• =?UTF-8?Q?Venezuela=e2=80=99s_Socialists_Embrace_Business=2c_Making?= =

    From JAT@21:1/5 to All on Sun Feb 23 16:43:46 2020
    Venezuela’s Socialists Embrace Business, Making Partner of a ‘Parasite’

    Decades of socialist-style control devastated the economy. Now,
    capitalism is back, helping keep the country afloat — and Nicolás Maduro
    in power. One deal was the cornerstone of that transformation.

    CARACAS, Venezuela — As Venezuela tumbled deeper into economic crisis in
    2017 and its people searched for a way out, one name kept coming up:
    Lorenzo Mendoza.

    The family name is universally known in Venezuela. Empresas Polar, the
    food conglomerate started by Mr. Mendoza’s grandfather, had grown into
    the country’s largest private company. Its corn meal, used to make the national dish, was in every pantry, and its beer a welcome part of
    social gatherings.

    As President Nicolás Maduro’s disastrous economic policies set off food shortages and a refugee crisis, Mr. Mendoza emerged as an outspoken
    critic of his administration and its persecution of the private sector.

    Polished and eloquent, Mr. Mendoza also offered a stark contrast to the
    gruff president. His popularity was such that pollsters measured him
    against Mr. Maduro in mock presidential matchups.

    Then, suddenly, Mr. Mendoza disappeared from public view, and Mr. Maduro stopped calling him a “thief,” a “parasite” and a “traitor.” The government quit harassing Polar with disruptive raids and began, in
    time, to adopt the economic changes Mr. Mendoza had proposed, like
    ending crippling price controls.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/world/americas/venezuela-economy-polar.html

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