FOUR BAKERS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN VENEZUELA AFTER WHAT THEIR
PRESIDENT IS CALLING THE BREAD WAR.
HE IS TRYING TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THE SHORTAGES THAT THEY
ARE HAVING, AND SOME OF THE LONG LINES FOR BREAD AND HE IS
TARGETING BAKERS.
THE NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE DEFENSE OF
SOCIOECONOMIC RIGHTS SAID IT HAD CHARGED FOR PEOPLE AND
TEMPORARILY SEIZED TO BAKERIES AS THE SOCIALIST
DEMONSTRATION ACCUSED BAKERS OF BEING PART OF A BROAD
ECONOMIC WAR THAT DESTABILIZED THE COUNTRY."
THEY ARE SAYING THAT THESE BAKERS, PEOPLE WHO MAKE
BREAD, ARE TRYING TO DESTABILIZE THE COUNTRY.
GOVERNMENT SAID THAT THE BAKERS HAD BEEN SELLING
UNDERWEIGHT BREAD, AND WERE USING PRICE REGULATED FLOUR
TO LEGALLY MAKE SPECIALTY ITEMS LIKE SWEET ROLLS AND CROISSANTS.
THEY ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO MAKE FRENCH BREAD AND LOAVES, THIS IS
A SOCIALIST ECONOMY.
THE PRESIDENT HAS ORDERED OFFICIALS TO SPOT CHECKS OF
BAKERIES NATIONWIDE.
VENEZUELA HAS BEEN IN A DEEP ECONOMIC RECESSION FOR THE
PAST THREE YEARS.
VENEZUELA IS A HUGE EXPORTER OF OIL, IT ACCOUNTS FOR 95% OF
THEIR REVENUE, BUT THEY IMPORT EVERYTHING ELSE.
WHEN OIL PRICES WENT DOWN IN 2014,
THEY SAW A HUGE SHRINKING OF THE ECONOMY.
NOW THE PRICING AND ACCESSIBILITY OF GOODS HAS
SKYROCKETED IN THE COUNTRY AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET
FLOUR, BASIC GOODS LIKE PIPE ñ
LIKE TOILET PAPER, AND BASIC THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
THEY HAVE THESE VERY STRICT RULES ABOUT HOW MUCH FLOUR
AND WHEAT YOU CAN USE IN BAKED GOODS, WHAT KIND OF BAKED
GOODS YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY ARE SAYING BASICALLY THAT THESE BAKERS ARE TRYING TO
CAPITALIZE ON THE INFLATION THAT IS GOING ON IN THE COUNTRY,
AND SELL THESE GOODS EITHER ON THE BLACK MARKET, OR MARK
THEM UP DIFFERENTLY, OR THINGS LIKE THAT, TO DESTABILIZE
THE ECONOMY.
THEY ARE CUTTING IT, THEY ARE LIKE DRUG DEALERS CUTTING
THEIR STUFF WITH OTHER HEROIN.
IT SUCKS, I WOULD NOT WANT TO
LIVE THERE BECAUSE OF HOW BAD
THE ECONOMY IS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE ONE INDUSTRY AND IT JUST
TOOK A GIANT HIT BECAUSE PRICES WENT DOWN.
HOW BAD IS YOUR GOVERNMENT HAVE TO BE IF YOU HAVE TO USE
BREAD AS A SCAPEGOAT?
IT'S NOT THAT, I MEAN, WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO EAT?
OIL?
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND, THE VENEZUELAN ECONOMY GOING BACK TO
HUGO CHAVEZ, I'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS IN COLLEGE,
AMERICA HAS HAD A LOT OF INFLUENCE OVER VENEZUELA FOR
YEARS, OVERTHROWING GOVERNMENTS AND WANTED TO LEAVE THEIR
FOOTPRINTS.
ALL OF SOUTH AMERICA.
YEAH, IT'S NOT JUST VENEZUELA.
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IMPOSED NUMEROUS SANCTIONS AS WELL,
BECAUSE BASICALLY HE DEEMED VENEZUELA AND UNUSUAL AND
EXTRAORDINARY THREAT TO SECURITY IN FOREIGN POLICY.
BASICALLY A REASON SO THAT THEY COULD GO IN AND IMPOSE
FURTHER SANCTIONS.
