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« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2017, 05:22:43 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 8-2-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
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As the opposition grew, Maduro tightened his grip. He brutally squelched protests, jailed opposition leaders and seized control of the Supreme Court. Last Sunday, he pulled the ultimate power move by holding elections to nullify the National Assembly and replace it with a new body that would answer directly to him.
The elections22 held on Sunday were by all accounts, except those of the Venezuelan government, a complete sham. In fact, “sham” is the word UN Ambassador Nikki Haley used.
The government claimed there were eight million voters, a 41.5% turnout. But independent and opposition monitors reported throughout the country that polling stations remained quiet much of the day. Independent estimates by a variety of sources claim that turnout was somewhere between 9-18%, and the high number is a generous one.
The true vote count stands at closer to three million. This is considered a realistic estimate because the government’s two million-plus workers were threatened with losing their jobs if they didn’t go to the polls. Many of the country’s poor were also compelled to vote or risk losing their government aid.
Maduro’s claiming victory in his bogus election didn’t quiet the opposition. They took to the streets Monday, in some cases supported by the old guard Chavezistas, supporters of the late Chavez. If these people are lamenting the days of Chavez, that’s as sure a sign as any that darkness has settled upon this land.
On Tuesday, two leaders of the opposition were snatched up23 by masked gunman in the middle of the night. Leopoldo Lopez was Venezuela’s most prominent political prisoner before being released just a month ago after serving three and a half years of a 13-year sentence for inciting riots. His declining health drew international pressure for his release, and until Tuesday he was living under house arrest. Now he and Antonio Ledezma are likely headed back to prison.
American condemnation of Maduro’s actions and the election has been swift. Backed by Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Spain and Great Britain, the U.S. is calling for heavy sanctions on the regime. The Trump administration plans to go one step further by placing sanctions24 directly on Maduro and top members of his government.
Strongmen like Maduro don’t generally leave all their stolen treasure out there to be swept up by the law. He is likely to have some help from Cuba, China and Russia in his efforts to stymy American attempts to bring him to justice. However, swift U.S. action is a good start in finding a way to contain the unrest and bring an end to the carnage.
History offers many examples indicating things will likely get worse in Venezuela before they get better. The real lessons of what has happened there should not be lost on the American people. Venezuela is an oil-rich country with some of the most fertile land in South America, and yet people are starving to death and the economy is a complete shambles. Why? Because the state controls everything. It promised to give the people everything they needed and wanted. Instead, it took everything they had. Yet one more example of the “virtues” of socialism25.
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST
Obama Student Loan ‘Forgiveness’ Hits Taxpayers With $100B Tag26 — Surprise — the program is vastly more expensive than originally billed, par for the course with government spending.
Congress Must Act Regardless of Trump’s DACA Decision27 — The U.S. needs both Rule of Law and discretion when it comes to immigration. There is a way to bridge the divide.
Blaming Big Pharma for Heroin Epidemic28 — State and local governments have been suing pharmaceutical companies for the opioid abuse problem.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Gary Bauer: Clapper Controversy29
Byron York: Keeping Devin Nunes Out of the Game30
Star Parker: Work on Health Care Must Go On31
For more, visit Right Opinion32.
OPINION IN BRIEF
Star Parker: “Let’s recognize that it’s not an option to stop working on health care reform. The problem is real and it’s not going away. Maybe we should dial down the volume and stop trying to solve this huge, complicated problem in one piece of legislation. Maybe we should take on each of these five systems that Tom Price singled out and address their unique problems separately. Government got involved in health care in big way to deal with the challenges of providing health care to the elderly and the poor. When Medicare and Medicaid became law of the land in the 1960s, government spending on health care was less than one half of 1 percent of our GDP. Today it is 5.5 percent of our GDP and the Congressional Budget Office projects that in 30 years it will be up to 9.2 percent. Around 130 million Americans are now covered by Medicare and Medicaid, not much less than the number of Americans with private insurance. Meanwhile, as government spending grows, CBO projects are widening budget deficits and increasing national debt, which CBO says will reach 150 percent of our GDP in 30 years. CBO says this ‘poses substantial risks.’ How can we pretend that this can continue? … We got Obamacare because Republicans didn’t take care of the health care problems we already had. Let’s not make the same mistake.”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “To the size of the state there is a limit, as there is to plants, animals and implements, for none of these retain their facility when they are too large.” —Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Upright: “Global warming is not even the obvious top environmental threat. Dirty water, dirty air and insect-borne diseases are a far greater problem today for most people world-wide. Habitat loss and human predation are a far greater problem for most animals. Elephants won’t make it to see a warmer climate. Ask them how they would prefer to spend $1 trillion — subsidizing high-speed trains or a human-free park the size of Montana.” —David R. Henderson and John H. Cochrane
A blind squirrel finds a nut: “Hillary Clinton has ridden her husband’s coattails her entire life. … She’s never accomplished a thing. … She was a terrible secretary of state who destabilized North Africa and caused that refugee influx into Italy.” —Camille Paglia
Belly laugh of the week: “We stopped the moral monstrosity of Trumpcare. Our resistance is working.” —Nancy Pelosi
Non Compos Mentis: “Who ate Republicans’ brains? … The stark dishonesty of the Republican jihad against Obamacare itself demands an explanation. … The Obama administration was, when all is said and done, remarkably clearheaded and honest about its policies. In particular, it was always clear what the A.C.A. was supposed to do and how it was supposed to do it — and it has, for the most part, worked as advertised.” —NY Times columnist Paul Krugman
Showdown: “There is not a litmus test for Democratic candidates.” —DCCC chairman Ben Ray Luján
Alpha Jackass: “Trump is a f— joke. This is all a sham. I wish someone would just shoot him outright.” —Montclair State University’s Kevin Allred
Late-night humor: “President Trump officially removed Anthony Scaramucci as his communications director. And this was a little awkward — when Scaramucci called an Uber to pick him up at the White House, Sean Spicer was driving.” —Jimmy Fallon
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
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