Hey, how's that socialism going in Venezuela? We stopped talking about them a while back for some mysterious reason that I don't understand.

"These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, VENEZUELA and Argentina, where incomes are actually more equal today than they are in the land of Horatio Alger. Who's the banana republic now?"

-- Bernie Sanders

The Venezuelan government was democratically elected by the people to seize the means of production and ration out the benefits. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela instituted democratic socialism built on the socialist policies of Hugo Chavez.

I well remember how ordinary Venezuelans, many of them, cheered when Hugo Chavez took power and began to implement socialist economic policies. And why not? Venezuela was rich, blessed with ample supplies of oil, plenty of arable land which grew coffee, good ports, ample fishing grounds, no enemies across the border, and a well educated, industrious population. How the people cheered when Chavez promised them free food, free health care, gasoline subsidies and other blessings of socialism. How they sang his praises in the streets as he nationalized companies and corporations! How they rejoiced when he nationalized the oil companies and drove out the greedy foreigners and the hated Yankee multinational corporations! How they cheered as he confiscated the life savings and property of the hated rich, so the people could get their fair share of the wealth! How the people laughed and approved as Chavez gave them permission to smash and loot electronic stores so they could help themselves to free TV's and other electronic appliances and toys.

How'd it work out in the end? I don't know because of the very strange news blackout.