The Phoenix Rising

Chavez to seek unlimited terms in elected office

Each day I see Mr. Hugo Chavez in the news, I grow more concerned over what "utopia" means to him. Already, I've learned of his plan to nationalize the Venezuelan economy, not that I'm sad to see the defeat of Capitalism, but does anything really change for the people under Communism? All that happens is the transfer of power from the wealthy to the State; in essence, the State becomes the lone corporate entity, its citizens act as employees. The State needs to stoke the economic fires somehow, add to that the need to address the inevitable military threat of the global business community.

All ideology aside, alarm bells ring when I hear talk of abolition of term limits in office. I hope he's right when he says, "If the majority of the people reject it, I will be the first to applaud that. The important thing is that the people will make the decision." I hope the people are able to make an informed decision. I hope, for everyone's sake, this isn't the road to have himself declared President for Life. While I'm glad someone has the chutzpah to take on the corporate hand, I worry when an individual or small group of individuals wields great power. I think I'll be dead in the ground before a politician earns my trust.

Particularly worrisome are mentions of "pass[ing] bills by decree to accelerate economic reform", "state property", and using Marx, Lenin and the Bible to model his Paradise. That's right; the peasants will cease tilling corporate land for alms and begin tilling State land for the same alms, while their garnished resources will be used to fund the arsenal necessary to defend the State's vast oil wealth. And, after reading the Book of Genesis, I learned how women use cunning and deception to make up for their physical weakness, thus it is best to keep them subservient to the ever-virtuous, ever-righteous men, so imagine what the Bible will do for society. Behold: "socialism Venezuelan-style".

The people may have elected the man, but they don't make his laws. We here have elections, and look where they get us: forever controlled by a State for sale. I don't mean to negate the good that has come out of this movement, but we all know what power does to people. I'd like to believe this isn't the case here, that the people will have enough faith in themselves, in each other and in the collective good to keep the elite in check, but I'm often let down.

Mr. Chavez has to decide if he favours the people over his power.