I was wrong about the live experiments
Posted by Marc Hodak on May 17, 2007 under Collectivist instinct | 
Read the First Comment
Less than 24 hours after predicting the end of large-scale experiments in central planning, I got a vivid reminder of what is going on in Venezuela.
“We are building socialism and fighting capitalism!” says co-op leader Juan Nava, standing amid wooden shacks on what used to be Mr. Lecuna’s land.
Much of this story could have been directly lifted from the accounts of collectivization in Russia, Hungary, China, and North Korea.
The government bills land reform as a way to make Venezuela self-sufficient in food. But so far, the effect has been to undercut production of beef, sugar and other foods, as productive land is handed to city dwellers with no knowledge of farming. Established farmers and ranchers, fearing their land may be seized next, are cutting investment in their operations to a minimum.The chaos in the countryside has contributed to shortages in basic items like milk and meat, a paradox in a country enjoying an economic boom traceable to high oil prices.
Collectivizing property is a lot like a civil war between rich and poor, with the government backing the poor. As in all wars, the first victim is truth.
Mr. Ch?�vez blames the shortages on “speculation” by distributors and producers. Agriculture Minister Elias Jaua recently called a news conference to deny there’s been any decline in food production during the eight years of Ch?�vez rule.
This lie goes all the way down.
Co-op members have uprooted about 540 acres of sugar cane planted by the former owner, Mr. Lecuna. The co-op’s Mr. Nava, a wiry former construction worker in plastic sandals, says members have planted 60 acres of plantains, a figure he ups later in the interview to 170. Lecuna ranch hands say it’s 10 acres at most.
The government stopped supplying agricultural data in 2005. Does anyone believe this time things will be different? Here is an open letter signed by dozens of academics and NGOs observing Chavez from the outside.
When we see a nation rising up and thwarting all attempts to derail people’s government, the inspiration and motivation we derive is inexpressible.
More than they know.
Kat said,
Reading this article in this morning’s Journal brought back memories of Lenin’s speeches (I read them). In fact, Chavez could have lifted blathering directly from Lenin. The two are shockingly similar.
I only disagree with this statement: “Collectivizing property is a lot like a civil war between rich and poor, with the government backing the poor. As in all wars, the first victim is truth.”
Collectivism is not a war between the poor and the rich. It is a war on productivity and liberty for rich and poor alike.
Collectivizing private property is a lot more like a war on wealth and an attempt to “level” the highly productive rich by bringing them down to the economic circumstances of the less productive poor. In no way does it better the economic circumstances of the poor. A general destruction of wealth ensures that everybody lives in misery, poverty and tyranny.
If government were truly “backing” the poor, it would provide economic freedom and incentives to become more productive. Just look at the reforms in Ireland, Estonia and Iceland – to name a few. THAT’S what a “war on poverty” should look like.