Chavez Tells Supporters to Give Away Luxuries

The fingernail grip on reality of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slipped a bit more. He seems to think his followers should give away all the extra stuff they don’t need in order to prove that they are good socialists. On Monday, he said, “Whoever has a fridge they do not need, put it out in the village square. Whoever has a truck, a fan or a cooker they do not need, give something away. Let’s not be selfish. I demand you do it.” Demand? Who does he think he is? Jesus of Nazareth?

This journal has a great deal of sympathy for the idea of equality of opportunity, and it is uncivilized for a society not to provide a certain minimum standard for its people. That some have billions while others have next to nothing may be the proper result of unbridled capitalism, but it is also inhuman. As a civilization, that outcome is unacceptable except in the shortest of terms.

That said, there is something about putting an unwanted fan in the village square that seems naïve. It is far better for an economy if the poor develop skills that allow them to get their own fan rather than to live off the charity of others. While trite, it remains true; “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” Redistribution of consumer goods doesn’t fix Venezuela’s problems.

However, it’s rather clear that Mr. Chavez doesn’t view this approach to the problem as a solution to poverty. Rather, it is a test for his followers. He also said, “I only want to be accompanied by true socialists.” In Matthew 19:21, Jesus of Nazareth says, “ . . . If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” At least, the Nazarene understood that the poor need liquidity more that goods to better their lot.

Not all who demand such acts of loyalty from their followers are good men. In fact, they tend not to be. Members of Hitler’s SS were ordered to shoot dogs they had raised from puppies as proof that they would obey. To his credit, President Chavez has said he would donate $250,000 of his own money saying, “Let’s see who follows the example.” That raises a few questions, though, like “where did the quarter of a million Yankee come from?” and “how much more is there?”

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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