Guess whos butting in in Venueuela.

Yes that's right everybody it's USA. Whatever business it is of their's.

Can anyone tell me what it has got to do with them?

Venezuela

Well, I read Templeton's link, and I didn't see anything like that. Their Deputy Minister of Energy made a public announcement that the warring countries were slowing down the world economy. It wasn't clear whether or not he thought of his own country as one of those.

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Originally posted by ChuckStone:
Guess whos butting in in Venueuela.

Yes that's right everybody it's USA. Whatever business it is of their's.

Can anyone tell me what it has got to do with them?

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Could it possibly be the fact that the United States get about 10% of it's oil from Venezuela? Damn right we should be involved, we're protecting our god-damned vital interests, moron.


[This message has been edited by brainuser (edited 12-14-2002).]

America is protecting your "vital interests" and can't even defend your own Southern border from a taco invasion? You're being taken for a ride. A few fatcat oil oligarchs will get an extra profit in their offshore bank accounts and split before your entire country goes down the tube.

More than the oil oligarchs are getting rich, everyone who uses the that oil is profiting too. The machines of industry run on that oil, and the economic problems of a failure should not be taken lightly.

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Originally posted by TheMouse:
America is protecting your "vital interests" and can't even defend your own Southern border from a taco invasion?

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Mouse,

You surprise me ... I haven't seen you mention PEMEX and the daily export of 1.725 million barrels of oil a day that Mexico exports ... most of it to the US.

We get more than taco's and people from Mexico.

Nox

Yeah, we also get poorly-made machine tools.

AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So it all comes down to oil again huh?

Why else would anyone want to get involved with Venezuela?

You still haven't provided any evidence that the US is "butting in".

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Originally posted by Armed&Angry:
we also get poorly-made machine tools [from Mexico].

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Who's fault is that? WHERE you spend your money is just as important as what you get for it in trade. Mouse is right about the greed, but I would like to know why she feels Canadian businessmen are more loyal to their countrymen.

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Originally posted by TheMouse:
America is protecting your "vital interests" and can't even defend your own Southern border from a taco invasion? You're being taken for a ride. A few fatcat oil oligarchs will get an extra profit in their offshore bank accounts and split before your entire country goes down the tube.

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America is able to defend the southern border against a "taco invasion". However, the politicians are unwilling to put the army on the border because hispanics are the fastest growing voting bloc in America.

You don't think that the average American who drives a car won't be affected if the Venezuelans continue their strike? Do you remember the gas prices of a few years ago?

Why should the average American care if "a few fatcat oil oligarchs" make some extra money as long as their gas bill is stable and affordable?

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Originally posted by brainuser:
America is able to defend the southern border against a "taco invasion". However, the politicians are unwilling to put the army on the border because hispanics are the fastest growing voting bloc in America.

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Yeah, the politicians don't give a fuck about you. They're more than willing to completely displace you for a gaggle of foreigners because it suits them in the short term.

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You don't think that the average American who drives a car won't be affected if the Venezuelans continue their strike? Do you remember the gas prices of a few years ago?

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The gas prices of a few years ago in America were still much lower than gas prices around the world. Americans are highly spoiled in this regard. If 10% of oil is affected by some Venezuelen politics, then lower the taxes and increase production of oil from North America temporarily until they get everything straightened out there. In the long term, get serious about fuel alternatives already. Oil will not last forever.

Canadians and Europeans pay a lot more than Americans (again, not due to shortage, but due to taxes), but they aren't invading places and having a tantrum if prices go up a few cents.

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Why should the average American care if "a few fatcat oil oligarchs" make some extra money as long as their gas bill is stable and affordable?

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How about because they're always scamming you?

Behind the Oil Rip-Off

That link was stupid. The author advocated the complete depletion of gov't reserves, that would be folly. He also suggests that the gulf war was more motivated out of the desire to keep prices inflated, than an effort to protect an overseas investment. Then, he begrudgingly acknowledges the reduced role of investment protection by trying to immoralize it. The main thrust of the article was to imply that the post-war Iraqi oil embargo would have the effect of artificially inflating prices, and that's wrong. If there were a motive - other than the publicly stated one of sanction - then it would be to limit the market share of Iraq's Russian lease operators.

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AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So it all comes down to oil again huh?

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Why else would we care about them?

Well Venezuela IS in South America, maybe America has still got that strange thing where it thinks that the entire Western Hemisphere is part of the USA going on. Perhaps they want to invade, I understand USA enjoys invading Latin America.

That is an amazing piece of drivel comprised of nothing but slander and conspiracy.

I find it interesting that Chavez has criticized both the US and the Europeans for not being more concerned/involved in the Venezualan situation.

Guess you're right about this one too Chucky.

*Nox reads newspaper and laughs at Chucky*

Nox

There are so many countries globally who need more help than Veneezuela at this paticular moment in time. Whilst i have nothing inherently against Western aid to Venezuela, I can't help thinking, purely based on history, that USA has a hidden agenda. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong.

South America does have a tendency to go a little left-wing in places and Communism breeds in economic crisis'...

Need should not be the determining factor in determining who gets aid.

Nedd should be one of the determining factors though...

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Originally posted by NukeChild:
Need should not be the determining factor in determining who gets aid.

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Surely that depends on why you are giving aid. If you are giving aid because you expect something in return then you are correct. But if you are giving aid because you are a charitable sort (or want to give the impression you are a charitable sort) then needs must be the first and foremost consideration.