Venezuela reaches the final stage of socialism: no toilet paper
LINK :
http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-reaches-the-final-stage-of-socialism-no-toilet-paper-2015-4
DAVID BOAZ , The Cato Institute Apr. 5, 2015
People wait in line as they buy toilet paper in a super market in Caracas May 17, 2013.
In 1990 I went to a Cato Institute conference in what was then still the Soviet Union. We were told to bring our own toilet paper, which was in fact useful advice.
Now, after only 16 years of Chavista rule, Venezuela has demonstrated that " Socialism of the 21st Century " is pretty much like socialism in the 20th century. Fusion reports :
Venezuela's product shortages have become so severe that some hotels in that country are asking guests to bring their own toilet paper and soap, a local tourism industry spokesman said on Wednesday.
"It's an extreme situation," says Xinia Camacho, owner of a 20-room boutique hotel in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada national park. "For over a year we haven't had toilet paper, soap, any kind of milk, coffee or sugar. So we have to tell our guests to come prepared."
Montilla says bigger hotels can circumvent product shortages by buying toilet paper and other basic supplies from black market smugglers who charge up to 6-times the regular price. But smaller, family-run hotels can't always afford to pay such steep prices, which means that sometimes they have to make do without.
Camacho says she refuses to buy toilet paper from the black market on principle.
"In the black market you have to pay 110 bolivares [$0.50] for a roll of toilet paper that usually costs 17 bolivares [$ 0.08] in the supermarket," Camacho told Fusion. "We don't want to participate in the corruption of the black market, and I don't have four hours a day to line up for toilet paper" at a supermarket.
Recently, Venezuelan officials have been stopping people from transporting essential goods across the country in an effort to stem the flow of contraband. So now Camacho's guests could potentially have their toilet paper confiscated before they even make it to the hotel.
Shortages, queues, black markets, and official theft. And blaming the CIA . Yes, Venezuela has truly achieved socialism.
But what I never understood is this: Why toilet paper? How hard is it to make toilet paper? I can understand a socialist economy having trouble producing decent cars or computers. But toilet paper? And soap? And matches ?
Sure, it's been said that if you tried communism in the Sahara, you'd get a shortage of sand. Still, a shortage of paper seems like a real achievement.
Tags
Who is online
122 visitors
Can you say their economy is in the crapper ? How else could you put it ?!
I had to laugh at this. My very first bit of cultural shock on arriving in China for the first time almost 9 years ago was when I landed at Beijing airport I went to the WC and sat down to do my business. I didn't notice that there was no toilet paper holder and no toilet paper. I had to use and throw out a perfectly good linen handkerchief because of that. In some restaurants they charge money for a small packet of napkins because many don't put them on the table. Everyone here always carries a packet of tissues with them at all times.
The reason may be that it takes trees to produce paper, and China may not have enough trees or the right kind of trees to produce that much paper (which is pretty strange considering that China invented paper). If that isn't the reason then it's just a cultural thing - put it down to Communism if you wish (although China is becoming pretty Capitalist for a Communist country).
China is a special case even though they are communist [sort of] . I understand that China has a larger middle class than the US at this point .
Would you care to comment on how China's trade practices might differ from other countries ? They seem to have their own way of doing things ...
I guess you have not seen (and from your comment don't want to see) some of the incredible sights and learn some of the 5000 year history of civilization here. I have been posting photo essays on China on the Discovery group and on the Creative Arts (originally Photography) group so you can a little taste of it while relaxing in front of your computer, if you wish.
Here are a few recent postings:
I have indicated a negative about toilet paper here but the problem is not universal. Although I have in my lifetime visited about 17 countries I never saw the kind of toilet I saw in a restaurant in Chongqing. The seat was warmed, covered with a sterile plasticy film and when you got up from the toilet it flushed and the film was automatically replaced with a new one. There was lots of paper there.
Buzz ,
I'm fairly sure those links won't work on the new site . Feel free to search for their counterparts on this site if you want ...
I don't know what makes you say I don't want to see the history of China . China was an advanced civilization long before the concepts of capitalism & socialism came about . In any case the topic is the problems that Venezuela is facing due to the failures of a pure socialist economy . China's economy is not so easily described .
