Venezuelan President Hugo Chaves Dies at 58

[Ryan]

I know he had some supporters in Venezuela, but I also know my friend's Venezuelan father absolutely despised the man.

Hugo Chavez, fiery Venezuelan leader, dies at 58 - Yahoo! News

 

[We Are Legion]

Yeah there were some Facebook pages actually celebrating the guy's death this afternoon. I thought it was pretty silly myself.

 

[Troy]

Honestly good riddance. The guy has ruined Venezula and is another dictator that was more interested in lining his own pockets than building his country. Venezula is one of the more resource rich countries in the world, it's oil reserves are close to that of Saudi Arabia's, and yet the majority of the country are poor. If you don't support the president and you have a government job you will be fired. It is ridiculous but that is what happens when someone wins power through a coup.

Still waiting for Mugabe to kick the bucket. He has ruined Zimbabwe, his policies have killed many many people and destroyed the economy.

 

[Franco]

He seemed like a nice character, the speech he held after "Devil" Bush is one of the funniest politician speeches I can remember.

R.I.P.

 

[Ozymandias]

Good article about the man.

Hugo Chavez was a democrat, not a dictator, and showed a progressive alternative to neo-liberalism is both possible and popular - Comment - Voices - The Independent

The truth is that Chavez won democratic election after democratic election, despite the often vicious hostility of the media, because his policies transformed the lives of millions of previously ignored Venezuelans. Poverty has fallen from nearly half to 27.8 per cent, while absolute poverty has been more than halved. Six million children receive free meals a day; near-universal free health care has been established; and education spending has doubled as a proportion of GDP. A housing programme launched in 2011 built over 350,000 homes, bringing hundreds of thousands of families out of sub-standard housing in thebarrios. Some of his smug foreign critics suggest Chavez effectively bought the votes of the poor – as though winning elections by delivering social justice is somehow bribery.

Like all great leaders was capable of both the great rights and great wrongs. I'll remember him as someone who stood up to the machine of capitalism which has spent a century trying to destroy Latin America.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Wasn't Chavez showing some restraint against big corporations wanting to devalue the money Venezuela even more than it already was before this happened? This timing seems odd to me but he was better leader than most in countries that have similar political backgrounds.

RIP.