By Bela “Bill” Suhayda
It will always be important to study history so that we can learn from our past. If we learn the patterns, it is more likely we won’t repeat the tragedies mankind has inflicted upon itself through the ages. As George Santayana so famously said. “Those who cannot remember the past… are condemned to repeat it.
Below you’ll find a chronology of the destruction of a free and prosperous country: Venezuela. This history matters because we have people in our nation today, belonging to the new Democrat Party (DSA), who if elected, will attempt to transform not only the structure of our government as we have had it since our founding, but also destroy our prosperity, culture, values, and freedom.
If we are unwise in this midterm election, we will get further down a road to something very similar to what happened in Venezuela. In just one election, we would be following in their footsteps. Venezuela’s example is laid out for all of us to learn from. Will our electorate be smart enough to figure this out? Will we continue to choose our free enterprise system that has made us the wealthiest country in the world? Or will we fall for the promises of the too-good-to-be-true free stuff of the Communists?
The Zohran Mamdanis, Hasan Pikers, and Abdul El-Sayeds would become our leaders once they dismantled the Senate, Supreme Court, the Executive branch, and our military as they have promised to do. They have already indicated they wouldn’t follow the Constitution because it would limit their power. This is why they would eliminate it. If we fall for all of this, as did the Venezuelans, Cubans, and Russians, do you think people like Nick Shirley would be allowed to blow the whistle on the tremendous fraud that would ensue? The first amendment would be gone and an all powerful government, unshackled from the constraints of the Constitution and the lack of checks and balances in the DSA government they produced, would do whatever the hell it wanted to you and me?
We just saved Venezuela from communism. How ironic would it be that we saved them, then threw ourselves under the commie Mamdani bus? What world power would save us?
•1992: Venezuela is the third wealthiest country in the Western Hemisphere.
•1998: Hugo Chavez is elected. He promises to redistribute the wealth of the wealthy and nationalize all the means of production, the corporations.
•2001: Another election goes to the socialists to create equity for all.
•2003: Chavez imposes price controls creating shortages and black markets.
•2004: Socialized medicine begins. Taxes are levied to pay for it.
•2006: Social programs create high inflation and more taxation.
•2008: Corporations/industries such as oil, steel, cement, telecom are confiscated by government! Manufacturing collapses. Unemployment skyrockets, followed by poverty.
•2010: The currencies value drops by 50%. Extreme poverty ensues.
•2013: Chavez dies. Nicholas Maduro takes over and increases the power of government.
•2014: Opposition leaders are imprisoned or killed.
•2015: Out of control inflation and the GDP collapses!
•2016: Starvation and medical shortages spread!
•2017: Civil liberties eliminated. No free elections!
•2018: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates Venezuelan inflation above 1,000,000%.
•2019: Venezuelan military murders thousands in antigovernment protests!
•2020: 8,000,000 people flee Venezuela.
•2024: Rigged elections trigger more protests.
•2026: U.S. removes Maduro by force. The Chinese and Russians are also removed. Venezuela gets a second chance at freedom.
The progressive/socialists started their takeover of Venezuela in the 1980s when a glut of oil on the market dropped oil prices leading to economic, financial and social upheaval.
“Those who cannot remember the past… are condemned to repeat it.