No brownies for you!

[Derec]

Four bakers arrested over illegal brownies in Venezuela's 'bread war'

Venezuela this week arrested four bakers making illegal brownies and other pastries as President Nicolás Maduro’s socialist government threatens to take over bakeries in Caracas as part of a new “bread war”. Maduro has sent inspectors and soldiers into more than 700 bakeries around the capital this week to enforce a rule that 90% of wheat must be destined to loaves rather than more expensive pastries and cakes.

In the meantime, one dollar is worth 2773 Venezuelan "strong" Bolivars, according to Dollar Today. That means that the highest denomination note is worth only about $7.

 

[Underseer]

What point are you trying to make?

 

[Derec]

What point are you trying to make?

That the Bolivarian Revolution is descending to more and more bizarre levels of oppression.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

I thought this would be another thread on Trump's immigration ban.

 

[Trausti]

What point are you trying to make?

The OP highlights the miseries of socialism. It is a reminder that should be made often. Despite its murderous history, there are some, especially the young, who are drawn to socialism and wish to transform society accordingly. They should be educated on why their utopias are nightmares.

 

[barbos]

On a plus side - no fatties in socialism.

 

[BH]

The articles says the government claims businesses are deliberately hoarding goods or jacking prices up higher than they need to actually be.

For the sake of argument, if this is true, how could the government prove it?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The articles says the government claims businesses are deliberately hoarding goods or jacking prices up higher than they need to actually be.

For the sake of argument, if this is true, how could the government prove it?

Why should they even bother to?

They just nationalize anyway.

 

[dismal]

The articles says the government claims businesses are deliberately hoarding goods or jacking prices up higher than they need to actually be.

For the sake of argument, if this is true, how could the government prove it?

Those of us who live in capitalist countries generally do not have problems with the bread companies refusing to sell bread.

Why would they?

 

[Derec]

The articles says the government claims businesses are deliberately hoarding goods or jacking prices up higher than they need to actually be.

What is happening is that the government issued price controls for essential goods such as bread. But due to ridiculous inflation, the mandated price is not enough to actually make a profit on the sale - on the contrary, they'd have to sell at a loss.
So the flour and other raw materials are used instead to make non-price-controlled goods like pastries. Let them eat cake indeed.

The culprit is that the government does not understand how an economy works - you can't just mandate an arbitrary price unless you are willing to subsidize it - like what they are doing with gasoline.

There is also a huge opportunity for arbitrage. Gasoline smuggling into neighboring Colombia is quite lucrative.

 

[braces_for_impact]

What point are you trying to make?

He just wanted an excuse to say "brownie".

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I thought this would be another thread on Trump's immigration ban.

But wouldn't that mean Derec would be calling Muslims "brownies?"

 

[Ford]

What point are you trying to make?

He just wanted an excuse to say "brownie".

As in "heckuva job Brownie?"

 

[Crazy Eddie]

What point are you trying to make?

The OP highlights the miseries of socialism. It is a reminder that should be made often. Despite its murderous history, there are some, especially the young, who are drawn to socialism and wish to transform society accordingly. They should be educated on why their utopias are nightmares.

Or at least, why the murderous history of capitalism is preferable, and why the resulting dystopia is actually a dream come true

 

[Derec]

Or at least, why the murderous history of capitalism is preferable, and why the resulting dystopia is actually a dream come true

Socialism/communism is much more murderous than capitalism.
Remember Stalin? Remember the leftist icon (literally), Che Guevara.

Plus, you can't even get corned beef unless you are in the Politburo.

 

[Trausti]

The OP highlights the miseries of socialism. It is a reminder that should be made often. Despite its murderous history, there are some, especially the young, who are drawn to socialism and wish to transform society accordingly. They should be educated on why their utopias are nightmares.

Or at least, why the murderous history of capitalism is preferable, and why the resulting dystopia is actually a dream come true

Well the "murderous history of capitalism" explains why people, when they vote with their feet, will risk life and limb to escape socialist countries to get to capitalist countries.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6-nuk0UhA[/YOUTUBE]

 

[laughing dog]

The articles says the government claims businesses are deliberately hoarding goods or jacking prices up higher than they need to actually be.

For the sake of argument, if this is true, how could the government prove it?

That is a good question. It really depends on "what price needs to be" means. If it means the price that clears the market (i.e. no shortages and no surpluses), then showing there are lots of leftover items at the current price would be an indication that the current price is higher than it "needs to be".

If "needs to be" means some sort of minimum markup rate over per unit costs, then comparing the price to the per unit costs would show whether the current price is higher than it "needs to be"

I am sure that are other "needs to be" standards for prices, but it is important to define what "needs to be".

 

[laughing dog]

Or at least, why the murderous history of capitalism is preferable, and why the resulting dystopia is actually a dream come true

Well the "murderous history of capitalism" explains why people, when they vote with their feet, will risk life and limb to escape socialist countries to get to capitalist countries.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6-nuk0UhA[/YOUTUBE]

Are the voting with their feet to escape socialism and to embrace capitalism or are they voting with their feet to escape various forms of despotism to embrace democracy and relative freedom?

 

[Trausti]

Well the "murderous history of capitalism" explains why people, when they vote with their feet, will risk life and limb to escape socialist countries to get to capitalist countries.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6-nuk0UhA[/YOUTUBE]

Are the voting with their feet to escape socialism and to embrace capitalism or are they voting with their feet to escape various forms of despotism to embrace democracy and relative freedom?

Maybe. So is it a bug or feature that all socialist countries are depostic?

 

[laughing dog]

Are the voting with their feet to escape socialism and to embrace capitalism or are they voting with their feet to escape various forms of despotism to embrace democracy and relative freedom?

Maybe. So is it a bug or feature that all socialist countries are depostic?

Bug.