CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan lawmakers granted President Hugo Chavez broad powers Friday to enact laws by decree, undermining the clout of a new congress that takes office next month with a bigger opposition bloc.
Chavez opponents condemned the move as a power grab, saying the law gives him a blank check to rule without consulting lawmakers. The National Assembly approved the special powers for 18 months.
A new congress goes into session Jan. 5 with an opposition contingent large enough to hinder approval of some types of major laws.
Chavez has argued he needs decree powers to fast-track funds to help the victims of recent floods and landslides, and also to hasten Venezuela’s transition to a socialist state.
Full Story Here:
Venezuela congress grants Chavez decree powers
I have seen one sentence in this story, so far, that has any truth to it, ‘and also to hasten Venezuela’s transition to a socialist state‘, and I have to say.
Stories have surfaced that Obama sent message of congratulations to his BFF, Hugo Chavez.
Sources have reported that they overheard Obama cheer loudly and state:
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
I am a bit surprised that Obama didn’t try to run this same scam past the American people with his own we have nothing to lose, lame duck congress.
Another measure under discussion Friday was the revised “Social Responsibility Law,” which would impose broadcast-type regulations on the Internet and ban online messages “that could incite or promote hatred,” create “anxiety” in the population or “disrespect public authorities.”
Tell me that Obama and his entire administration are not an almost mirror image of Chavez and his socialist agenda! If Chavez can do it, Obama and Company believe they can too.
“They’re accusing me of being a dictator,” Chavez said on state television Thursday night, dismissing the criticism as unfounded. “We’re building a new democracy here that can’t be turned back.”
Change we can believe in anyone? Are you ready to join Obama as he transforms America?
What was it he said? ‘We’re only days away from fundamentally changing America forever!’, or some such socialist BS.
Hugo Chavez is Obama’s buddy, you know that Obama has got to be thinking, ‘If Hugo can do it, why can’t I?’, I would bet the farm on this very thing being tossed around within the most secure inner circles of the Dems and Obama cronies.
The law to grant Chavez decree powers, the fourth such legislation of his nearly 12-year presidency, also will allow him to unilaterally enact measures involving telecommunications, the banking system, information technology, the military, rural and urban land use and the country’s “socio-economic system.”
ObamaCare, Detroit bailouts, Net Neutrality, TARP, Cap and Trade, fat kids…do you see the same parallels I am seeing? How long before those Executive Orders begin to emerge?
Critics accuse Chavez of taking advantage of the disaster to tighten his grip on power, saying he is violating the constitution while trying to impose a Cuba-style system.
Folks, you’d better listen, and listen closely, we, the American people, are only one terrorist attack, or one natural disaster away from martial law and presidential rule by executive order. I am not exaggerating, I am NOT over-reacting, we are that close to rule by decree.
Newly elected opposition lawmaker Julio Borges said Chavez is trying to use the Christmas lull when Venezuelans are focused on other matters to push through “laws that have one single purpose: to give more power to the government and take power away from the people.”
Borges said the opposition will keep fighting and that “the Cuban project is going to fail.”
Venezuelans are focused on other matters? Gee, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, in a discussion I had with our TEA Party president today as we were talking about the obvious lack of give a damn that many in the TEA Party are showing, and the overall apathy of the American people as a whole.
My readers, and members of the Rowlett TEA Party will NEVER be able to look at me and say ‘WHY DIDN”T YOU WARN US FRED?‘, and when the stuff hits the fan there will be many that sit back, wondering what went wrong, crying and panicking and saying that exact thing.
Lock and load America, this is just getting started. Keep your powder dry, you’re going to need it! Our new Congress has a lot on their plate, right from the start, and if they take their eye off the ball for so much as one minute, We, The People are screwed.
And it wouldn’t hurt to pray that it’s not already too late…
The big difference is that we own firearms and know how to use them. The people of Venezuela can’t. And thats what I’m talking about.
MM26 — That’s about all that’s saving us I am sure…
Why people don’t consider that Chavez “could” be supplying guns/ammo to the Mexican cartels is beyond me.
Stormwarning — It’s too easy for Obama and his ATF stooges to claim that 90% of the guns in Mexico come from the USA…
It’s a crock, you and I both know it, no one, not even drug cartels are going to buy fully automatic AK-47′s from the USA when they can buy them wholesale through Chavez and Company…
Great post, Fred. Venezuela is going to be a major problem very soon. There is a good post on Chavez by Anastasia, a very bright & well-written Englishwoman at Ana the Imp: Comrade Boyo from which I draw this quote:
Unfortunately, apart from the miserable people of his miserable utopia, no power is united against him. Last September his party was defeated in the legislative elections but that has done nothing to stop the progress of the beast, currently engaged on a campaign of grand larceny, sorry, make that nationalisation. Property is theft, so said Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, the French granddaddy of anarchism. So clearly Hugo the Horrible is busy returning his country to a natural state of virtue, with him as the only thief, a truly noble sacrifice [...] Hugo is too stupid to walk and chew gum at the same time. So, is there ideological éminence grise here, it’s only fair to ask? No, not really; just a Trotsky manikin and – look you - he’s Welsh! His name is Alan Woods, a self-professed a Trotskyite, as well as an informal advisor to El Presidente.
I agree.
And we should note how, at present, the Obama administration is playing up the threat of terrorist attack right now — after many months of downplaying such attacks. Remember what Obama once said? “We can absorb a few nuclear attacks.” Sheesh.
History reminds us that Hitler was given the same powers. Chavez admires Hliter.
Obama will begin ruling by decree after January 2nd thru his Czars and the various government agencies which have the ability to issue regulations which have the force of law. Watch for it! I am sure it is coming!
JDL
Hugo Chavez is a great reminder of what can and will happen here if WE THE PEOPLE do not demand that ALL elected officials adhere to the Constitution and our individual rights. Some people have awakened to these possibilities, but there are still many who are still oblivious to the real facts. The facts back this up and there are 2 scenarios that could impact this.
The 1st is: look at the all those who stand in line for days to get the latest iphone, ipad or ipod and this is really enforced by the idiots who camp out a week before “black Friday” at Best Buy to get a DEAL on a piece of technology that is obsolete 1 month after its purchase. BUT they are too lazy to vote; liberty is not important but their STUFF is.
The 2nd is: the people who demand that the government take care of them; tell them what to eat, what to read, what to think and what to allow on the internet. Good Old Ben Franklin says it best: “They, who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
While I agree that every individual has the right to live their life as they see; in this case the INACTIONS of many can impact those of us who value and will fight for freedom and liberty
A failure to act is just as evil as an overt act of evil. If we, the people fail to act, and allow these things to happen we will be just as guilty as obama…
If the vote don’t do the job, the bullet will.
Katie — Excellent point, Chavez admires Hitler, Castro and quite likely Lenin and Stalin…
And I am pretty sure, truth be told, Obama does too…