This month, Francisco Rodríguez published an article in Foreign Affairs entitled “An Empty Revolution: The Unfulfilled Promises of Hugo Chávez“. The piece attempts to make the case that Chavez’s economic policies have not benefited the poor — that in fact, the poor are hurting more now than ever.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) has put out an urgent response against Rodriguez’s piece:
In the five years since the government of President Hugo Chavez Frias got control over the country’s national oil industry, real (inflation-adjusted) GDP has grown by more than 87 percent, with only a small part of this growth being in oil. The poverty rate has been cut in half, and unemployment by more than half. The economy has created jobs at a rate nearly three times that of the United States during its most recent economic expansion. Health care for the poor has been vastly expanded, with the number of primary care physicians in the public sector increasing from 1,628 in 1998 to 19,571 (by early 2007). About 40 percent of the population has gotten access to subsidized food. Access to education, especially higher education, has also been greatly expanded for poor families. Real (inflationadjusted) social spending per person has increased by more than 300 percent. It would be remarkable if this macroeconomic and spending picture were compatible with the dire picture of Venezuela that Rodriguez paints.
I’m not a fan of Hugo Chavez. I believe in ways of living that must not include the State — no matter how much I am entertained by a certain Head of State’s performance in front of his prick counterparts at the UN year after year.
I am also not a fan of economists and believe that economics needs to be stripped out of their cold, dead hands. I do recognize, however, there to be a handful of decent economists with politics not entirely laced with imperialist tendencies, some of whom include the very people CEPR was founded by: Nobel Laureate economists Robert Solow and Joseph Stiglitz; Richard Freeman (Harvard); and Eileen Appelbaum, (Center for Women and Work at Rutgers).
CEPR’s paper destroys Rodriguez’s allegations by showing that, “some are altogether wrong, and others grossly exaggerated and/or misleading.” It is important to put Foreign Affairs’ distortions of reality into line with the the geopolitical environment that always seems to surround those places who have sought to nationalize their oil. It’s not going too far out on a limb to say that if 9-11 wouldn’t have happened, the U.S. would be in Venezuela instead of Iraq and Afghanistan. Certainly, it’s not that the White House doesn’t want to. It just kinda can’t.
It’s kinda busy right now.
The “facts” presented by Foreign Affairs this month and its transparent political agenda are quite reminiscent of the coverage other regions and people receive from the New York Times, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News. From this point on, it seems to me, any Foreign Affairs analysis being put forth should be critiqued with the similar fervor we show to that coming out of their irresponsible brethren.
Related posts:
- Chavez Loses Something; Take That May
- “Uh Ah! Chavez No Se Va”
- Bush: A Devil in a Blue Dress
- Foreign Fighters… Yeah Right
- Venezuela Withdraws Ambassador From “Genocide” Israel
commie
Posted by Mohammad | April 27, 2008, 4:09 pmcapitalist
Posted by QuiQui | April 27, 2008, 4:11 pmnah, anti-state is anarchist, not commie. those two are sworn enemies. but is she a trust-fund anarchist, hmmm?
Posted by Ellen | April 27, 2008, 8:49 pmwhat’s a trust-fund anarchist?
Posted by QuiQui | April 28, 2008, 6:54 am“what’s a trust-fund anarchist?”
A middle-class put-down?
Posted by Lowfields | April 28, 2008, 7:49 amno, a term i’ve heard from working class anarchists regarding the alleged anarchist kids who complain full time cuz they don’t actually have to work. $ comes in from mom and pop, so they can dress poor and adopt the lifestyle of the downtrodden as a statement. the ones who give real anarchists a bad name.
Posted by Ellen | April 28, 2008, 11:06 amthats definitely not quiqui. she dresses so fabulously, always.
Posted by Mohammad | April 28, 2008, 12:01 pmDoes fabulous fashion not an anarchist make?
Posted by QuiQui | April 28, 2008, 2:40 pm“The ones who give real anarchists a bad name…”
Well, I’ve yet to meet an anarchist, of any social origin, who didn’t wear their conviction as a vogue-ish badge of identity… or, indeed, draw a benefit cheque.
What gives anarchism a bad name is its utter self-regard, self-contradiction and, the last time I checked, their failure to contribute anything to genuine left-wing political causes since 1968.
But your time is coming, right?
Posted by Lowfields | April 28, 2008, 11:13 pmHmm… my mom draws a benefit cheque. But she’s not an anarchist. She’s just on social security.
I also didn’t think we were all that popular. In “vogue-ish?!” Holy Sacco and Vanzetti. You must have that impression because the anarchists were the only leftists actually doing anything nowadays. But I suppose it depends on what you consider to be a “genuine left-wing political cause.” I’d like to know but I think your answer might make me want to hurl.
Posted by QuiQui | April 29, 2008, 5:50 am“Hmm… my mom draws a benefit cheque. But she’s not an anarchist. She’s just on social security.”
Basic comprehension isn’t your thing, is it? Saying “most assholes I know are Yankees fans” is not the same as “every Yankee fan is an asshole”… But you probably knew that and threw in your mom’s privation to attempt to make a worthless point.
“A genuine left-wing political cause…”
Well, how about something a little more rational than refusing to vote or abandoning private property…? Or are you a Benjamin Tucker anarchist, in which case purchasing something for your own use is actually okay…?
But here’s a list for you….
– Universal free health care
– Living minimum wage
– Progressive taxation policy to reduce the widening social gulf (removing sales tax, increasing inheritance and capital gains tax, etc)
– Access to high-quality free education
– Transparent government
– Secularism in all state undertakings
– Unilateral nuclear disarmament
I look forward to the retching sounds…
Posted by Lowfields | April 29, 2008, 11:36 pmThanks very much for this great put up;this is the kind of factor that retains me going by way of these day. I’ve been wanting round for this website after being referred to them from a buddy and was pleased when I found it after searching for some time. Being a avid blogger, I’m joyful to see others taking initivative and contributing to the community. Simply wished to remark to point out my appreciation on your article because it’s very appleaing, and lots of writers don’t get authorization they deserve. I’m positive I’ll drop by again and can recommend to my friends.
Posted by Efrain Diffey | July 9, 2011, 7:27 am