposition. I'm waiting for the claim about him being a dictator.

 

[Yerda]

Direct democracy will wind up degrading into something worse than what we see in current politics.

While direct action has it's merits, the prospect of the people with the time and money to turn up to meetings, conventions, rallies etc. deciding everything for me is not much more appetising than an elected representative diffusing my democratic mandate.

 

[Kidblop]

i think direct democracy is the best alternative. its never been tried before in the history of world. the greek city states had something similar but it wasnt really true demokracy. i dont get little r republicans. You trust the government more than the people ... ? the same governments that lie to their people and manafacture problems just to have something seemingly important to run off of? no thanks