Petey, I was responding to a comment posted by CM that isn't there any more. CM said she/he would never visit China now hearing about the toilet paper situation. She/He must have deleted the comment.
Sorry for the confusion Buzz . Her comment was deleted ...
Buzz, I apologize, I did delete the comment, I remember when China was not a place anyone wanted to go, those were the conversations I used to hear from my Father but I believe since Hong Kong has been returned to China by Britain its a much better place...
China Resumes Control of Hong Kong, Concluding 156 Years of British Rule
HONG KONG, Tuesday, July 1 -- In the first moments after midnight, in a ceremony of solemn precision and martial music, China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong today, ending 156 years of British colonial rule.
Seconds after British soldiers lowered the Union Jack for the last time to the strains of 'God Save the Queen,' China's red banner was raised, marking the transfer of this free-wheeling capitalist territory to Communist control.
It was an event awaited with trepidation as well as excitement since 1984, when Britain and China agreed on terms for the transfer of power over this territory wrested from China in the 19th century wars over the opium trade. And it ushered a time of uncertainty over whether China would honor its pledge to maintain Hong Kong's way of life largely unaltered for the next 50 years.
For many ordinary people in the streets of Hong Kong, this was a time of celebration, not necessarily over the departure of the British or the arrival of the new masters from Beijing, but for experience of witnessing a big moment in history. [Page A9.]
In the convention center where the handover of power took place, China's President, Jiang Zemin, using a Mandarin dialect as alien to Hong Kong's Cantonese-speaking people as the English of the British authorities, declared the event 'a festival for the Chinese nation and a victory for the universal cause of peace and justice.'
'The return of Hong Kong to the motherland after a century of vicissitudes indicates that from now on, our Hong Kong compatriots have become true masters of this Chinese land and that Hong Kong has now entered a new era of development,' Mr. Jiang said.
Hong Kong was already a Capitalist Country when they were under British rule, China made out good when Britain returned Hong Kong to China..
Beautiful Pictures Buzz, Its just me and the long plane ride, maybe one day I'll change my mind...I use to enjoy going on vacations at one time but since 9/11 and terrorist, shoe bombers etc. I don't want to leave the US...
VenEconomy: Venezuela Is Falling Apart
Thanks for the link Six . I couldn't get it to work but the main link works fine [for those who want to hunt around for info ]
Obama wants to cast our economy in their image.
Don't the trees have big leaves in Venezuala?
Yea, but who wants to climb a tree every time they take a dump?
Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!Obama! Obama!Obama!
That would be what is known as a lie.
It's nice to hear you finally cheering for our President. Perhaps you've finally become intelligent about him and his polices. Either way thanks for finally cheering him on ...
XX, I think you should know in the Bible where it says God, is a jealous God, you are calling for Obama as though he is a GOD..be careful, the GOD that I worship does not like anyone having any GOD before him..
Now I see why you are calling for Obama as though he is "YOUR GOD" It is my duty XX to inform you that Obama is not a GOD, perhaps you should search your Bible and find out who the true and living GOD really is, the examples, that True and Living GOD has put in place for human beings to follow, because, from what I have read, you do not seem to understand the teachings of Christianity as laid out for believers...
Going as a tourist to a failed economy is not something many would do . It's even worse if there is terrorism or extortion in the mix ... not the case in Venezuela at this point to my knowledge .
Crime is rampant there. A very high murder rate, and kidnappings.
They could use ''elephant grass'' for toilet paper. After one use, they would never complain about no toilet paper.
That's 2 good points . I expect offering a cultured version of elephant grass would be unnecessary ...
Let's just say that Elephant grass is very sharp on the edges.
I'm guessing you used one too many negatives in your description . Scratch off another "natural" alternative to toilet paper !
A green (fresh) maple leaf always works well.
We don't have maples in FLA . I guess I'll have to use palm fronds ... the softer kind .
Good luck with that Petey....LOL
I prefer the artificial varieties made by Kimberly Clark & co . Leaves are for socialists or if you had to leave home in a hurry ...
In Canada there is more than enough paper because of the huge number of trees required to make it, so using our national emblem would be an insult.
Buzz, no insult intended...and quit cutting down all those trees to make toilet paper.
I thought that Canadians were tough.
Buzz , that was a green maple leaf , not a red one ... no shit !
