Part II fo II: The facts of Hugo Chavez's rule

 In Part I of our two part series,  we find a glowing report on Chavez,  from a man who nearly brought our country to its knees,  nearly 4 decades ago.  

Part II:  The facts of the matter are quite different,  as you might guess.  For example,  there is no reason to announce a societal move from poverty into the middle class,  such as Carter implies. Under Chavez,  the poor are still there,  and in increasing numbers;  they only have more access to what is needed to survive in that country.  

Chavez  concentrated power in the Central Government and turned the judiciary and military into partisan entities,  supporting the State,  in defiance of anything the people of Venezuela might have preferred,  otherwise.  While the poor were benefited to a large degree under his harsh rule,  the will of the people and a free marketplace were considered to be hostile to the common good of the State, eliminating any hope of upward movement into a productive middle class.  

Any who opposed Chavez during the election process,  faced trumped up charges of corruption,  and were often jailed or prohibited from entering the election process. In some cases,  they had to flee for their lives.  

Private enterprise was attacked by Chavez,  as was the free press and free speech.  Chavez worked tirelessly to control the press and the televised/radio media.

Expropriation of that nation’s farmlands under Chavez, slowed food production and  increased inflation to impossible heights,  necessitating the need for price controls.  

Under his rule,  in time,  the people of the state would have become nothing more than pawns used to legitimize claims of fair and democratic elections.   Venezuela,  under Chavez,  was on the path to becoming little more than giant prison camp for the poor. 

Of course,  Carter has no ability to fathom any of what is reported in this post.  So,  keep voting for the Left and,  in time, you will have a country that would have made Hugo Chavez proud.