Venezuela enacts "law of fair prices", with 10-year imprisonment for hoarding

[Blitzkrieg]

No. It's another example of preferring fiction to reality.

You being the master in that venue it comes as high praise

 

[erudne]

I think there were crossed wires and a failure in translation
No Harm, No Fowl, OK?

 

[Jammer Six]

You're going to fit right in in Idaho.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I think there were crossed wires and a failure in translation
No Harm, No Fowl, OK?

None whatsoever, bro

 

[chemist]

No Harm, No Fowl, OK?

 

[AMProducts]

You sure your talking about Venezuela and not the US? You could easily change Caracas for Washington DC and the story fits. Our standard of living is also sliding towards the abyss.

It's a pattern that repeats over and over again. Remember that part in the bible where it says "there's nothing new under the sun"? This kind of pattern has repeated in every state throughout history.

 

[ATCclears]

Another person's email got me thinking, looking, and I came across this:
Alexander Fraser Tytler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Notable points:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

"The historical cycle seems to be:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• from spiritual faith to courage;
• from courage to liberty;
• from liberty to abundance;
• from abundance to selfishness;
• from selfishness to apathy;
• from apathy to dependency;
• and from dependency back to bondage once more."

I would argue that Venezuela is between dependency and bondage.

In the US, perhaps it is that looming shift from apathy to dependency that some of us are feeling.

Peter

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The old saying applies here

Those who refuse to learn history are doomed to repeat it

Which is why our enemies have worked so hard to erase true history

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Another person's email got me thinking, looking, and I came across this:
Alexander Fraser Tytler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Notable points:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

"The historical cycle seems to be:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• from spiritual faith to courage;
• from courage to liberty;
• from liberty to abundance;
• from abundance to selfishness;
• from selfishness to apathy;
• from apathy to dependency;
• and from dependency back to bondage once more."

I would argue that Venezuela is between dependency and bondage.

In the US, perhaps it is that looming shift from apathy to dependency that some of us are feeling.

Peter

Missed one aspect in the list (descriptive)

from abundance to selfishness;

From selfishness to desiring slaves who will eventually rise up to cut your throats

 

[AMProducts]

Another person's email got me thinking, looking, and I came across this:
Alexander Fraser Tytler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Notable points:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

"The historical cycle seems to be:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• from spiritual faith to courage;
• from courage to liberty;
• from liberty to abundance;
• from abundance to selfishness;
• from selfishness to apathy;
• from apathy to dependency;
• and from dependency back to bondage once more."

I would argue that Venezuela is between dependency and bondage.

In the US, perhaps it is that looming shift from apathy to dependency that some of us are feeling.

Peter

One of the things that tends to get lost when people look at history is that this cycle you cite can all happen within the confines of an established state. From what I can tell this cycle has repeated at least several times that I can think of. In fact, I think at least part of this cycle has repeated itself twice in the last 15 years. Think about how you felt after 9/11... in fear and bondage? Did we as a nation forge our faith into courage and lay waste to those who attacked us? Did that feeling fade into selfishness and apathy?

There are two strengths of the representative republic our founders set up, the first, because of the checks and balances it is nearly impossible to move from democracy to dictatorship quickly enough that the would-be dictator isn't termed out and would have to regain power from the person who currently holds that office. The second, the republic can respond to the needs of the people much more quickly than the desires of the people. The biggest single threat to the institutions of the republic is the excessive debt carried by our government, and the threat it poses to our economic liberties.

As a nation we are functionally an island, there are no great powers on our borders, or even in our hemisphere that can even pretend to match us, there are no barbarians at the gate, the biggest threat to our nation and our prosperity is our ability to refuse success.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The barbarians are already within our gates

 

[Jammer Six]

The barbarians are already within our gates

Yup. And now they're our gates.