Oh, now I know why so many people think that Canada is a socialist country.
I think the point being made is that the current admin "leans" towards the left . Some of his positions & words have been interpreted that way .
I used to use TP with pictures of the $100 bill on it . Does that make me one of those ?
A copy of Das Kapital will do in the event of a shortage ...
She enjoyed living there, but always bemoaned some of the more, uh, crappy customs... So to speak.
The people of Venezuela have always been nice to me, when I met them. I hope that their economy gets better, for their sakes.
Here is my best friend since 3rd grade! Mary! She is the friend and protege of Barry Tuckwell, one of the best French horn players in the world... This is a few years ago, but she really hasn't changed, at all!
I would welcome her input . Do you think you can get her to join NT ?
Nah, she doesn't do these kind of sites... She lives in Vermont and has a large piece of property there-- Barry has a cabin on her property. She also has a condo in Baltimore. Her daughter wants to be an actress and is so pretty!
I will ask her to come and see this article, and comment, if you like. Mary lived there in the late 1970s, so her views would not be current, by any means. But she has a lot of friends that may still live there-- playing for the orchestra.
You would like Mary-- she's a lot of fun to be with!
Dowser ,
You can tell her she can stay out of any articles she doesn't like the tone of . Hopefully mine won't be one of those .
perhaps you should search your Bible and find out who the true and living GOD really is
Yeah...me!
I didn't realize that was in the atheist credo . That explains so much ...
What would be an appropriate end to this shitty article ? Perhaps this :
I don't think that your article has a bad tone...
Mary is just very busy-- she still plays 8 hours a day, at least!
I would never dream of imposing on her-- I get to see her about once per year, and love her dearly. She is like the sister I never had. I think you would like her, very much. She's pretty easy going...
An article with a bad tone would be extra offensive to a musician ... Of course I never do those . (;~ P
U.S. Seizes On Venezuelan Weakness To Regain Caribbean Energy Foothold
You wish.
SSShhh. You don't have to say anything.else It's just nice to hear you chant the Presidents name with such love and affection. No need to do it again now that everyone knows how you really feel and thank you for your unqualified support.
Atheists have no credo, because we don't organize and decide anything about being an atheist. Every atheist is their own kind of atheist. We do however, have a great sense of humor. How else do you think we have so much laughter for people in a religion. I myself have a wonderful sense of humor. I talk to you don't I?
At least once in awhile.
You're starting to sound like Hal . His superiority complex about all religions is ultimately also his downfall .
There is nothing complex about it. I am superior. All attests are.
ISIS doesn't really lose much from low oil prices ... the others do .
...
Venezuelan currency tanks; inflation seen near 100%
Venezuela's black market exchange rate weakened below a key level on Thursday, as the bolivar's decline steepened in the face of hyperinflation and a rapidly shrinking economy.
The unofficial exchange rate for the bolivar has fallen sharply in recent weeks, so that on Thursday, one dollar would get you 300.72 bolivars, according to widely used rate-tracking website dolartoday.com.
Over the past couple of years the value of the currency has plummeted against the dollar to its present 300 bolivar level. In 2012, a dollar would get you 10 bolivars, according to unofficial exchange rates. By the time President Nicolas Maduro was inaugurated in April 2013, it was 24 bolivars to the dollar and by this January it was at 173.
This black market rate of 300.72 on Thursday was almost 50 times the official rate set by Venezuela's hard-line socialist government of 6.3 bolivars to the dollar.
Currency tumbles as Venezuelans look to unload bolivars
That's nice . The fact that Venezuela nationalized the oil industry a few years ago is not mentioned as a contributing factor at all ... odd .
translation : large scale theft
Businesses quietly switch to dollar in socialist Venezuela
I got an idea . Why don't you derail this thread by changing the topic ? Sound good ? Apparently that is your idea of discourse but not mine . Cease and desist immediately .
Venezuela Seizes Nestle, Polar Warehouse to Build Housing
Maybe because they haven't experienced it first hand :
...
Venezuela supermarket looting leaves one dead, dozens detained
Someone should ask him about this during the campaigns ...
You don't know Jack.
That looks like poison ivy.
sock puppet spam
is made with a little pine apple
and a little bit o' ham.
