While I am
not thrilled with some of Rosales’ economic proposals, I can’t help but be
fully behind his candidacy, for the simple reason that Manuel Rosales’
principles and values are much, very much closer to mine than those of the
militaristic, autocratic, egotistical, intolerant and divisive man that has
been our President for the last eight years. In fact, have nothing in common
with the autocrat at all levels.
--To begin
with, Rosales is a family man. He not only has a family, but has a proven track
record that he really and truly cares about people the poor and those without resources. While our current President talks about
the kids on the streets, Manuel Rosales has adopted three of them so far, for a
total of ten kids, including just as a curiosity, triplets. --Rosales
is running to be President of all Venezuelans, without the sectarism of the
current President and his party MVR. As Mayor of Maracaibo and Governor of
Zulia he has proven this is the case. He is a true democrat, respecting others
and talking to everyone. People have forgotten how well Governor Arias Cardenas
got along with Rosales, working as a team to make a difference in Zulia. --Rosales
has handled his candidacy and unified the opposition with exquisite timing and
ability, managing to do what no leader of the opposition has done in years. You
don’t hear bickering and infighting and the people that I have contacted that
work with him, talk about openness and reachability (If this word exists) --Rosales
has made fighting crime and security one of his main priorities, while the current
Government ignores the problem in the face of absolute failure to fight it.
Militaristic solutions to the crime problem don’t work as the last eight years
have shown. --Rosales
is the only President in modern Venezuelan history to talk mainly about elementary
education as his main priority in the educational field. Yes, he has plans for
the other sectors but he seems to understand the problem better than many of
the educators that have gone through the Ministry of Education and have typically
emphasized or paid attention to higher education. --Rosales
has promised to establish nutritional programs aimed at pregnant women and kids
under six and basic education kids by reestablishing and expanding the milk and
school lunch’s programs that this Government canned when he got to power. --Rosales
has made contact and has on board the country’s best experts on social programs and
problems. He believes in knowledge and know how and not the trial and error and
intuition that has destroyed Venezuela
and its infrastructure in the last eight years. --Rosales
has an ambitious US$ 40 billion program for infrastructure, housing and barrio
refurbishing, including electricity, water, sewage and water treatment. I have
not seen the details, but I imagine, he is reviving the program generated
informally by a bunch of planners and architects from Central University. --Rosales
said he will revive and pass the pension system that was shelved by this
Government and had been approved in 1998 by Congress. This project creates
pension funds and makes retirement uniform in ages and requirements. --From
what I have heard from Rosales he understands the need to create employment for
all and how the Government can not do it alone and needs to attract investment. --Yes, I
do not like Mi Negra. I find it populist, hard to finance, cyclical and a
concern. Given the distortions in the economy, there will be a need for
devaluations in the next three years, no matter who wins. What happens then to
the amount given to people through Mi Negra? If they stay the same, it just
does not help. We have to tie up the politicians hands, eliminate the Bolivar.
Create a basket of hard currencies to back the circulation of the US$ in Venezuela. That way, Government’s
will have to hold spending if oil prices drop and the purchasing power of poor
people will never go down. --It is
clear Rosales does not want to antagonize the military but he has clearly
stated that he will cut spending on new military equipment other than that
needed for internal security. --Finally, as Governor Rosales has been effective, efficient and practical, a Governor appreciated and loved in his own state of Zulia.
That is
why tomorrow I will go to the Rosales “Avalancha”, we need to mobilize people
to get the autocrat out of power in December, restore democracy in Venezuela and
have a Government that cares for all Venezuelans. Atrevete! Go tomorrow!
10:39:06 PM 
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