But you may use them. In spite of trying to keep a Godwin thread alive.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

You can't blame trolls. They live in dark, dreary places with little entertainment, much time on their hands to conjure up pointless mutterings

 

[erudne]

Absolutely!
My standard of living has gone through the roof in the last twenty years. So "our" standard of living averages out.
You're going to fit right in in Idaho.

so what your saying is that your a Union Minion living in Progressive Central.
As for ID, I have a suspicion that you are absolutely ignorant and merely aping other ignorant ape's hate filled cries against a state that follows the US Constitution

 

[Martini_Up]

The barbarians are already within our gates

what gates...

 

[Stomper]

Yup. And now they're our gates.

But you may use them. In spite of trying to keep a Godwin thread alive.

You're the only on that keeps mentioning that fat guy with the goatee from Duck Dynasty...

 

[stratbastard]

It's not just Venezuela or Argentina...

“In a nutshell, it’s the blueprint for Peacetime Martial Law and it gives the president the power to take just about anything deemed necessary for “National Defense”, whatever they decide that is.”

While millions of people have been preparing for the possibility of a catastrophic event by relocating to rural homesteads or farms, as well as stockpiling food, water, personal defense armaments and other essential supplies with the intention of utilizing these preparations if the worst happens, the latest executive order signed by President Obama on March 16, 2012 makes clear that in the event of a nationally deemed emergency all of these resources will fall under the authority of the United States government.

The signing of the National Defense Resources Preparedness executive order grants the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense and other agencies complete control of all US resources, including the ability to seize, confiscate or re-delegate resources, materials, services, and facilities as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense as delegated by the following agencies:


Sec. 201. Priorities and Allocations Authorities. (a)

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;

(2) the Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;

(3) the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;

(4) the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;

(5) the Secretary of Defense with respect to water resources; and

(6) the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.

(b) The Secretary of each agency delegated authority under subsection (a) of this section (resource departments) shall plan for and issue regulations to prioritize and allocate resources and establish standards and procedures by which the authority shall be used to promote the national defense, under both emergency and non-emergency conditions.

The new order provides specific definitions for each of these essential infrastructure elements, indicating that all resources, not just those owned by large farms and businesses, are to be directly controlled by the government. Thus, if you think the investments you made in digging a water well, building a solar array, or stockpiling food were for your own personal use, think again:


Excerpt:

Sec. 801. Definitions. In addition to the definitions in section 702 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2152, the following definitions apply throughout this order:

(b) “Energy” means all forms of energy including petroleum, gas (both natural and manufactured), electricity, solid fuels (including all forms of coal, coke, coal chemicals, coal liquification, and coal gasification), solar, wind, other types of renewable energy, atomic energy, and the production, conservation, use, control, and distribution (including pipelines) of all of these forms of energy.

(c) “Farm equipment” means equipment, machinery, and repair parts manufactured for use on farms in connection with the production or preparation for market use of food resources.

(e) “Food resources” means all commodities and products, (simple, mixed, or compound), or complements to such commodities or products, that are capable of being ingested by either human beings or animals, irrespective of other uses to which such commodities or products may be put, at all stages of processing from the raw commodity to the products thereof in vendible form for human or animal consumption. “Food resources” also means potable water packaged in commercially marketable containers, all starches, sugars, vegetable and animal or marine fats and oils, seed, cotton, hemp, and flax fiber, but does not mean any such material after it loses its identity as an agricultural commodity or agricultural product.

(f) “Food resource facilities” means plants, machinery, vehicles (including on farm), and other facilities required for the production, processing, distribution, and storage (including cold storage) of food resources, and for the domestic distribution of farm equipment and fertilizer (excluding transportation thereof).

(i) “Health resources” means drugs, biological products, medical devices, materials, facilities, health supplies, services and equipment required to diagnose, mitigate or prevent the impairment of, improve, treat, cure, or restore the physical or mental health conditions of the population.

(j) “National defense” means programs for military and energy production or construction, military or critical infrastructure assistance to any foreign nation, homeland security, stockpiling, space, and any directly related activity. Such term includes emergency preparedness activities conducted pursuant to title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq., and critical infrastructure protection and restoration.