It's not a scam; it's a little bit o' honey
and a lot of flim flam.
Let's just pre - ten - ed.,
with a little make believe and
it will surely never end...
... or if he surfed more.
It's times like this that some Indian culture could help in Venezuela . I'm sure they have some herbal leaves that could be used as replacement TP ... right ?
Of coursethey do petey. They are not dependent on super markets for wiping their ass.
The Great American toilet paper shortage...
The Great Toilet Paper Shortage!
It actually all started as a joke. Johnny Carson was doing his typical NBC Tonight Show monologue on December 19, 1973.
Heeeere's Johnnnnnny....
Of course, Johnny, like most talk show hosts, had a staff that helped write his monologue. His writers had heard earlier in the day about a Wisconsin congressman named Harold Froehlich. Froelich claimed that the federal government was falling behind in getting bids to supply toilet paper and that "The United States may face a serious shortage of toilet tissue within a few months".
His writers decided to include a joke based on this quote in Carson's monologue. He said "You know what's disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper. There's an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States."
Too bad they couldn't see the consequence of this statement. You may not be aware if you are young, but the early 1970's was a time of shortages - oil in particular. The next morning, many of the 20 million television viewers ran to the supermarket and bought all the toilet paper they could find. By noon, most of the stores were out of stock! Stores tried to ration the stuff, but they couldn't keep up with demand.
Johnny Carson went on the air several nights later and explained that there was no shortage and apologized for scaring the public. Unfortunately, people saw all the empty shelves in the stores, so the stampede continued.
Scott Paper showed video of their plants in full production to the public and asked them to stay calm - there was no shortage. The video was of little help. The panic fed itself and continued.
They finally got the shelves restocked three weeks later and the shortage was over. It is the only time in American history that the consumer actually created a major shortage (I don't think that the "shortage" of Barbie or Power Ranger dolls at Christmas time could be classified as a real shortage!).
And to think that it all started as a joke.
Reply by Cerenkov :
The power of the media Kavika ... It's a good thing I'm so reticent . God knows where this thread could go if I weren't !
Well it looks like it headed into a surfing discussion.
Pertinent article :
you keep reviving this thread like a bad rash
The rash is on you so why not !
Personally I am against calling out on article but since Jerry Verlinger has done it repeatedly to me I thought I'd return the favor . Hey Jerry , are you sending toilet paper to your leftist brethren in Venezuela ?
Two can play this low class game ...
More bad news for Venezuela's economy : A lot of inflation ...
...
Venezuela Economic Crisis to Only Get Worse, Barclays Says
Maybe we should start a war with them to help revive their economy.
As a side benefit it would cure their toilet paper shortage.
''Bombs Away''.
The article is not dead if the subject keeps changing . Can't you read English ? I'm thinking your basic illiteracy is the real problem , that & the fact you seem to be obsessed with me . Are you gay ?
I don't think a war would be : approved by the US public ; of benefit to the US economy .
I'm not sure that would be our fate . Perhaps more along the lines of Argentina ... just a guess .
That could be a big seller ... How would it best be marketed ?
Another interesting development in Venezuela : Has el presidente gone loco ?
Has Venezuelan President Maduro Gone Insane?
It's probably due to all the chafing.
That seems like a reasonable theory . If they can't get toilet paper I expect talcum powder would be completely out of reach ...
You'd think that the CIA would send him a black beret to go with it ...
Isn't that Bernie Sanders standing in line to get his toilet paper ration ?
Clean asses matter.
Highly related story about a socialist country obsessed with toilet matters :
You won't believe this video ! There is a restaurant that has opened in Moscow ;
Toilet-themed cafe opens in Moscow
Is this related to that fact that the Russian economy is "in the crapper" ?
Venezuela has bigger oil reserves than Saudi Arabia — yet there's no toilet paper in stores
Here's a recent development with more bad news from Venezuela :
The capital of 'the most miserable country in the world' could be about to go dark
Brief excerpt :
Venezuela's capital, Caracas, could be about to go dark.
The problem is Caracas' power source. According to Bloomberg , the Guri Dam, a hydroelectric power plant, has seen its water levels dip precipitously low. An engineer who managed the plant in the 1980s said there could be rolling blackouts in Caracas by late April.