This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
Former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel admitted it, saying: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. They (offer) opportunities to do big things" for America's aristocracy, not workers to be exploited for their benefit.
In his 1962 book "Capitalism and Freedom," Milton Friedman endorsed the idea, saying:
"only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When a crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around....our basic function (is) to develop alternatives to existing (progressive) policies (and have them ready to implement when) the impossible becomes politically" possible.
In other words, disaster capitalism or "shock doctrine" opportunities should be exploited so big money can make more of it through greater wealth transfers from the majority to them. More recently, it worked post-Katrina and after the fall 2007 current economic crisis erupted.
If responsibly used, enabling law power is mirror opposite. It benefits all Venezuelans, not solely rich ones. Chavez used it for greater social justice, what Americans haven't gotten since Ronald Reagan declared war on New Deal reforms. Hopefully, Chavez will again prove his critics wrong, getting aid to needy flood victims left homeless by the devastating storms.
Enabling Law power lets him address "vital and urgent human needs resulting from the social conditions of poverty and from rains, landslides, floods, and other events produced by the environmental problem." He may also "design a new geographic regionalization that reduces the elevated levels of demographic concentration in certain regions....regulate the creation of new communities and....establish a more adequate distribution and social use of urban and rural lands (to facilitate) install(ing) basic services and habitat that humanizes community relations."
In other words, he may address the current crisis by delivering aid to people and areas affected. That's how government should work, not by exploiting disasters for profit and regressive social change, the way America does it ruthlessly.
On December 17, Venezuela Analysis contributor Edward Ellis headlined, "Venezuelan Government Plans to Increase Agricultural Productivity after Floods," saying:
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
