Interesting article.

It sounds like Chavez is building something like the Saudi Arabia that buys the loyalty of its subjects with oil money. Why are we upset with Chavez? It’s the peoples vote and the country’s money so why should we lecture them if they spend it in ways that we think are unwise?

We have a situation very close to home that isn’t so far afield from that. It’s the Indian ‘gaming’ reservations (don’t you just hate it when they change the meaning of words to hide what it actually is –gambling) that supply the money extracted from hordes of foolish grandmothers pulling oxygen bottles and bags of quarters and then send it to the tribe members. I have heard that some tribes in my area payoff over $10,000 per person per month to the members.

I say “good for them”, “it’s the American way”, “get what you can – when you can”. I know that in the long run it will destroy the Saudi Arabians, the Indians and the people of Venezuela, by making them dependent on the money but with no future without it but until then I say they should go for it.