SO THE ECONOMY HAS BEEN IN A FREEFALL.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IN 2015 THE OIL PRICES WERE CUT IN HALF,
SO WHAT THEY DID TO TRY TO MAKE UP FOR THAT WAS PRINT MONEY.
THAT DRIVES UP INFLATION, SO SUCH THINGS AS GROCERIES
WERE INCREASED BY 25%.
SO NO ONE IN THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE COULD HANDLE
THAT ECONOMY, SO THEY STARTED TO BASICALLY STRUGGLE AND QUEUE
UP OVERNIGHT TO JUST GET THINGS LIKE RICE AND COOKING OIL.
SO THE PLACE ITSELF IS OF COURSE IN TURMOIL, AND PEOPLE WILL TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT TO TRY TO MAKE ENDS MEET SO THAT THEY CAN
PUSH FORWARD AND SUPPLY FOR THEIR FAMILY.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID IS TOTALLY ACCURATE, THEY HAVE
1600% INFLATION, THERE'S A HUGE SHORTAGE FOR ALL THESE BASIC
GOODS, BUT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS THE GOVERNMENT, IT'S
NOT THE BAKERS.
BASICALLY IT'S USING IT AS A SCAPEGOAT, AND SAYING THERE
IS A BREAD WAR AND THAT IS WHY YOU ARE SUFFERING.
IT'S NOT, IT'S BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT HAS TOTALLY FUCKED
YOU OVER BY HAVING ALL THIS INFLATION AS NOT HAVING A MORE
STABLE ECONOMY BY TRYING TO MAKE MORE GOODS OR IMPORT
DIFFERENTLY, OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
THAT'S THE REAL ISSUE.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE YOUNG TURK AUDIENCE IS GOING TO
SAY ABOUT THIS STORY THAT SAYS SOCIALISM ISN'T WORKING.
THE TRUTH IS, WHAT HAPPENS AT A CERTAIN POINT, WHEN YOU HAVE
RUNAWAY SOCIALISM, ESPECIALLY IN A SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY, WITH
THE ECONOMIC MAKEUP THAT THEY HAVE, EVENTUALLY THAT
SOCIALIST ENDS UP BEING A STRONG MAN, AND YOU HAVE HAD IN CUBA.
GO LOOK AT SOME OF THE PHOTOS THAT ARE AMAZING, WHEN CASTRO
AND CHAVEZ WERE BOTH IN RED, BUT I DON'T KNOW, WE SHOULD TEMPER
THE SUM OF THOSE SOCIALISM IN STINKS WITH FREE-MARKET
CAPITALISM, AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE CHECKS AND BALANCES
AGAINST RUNAWAY POLITICAL ETHOS.
THAT MAKES ME A MODERATE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE FUCK
EVERYONE IS GOING TO LAND ON THIS STORY.
IT'S MISMANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC RESOURCES, BECAUSE IT IS RELYING
ON YOUR MOST WEALTHY OF RESOURCES, WHICH IS OIL, AND
WHEN THAT CUTS YOU FIND IT HARD TO JUSTIFY.
BUT I CAN'T JUST SIT AND SAY THAT IT IS MISMANAGEMENT OF
THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENTS, THERE IS INVOLVEMENT FROM
EXTERNAL POWERS.
WHETHER IT IS THE IDEA TO OVERTHROW A DIFFERENT POLITICAL
PARTY THAT DID NOT ALIGN WITH SOME OF THE UNITED STATES
POINTS OF VIEW.
YEAH, THE U.S. IS JUST LIKE, CHILE, HERE IS A DICTATOR.
SO I'M NOT AS CRITICAL AS MAYBE IF THE UK GOVERNMENT OR THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT WAS DOING THE SAME THING, BUT THESE COUNTRIES
HAVE BEEN MEDDLED IN.
THAT'S WHY EVERYONE WAS SO SURPRISED ñ
THAT'S WHY, WHEN EVERYONE WAS SO SURPRISED ABOUT RUSSIANS
INTERFERING IN THE ELECTION, THE U.S.
HAS MEDDLED IN MUCH MORE ELECTIONS.
NOT ARGUING THAT, I'M JUST SAYING WHAT'S NOT ARREST PEOPLE
WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE BREAD, THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING.