Busy day, orchids, writing my contribution to Daniel´s effort on
Constitutional reform and watching the Red Sox win the elimination.
(Anyone has a spare ticket for Saturday's game in Boston, let me know,
I will buy you dinner!)
But there is always something happening here, to wit:
---So,
they will increase taxes on beer to 21.5%, which everyone will pay, and
they will also increase taxes on boats and jet planes by 50%, which
nobody will pay by registering them in Aruba and Curacao.
---And
we want Venezuelan populism to spread to Colombia, by refusing and
striking against tolls from Colombia to Venezuela, using all sorts of
excuses, but Uribe refuses to budge. Basically, the “all should be
free” policy that Venezuelans have accustomed to is being exported to
Colombia. The difference is there is a State policy there of tolls
paying for public works.
---And Chavez magnanimously gave
teachers a 40% increase on Saturday, which was happily accepted by the
teachers union, but they warned they want a union contract (delayed two
years) as well as a guaranteed 120% increase in the next three years.
They will get it…
---And I do agree with having the military
retire after a minimum of 25 years, rather than the current 15, but I
guess the military is not
too happy about it. How about 30 years for
the military and 30 yearsfor University Professors, we are all
Venezuelan after all, we should have equal (and sensible!) rules…
---And
Chavez threatened last year with nationalizing Telecom Company CANTV if
they did not pay what the Court ordered they pay their pensioned
workers. Well, they nationalized Cantv and guess what? The Government
has yet to pay the workers what the Court ordered and now CANTV
management is calling for “dialogue” sessions.
---And speaking
of CANTV 500 high-level employees have resigned since the Government
took over in May. Convince me this will have no effect on the
Company!!! The Government will now set up “dialogue tables” to sort out
the issue. How things change when you become management!!!
---And
estimates by the Government is that the new definitions of “latifundio”
in the proposed reform of the Constitution will allow
the Government
to take over and addition 4 million Hectares. Funny, what will they do
with them, given how little they have done with the first two million
they took over? Latest shortage item: Rice! Good for my diet!!!
10:45:44 PM 
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