The American Spectator

p> WITH THAT NAME, IT’S NOT STEALING br> Re: Shawn Macomber’s Stolen Oil : /p>

There are two distinct Venezuelans and both deserve their Chavista lives. The great majority of both fell for the promise of getting something (prosperity) for nothing and elected their messiah.

One Venezuelan is the “native” and has lived off government subsidies on every aspect of their lives and are comfortable with protesting when the results are not to their liking. They came out in impressive numbers many years ago when Castro came calling for funds to power his revolution. My Italian father, out of curiosity, attended one of these large rallies. The political culture has not changed much since then.

The other is the transplanted European (mainly Italian and Portuguese) that brought with them a work ethic that was inherited by their children. My uncle (we used to mock him as a Chavista until he wised up) is one of these along with a few remaining friends that never left. Many of them got sucked up in the growing anti-American sentiment promoted by Chavez and the clever “Bolivian revolution” that promised a better life by going after those who have more than themselves without thinking their accumulated wealth could be targeted for redistribution, which they now fear.

p>In US, those that always fall for the same con (somebody else controls your life) every election day deserve their spoils: higher energy costs, dysfunctional schools, crime, lost economic opportunities, corruption, and cynicism. There are many Chavistas living among us and they are call themselves “Progressives.” As in Venezuela, those that don’t fall for that false hope have to suffer also. br> — Name and Address withheld /p> p> Joseph Kennedy shares more then just a name with his grandfather. He seems to be following the older Joe’s example in his support for dictators over democrats. Just as his grandfather supported Hitler and Mussolini Joe the younger has fallen in love with another fascist dictator. br> —