Chavez Granted Sweeping Power

(AP)  A congress wholly loyal to President Hugo Chavez approved a law Wednesday granting him authority to enact sweeping measures by decree.

Meeting at a downtown plaza in a session that resembled a political rally, lawmakers unanimously approved all four articles of the law by a show of hands.

"Long live the sovereign people! Long live President Hugo Chavez! Long live socialism!" said National Assembly President Cilia Flores as she proclaimed the law approved. "Fatherland, socialism or death! We will prevail!"

Chavez, who is beginning a fresh six-year term, says the legislation will be the start of a new era of "maximum revolution" during which he will consolidate Venezuela's transformation into a socialist society. His critics are calling it a radical lurch toward authoritarianism by a leader with unchecked power.

Hundreds of Chavez supporters wearing red — the color of Venezuela's ruling party — gathered in the plaza, waving signs reading "Socialism is democracy," as lawmakers read out passages of the law giving the president special powers for 18 months to transform 11 broadly defined areas, including the economy, energy and defense.

"The people of Venezuela, not just the National Assembly, are giving this enabling power to the president of the republic," said congresswoman Iris Varela, addressing the crowd.

Lawmakers discussed the law by each of its four articles, approving one after the other by a show of hands. At the end, they stood and cheered.

Chavez, a former paratroop commander who easily won re-election in December, has said he will use the law to decree nationalizations of Venezuela's largest telecommunications company and the electricity sector, slap new taxes on the rich, and impose greater state control over the oil and natural gas industries.

The law also allows Chavez to dictate unspecified measures to transform state institutions; reform banking, tax, insurance and financial regulations; decide on security and defense matters such as gun regulations and military organization; and "adapt" legislation to ensure "the equal distribution of wealth" as part of a new "social and economic model."

Chavez plans to reorganize regional territories and carry out reforms aimed at bringing "power to the people" through thousands of newly formed Communal Councils, in which Venezuelans will have a say on spending an increasing flow of state money on neighborhood projects from public housing to road repaving.

Chavez's opponents, however, argue the law dangerously concentrates power in the hands of single man.

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Why Chavez gets the bad press

When he took office the oil revenues where divided
99% for the corporations, and 1% for the government.
Now the oil revenues are split about 67% for the corporations and 33% for the Venezuela government.

This is the main reason poverty is dropping and the masses lives are being improved, the exact same reason record numbers of voters come out to vote, and Chavez gets over 60% of their votes.


fartnocker2
check this article out also
re Venezuela and poverty rates
http://www.cepr.net/publications/venezuelan_poverty_rates_2006_05.htm

FARTKNOCKER2

you state

RESIST...Do you never go read anywhere ?? or do you just set and write *** all day ..Christ it was all over every major news outlet

I have addressed you on other articles on this board a couple times, and have left a list of journalist and other websites to check out. I also ask for opinions on these other articles and journalist, but to no avail.

As you stated above "..Christ it was all over every major news outlet" - This I am very well aware of, I am also very well aware, that these same major news outlets are the ones who spread all the lies about Iraq, apparently you have forgot that.

Or when someone lies to you, you simply give them your blind faith when they tell you something another time. Meaning you don't see it, and you don't get it, (that%u2019s the blind part)

If this was a debate on Saddam and WMD
in hindsight you would be totally wrong, as you would be defending the mainstream corporate owned medias story, the same as you are now.

Read this article and get back to me
at opednews.com, and at venezuelanalysis.com
the below URL
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_eric_win_070126__22enabling_22_a_false_p.htm

to start
journalist:
Robert Fisk, Jonathan Cook, Richard Bulliet, Michel Chossudovsky, Patrick Seale, Paul Craig Roberts, Paul J. Balles, Scott Ritter,
Colonel Sam Gardiner

Websites:
globalresearch.ca - venezuelanalysis.com - gnn.tv agenceglobal.com - atlanticfreepress.com

[lars008-2009]

***!!! when did communism become a monarchy???

n korea hand power father to son to son...
cuba hands power to brother...

i thought we were all equal........... right comrade????.....lol

[agnim]

"BUSH CONSOLIDATES CONTROL OVER GOV'T AGENCIES!


President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

The New York Times is reporting each agency must now have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president's priorities.

Consumer, labor and environmental groups denounced the directive saying it gave too much control to the White House and would hinder agencies' efforts to protect the public.

Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California said the executive order allows the political staff at the White House to dictate decisions on health and safety issues, even if the government's own impartial experts disagree."

processor2


the american government has America in a war in Iraq based on lies. Corporate profits are sky high, the american public is in massive debt, and the american dollar is starting to lose value. This is the makings of economic collapse; if you are an American you should be very concerned.

The states are on the road to major economic hardship, well not corporate america, just the american people.

Now war with Iran, yet people like Scott Ritter, again are trying to get the peoples attention about the lies about Iran, just like he tried getting your attention that you are being lied to about Iraq.

What does it take to get people to see the corporate lies that come on the corporate owned news stations ?

FARTKNOCKER2

you say
He hasn't lived up the promises he made to the people 9 months ago on housing,schools,health care


please back that up, with who states that, where did you read that? right now your statement only stands as your opinion, give us the source of the claims you made, and I will gladly look into it

this is how we debate things

peace

[processor2]

I find it amazing how the Socialists/Communists of the world sound just like American Democrat(ic)s.

No wonder the liberals in America idolize Castro, Chavez, Chi Guerva, Gorbachev, etc.

...........

TO
lieberman18 and the likes


I would like to here what you have to say about the fact many previous leaders of Ven. have also held powers to pass laws by decree.

Read the article form my previous post, or go to this address
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1946

come back with a counter argument or a point
back them up with your sources of information

lets debate this

Name-calling and labeling people as lefties or whatever, will only show your lack of knowledge or ability to carry on an intelligent debate or conversation

If this was a debate pre the invasion of Iraq, about Iraq and the so called WMD

Well you can see YOU WOULD BE COMPLETELY WRONG
and the people you call names and sling mud at would be right

How smart are you really ?

I think not very, I mean your listening to the same news sources that lied to you before, and you just don't get it.

peace

chavez is only a threat to the insane ridiculous profits the corporations would like to keep making.

like the lies about Iraq, CBS news and the likes are so far from fair balanced journalism. Why do people still come here to get their news is beyond me ? Are people really not smart enough to realize they have been lied, and are being lied to again.

IN REALITY
By: Eric Wingerter - OpEdNews.com

This "enabling law" is not new to the current constitution. Venezuela's previous constitution allowed for similar powers shifts to the executive, and you can be sure that past presidents took advantage of this authority on multiple occasions throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's. Here are a few examples:

In 1974, Congress gave President Carlos Andres Perez the right to "rule by decree" on a number of economic matters, which he used to pass a slew of new regulations-instituting a minimum wage increase, freezing the market price of "necessary" goods, instating tax relief on agricultural activities, increasing government pensions, and even establishing new state institutions, including the National Institute of Housing and an Industrial Development Fund.

But Perez was a close ally of the US government, so there was little controversy from Washington.
Ten years later, in May 1984, Congress again gave authority to the President,.......

rest of article is also here
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1946

[chango80]

I am not from Venezuela. Look learn from history, let then be%u2026 they still selling you oil, sure he has a big mouth and all.. but if you made a move again him you will change a big mouth to a Hero. Remember Bay of Pigs?
------
Side note: what is this of Hitler? Yes they were both elected by the ppl. but that%u2019s all. Or I am missing something?