Chavez steals millions from foreign companies.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

i'd watch out vel, venezuela grew by 10.2% last quarter.

[Velociryx]

No you won't. You will lose and then you will never show your face here again. And I don't want that to happen.

Oh don't worry....I wouldn't miss THIS for anything!

In fact, I'll even make you a side bet.....if your boy can cut the poverty rate in half while he's in office, I will NEVER say an unkind word about the reds again.

Care to make a recripricol arrangement?

-=Vel=-

[Kidlicious]

How do you make a bet without a forecast?

[Velociryx]

i'd watch out vel, venezuela grew by 10.2% last quarter

NOT worried.

-=Vel=-

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Velociryx
No you won't. You will lose and then you will never show your face here again. And I don't want that to happen.

Oh don't worry....I wouldn't miss THIS for anything!

In fact, I'll even make you a side bet.....if your boy can cut the poverty rate in half while he's in office, I will NEVER say an unkind word about the reds again.

Care to make a recripricol arrangement?

-=Vel=-

I don't really endorse his economic policy that much. I just said I think Venezuela will do fine.

[Velociryx]

How do you make a bet without a forecast?

*shakes head*

Kid....stop playing semantics.

Yes, there IS a forecast involved, defining the paramaters of the bet.

Fine...whatever...you look at the forecast, I'll look at his performance.

We're saying the same thing. Sheesh.

I sometimes think that the Tull song "Thick as a Brick" was written with you or one of your ancestors in mind.

Poverty rate.

Halved by the time Chavez dies or leaves office (as mentioned, prolly one and the same).

Cool?

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

I don't really endorse his economic policy that much. I just said I think Venezuela will do fine



Uh huh.

going to begin my two hour commute now...'nite.

-=Vel=-

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Kidicious


You realize that forcasts get less accurate with time duration don't you?

I'm not talking about forecasts, I'm talking about data.

So in order to judge whether poverty increased or decreased in Venezuela during Chavez's time in power, one would have to wait for it to be over and look back at the data. Or, alternatively, set a time frame and look back then.

Forecasts are not fact. They're educated guesses at best.

-Arrian

[Kidlicious]

I have to go take a test.

Ok I'll bet that poverty decreases in Ven while he's in power. Whatever.

[Arrian]

Anyway, this bet isn't going anywhere. You two would have to agree on the parameters, and it's clear to me that that isn't gonna happen.

Two hour commute, Vel? OUCH.

-Arrian

[Lawrence of Arabia]

what about making it a 5 year deal, retroactive to when he took total control to reduce poverty by 50% (poverty as defined by < $1 a day (or you can make it $2 it doesnt really matter))

commies like 5 yr plans anyway.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Sandman
Since the vast majority of foreign oil companies have agreed to Chavez's terms, one struggles to see what the problem is.

"Give me 50% or I will take 100% and there is nothing you can do about it."

Yep, no problem with that. No coercion occuring there. Proporty rights were entirely respected.

I am reminded of a recent court case envolving a elderly Jewish woman in LA vs the Austrian government. The woman's family was very wealthy in pre-WW2 Austria and owned several classical pieces of art which were taken from them by the Nazi government. Basically the Nazis locked them in a concentration camp and then told the old guy to sign a will giving everything he owned to the Nazi state or they'd execute his whole family. Of course the man signed the paper in order to save his family.

The shocking part was that until just last week the Austrian government refused to return the stolen artwork claiming that the man had legally willed it to the government of Austria. An Austrian government finally throw out that claim and restored the art work to the family who rightfully owned it; who then gave it to the Los Angeles Museum of Art.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


What foreign investment source gives a rat's ass about "basic infrastructure" that doesn't directly relate to export earnings in any country, let alone Venezuela? Hordes of leetle grubby brown people are economically irrelevant to foreign investors. All you need are enough to run the resource export economy, and the other 90% could die off, for all it matters.

throughout east asia foreign investors invested in industrial production,not just resource exports. Ditto Mexico. And theyve done the same thing in Ireland and eastern Europe, so it really doesnt have anything to do "with little brown people"

Tell me of a country thats achieved rapid economic development without foreign direct investment?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Kidicious
You believe too many lies. Venezuela is doing well, and will continue to do well into the future. Get used to it.

As stated earlier Venezuela can do well as long as high oil prices cover for the declining production and the steep decline of the non-oil portion of the economy. If oil prices do come down at any point in the future then Venezuela's government will be royally screwed.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Kidicious


I don't really endorse his economic policy that much. I just said I think Venezuela will do fine.

as will most oil exporting countries in the next few years, Id guess.