Economics With A Face

When we returned he was already on the air and was soon using encyclicals of the Catholic Church to justify property seizures. A half hour later he was touring a new medical facility and interviewing with a Cuban doctor. Chavez hugged her and greeted her family back home between her explanations of how the new medical equipment in the office worked. Later, he continued speaking in front of a large group, consisting mainly of medical students, who were clearly thrilled when he announced that he planned on giving them a 30% raise. At another point in the show Chavez read a letter from a resident of Nothern California who asked if Chavez could send money to pay for things like pencils and notebooks that children in the local school lacked due to the neglect of the Bush administration. Vladimir commented that it was probably one of the easiest requests that Chavez has ever gotten. I’ll have more to say on the show in an essay but to me it was an odd mix of political commentary and Jerry Springer.

The presence of Cuban doctors in Venezuela is in and of itself and interesting topic. Under the Barrio Adentro program established in 2003, thousands of Cuban doctors were brough to the country to help provide healthcare to lower-income Venezuelans. Vladimir explained last night during the drive into Caracas that the doctors live in small buildings built specifically for the program. Their offices are on the bottom floor and the doctors live on the top floor. Residence of the neighborhoods in theory can visit the at anytime for medical care as the physician is always on site. In exchange for Castro sending doctors, Chavez provides Cuba oil at a steep discount.

An hour or so into the program Vladimir asked if we wanted to turn off the volume for a bit to take a break. At the time, as it was my first time watching the show, I was still very much enthralled with the program and didn’t see the need. Another hour later not only was the volume off but I was on the computer in the other room taking a break from the program. It really does get wearing and it is amazing how the guy keeps going and going.

Later in the day Vladimir gave us a tour around town in his car and at the conclusion he dropped us off at the base of a trail near the foothills of the mountain that separates Caracas and the Caribbean. Em and I hiked up into the mountains to get some exercise. We also got some great views of the city as we ascended. Looking at the magnificent city Em and I both wondered how it was possible that the crazy guy we saw on television earlier was running this country. People were out in force getting their nightly walks so it felt quite safe. We finally reached an exercise area about 40 minutes up the trail and then headed back down towards the house.

Tonight we had dinner at the house with Vladimir’s wife, brother and sister, and their families. It is something the group tries to do every Sunday and was really a nice affair. We spent time getting to know them, talking about our trip, and leaning even more about all that is going on in the country. One thing that became clear in talking to them is the hate that is being bred in Venezuela. A real fear of violent Chavistas exists against the opposition/people who speak out against the government. Chavez also commonly refers to his opposition as esqualidos (i.e. squalid people) and divisions are exploited by the government with both race and social class, although the opposition is truthfully made up of a broad spectrum of society. There were also more insights into the economy as we talked about how businesses are getting hit from both sides as they are pay a value added tax on products and are also forced to deal with price controls.

They are such a welcoming and lively family.Tomorrow we plan on walking around the city and getting a feel for the area.