(n) “Water resources” means all usable water, from all sources, within the jurisdiction of the United States, that can be managed, controlled, and allocated to meet emergency requirements, except “water resources” does not include usable water that qualifies as “food resources.”

Additionally, like the Selective Service established to draft Americans into the military in the event of war, all Americans are automatically registered for the National Defense Executive Reserve, an agency responsible for identifying experts and skilled laborers for jobs that may need to be performed during a national security. That means your entire work history is now stored, aggregated and flagged in a national database and you can be called on at any time and forced into service for national security reasons at a government-run institution or labor camp:


Sec. 501. National Defense Executive Reserve. (a) In accordance with section 710(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(e), there is established in the executive branch a National Defense Executive Reserve (NDER) composed of persons of recognized expertise from various segments of the private sector and from Government (except full time Federal employees) for training for employment in executive positions in the Federal Government in the event of a national defense emergency.

…

(d) The head of each agency with an NDER unit may exercise the authority under section 703 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2153, to employ civilian personnel when activating all or a part of its NDER unit. The exercise of this authority shall be subject to the provisions of sections 501(e) and (f) of this order and shall not be redelegated.

…

Sec. 601. Secretary of Labor. (a) The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other agencies, as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Labor, shall:

(1) collect and maintain data necessary to make a continuing appraisal of the Nation’s workforce needs for purposes of national defense;

(2) upon request by the Director of Selective Service, and in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, assist the Director of Selective Service in development of policies regulating the induction and deferment of persons for duty in the armed services;

(3) upon request from the head of an agency with authority under this order, consult with that agency with respect to: (i) the effect of contemplated actions on labor demand and utilization; (ii) the relation of labor demand to materials and facilities requirements; and (iii) such other matters as will assist in making the exercise of priority and allocations functions consistent with effective utilization and distribution of labor;

The EO also outlines compensation for resources and labor that may be seized by the government. Payments would be made debt receipts and overseen by the Treasury Department in conjunction with the Federal Reserve. Similar to compulsory eminent domain provisions, a government official would determine what your land, resources or labor are worth, and you would have no choice but to agree to that value:


Sec. 301. Loan Guarantees. (a) To reduce current or projected shortfalls of resources, critical technology items, or materials essential for the national defense, the head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense, as defined in section 801(h) of this order, is authorized pursuant to section 301 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2091, to guarantee loans by private institutions.

(b) Each guaranteeing agency is designated and authorized to: (1) act as fiscal agent in the making of its own guarantee contracts and in otherwise carrying out the purposes of section 301 of the Act; and (2) contract with any Federal Reserve Bank to assist the agency in serving as fiscal agent.

As of March 16, 2012, your land, your food, your water and your abilities as a laborer are now a wholly owned subsidiary of the United States government at any time they choose to initiate the provisions of this order, which according to the order itself, can be during an emergency or a non-emergency.

 

[erudne]

Massive military drills in Venezuela
March 16, 2015 - Nearly 100,000 soldiers are taking part in 10-day military exercises across Venezuela, staged to counter US threat following Washington imposing new sanctions against Venezuelan officials. The military exercises are due to show off Chinese amphibian weapons, Russian-built missiles, and other military hardware.

Venezuelan DM General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the US sanctions are an imminent danger for us. They will also be testing air defenses and anti-aircraft systems, ensuring they are ready to be deployed.
http://rt.com/news/240973-venezuela-...ises-us-threat


President Maduro granted power to govern by decree
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been granted the power to govern by decree until 31 December. The measure was approved by the National Assembly after the United States issued new sanctions against Venezuelan officials.
The United States shud STOP meddling in Venezuela's affairs.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31899510


Obama-signs-executive-order with-respect-to-Venezuela
http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/s...ead.php?211782

Venezuela food-supply-collapses
http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/s...ead.php?211836


Venezuela-to-install-20-000-fingerprint-scanners-in-stores
http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/s...ead.php?211986

 

[bellarum]

"I'm not a hoarder! I'm a misunderstood collector!"

 

[erudne]

Woodrow Wilson imprisoned a doctor for 10 years for hording a Lamb