Caracas Chronicles

Katy says: I’m feeling low on inspiration lately, partly due to the fact that I have a lot of work, and partly because it’s August back home and things tend to shut down in August. But on surveying the news, I am struck by one of the main characteristics of Venezuelan politics: the over-abundance of cheap talk.

Some of the main news items are:

• A war of words between the Venezuelan and US government over somebody’s bags. Memo to both: who gives a rat’s ass?
• Caracas Mayor Juan Barreto announcing that they will take over buildings, golf courses and entire municipalities, and not carrying out any of it.
• Chávez announcing that China will invest heavily in our oil sector, and that we will double our oil shipments to that country. Aside from the fuzzy math behind this one, when after seven years all you have is plans and more plans, it means you are not doing your job. Furthermore, Venezuela produces slightly less oil than it did at the beginning of Chavez’s government, just another sign that the government has yet to put their money where their mouth is (instead of putting it in Panamanian banks).
• Statoil announcing they will continue exploring for oil and gas in the Orinoco Delta, to go with ongoing plans for the Gasoduct to the South. In the meantime, Venezuela after 7 years still does not export a single whiff or drop (take your pick) of natural gas.
• Jesse Chacón announcing ongoing discussions regarding police reform. Again, seven years in the making, and they still don’t know what to do about soaring crime rates, even announcing that when the reform is implemented, crime rates may actually increase, but that it would be a good sign.

Crime. Oil production. Private property. Venezuela’s antagonism toward the US. Natural gas. Topics we cannot afford to just talk about.

In the meantime, Danilo Anderson’s killers are still on the loose, and nobody has been convicted for the deaths of April 11th. Pure talk, but nobody actually does anything.