OIL, Venezuela, Chavez, and Nest

Big Oil, Big Ketchup and "The Assassination of Hugo Chavez"

Big Oil, Big Ketchup and "The Assassination of Hugo Chavez"

"Just after Bush's inauguration in 2001, Chavez's congress voted in a new "Law of Hydrocarbons." Henceforward, Exxon, British Petroleum, Shell Oil and Chevron would get to keep 70 percent of the sales revenues from the crude they sucked out of Venezuela. Not bad, considering the price of oil was rising toward $100 a barrel.But to the oil companies, which had bitch-slapped Venezuela's prior government into giving them 84 percent of the sales price, a cut to 70 percent was "no bueno." Worse, Venezuela had been charging a joke of a royalty - just 1 percent - on "heavy" crude from the Orinoco Basin. Chavez told Exxon and friends they'd now have to pay 16.6 percent.
Clearly, Chavez had to be taught a lesson about the etiquette of dealings with Big Oil"

Has Chavez been good for Venezuelans?
Is BIG OIL a threat to Chavez.
Is BIG OIL a threat to Maduro?
Is there something wrong with helping the poor?
Could we use a Hugo Chavez in this Country?

I post this because Hugo's health is fragile and it leads into future possibilities. Do USA citizens realize that we tried to overthrow Chavez? Do we have any right to do that? Does Big Oil run our government? Will we attempt to subvert Maduro? Why did Hugo donate gasoline to poor USA citizens? Is it possible that USA citizens only know what they read in major media and hear on TV about Chavez? Elected 7 times. New schools. Given land to the poor. Spread the wealth around to those outside the 1 %. I'm prejudiced and believe Chavez is the best thing to hit Venezuela ever. He has had a beneficial effect on many South American gov'ts to the benefit of their lesser citizens. When was the last time you heard of a gov't trading OIL for medical care for its' citizens? We could use some of Hugo Chavez in our politics, for sure.

ecofarm said:

No more buying votes with oil. People need money for that oil, not shady projects with kickbacks.

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DaveFagan said:

I post this because Hugo's health is fragile and it leads into future possibilities. Do USA citizens realize that we tried to overthrow Chavez? Do we have any right to do that? Does Big Oil run our government? Will we attempt to subvert Maduro? Why did Hugo donate gasoline to poor USA citizens? Is it possible that USA citizens only know what they read in major media and hear on TV about Chavez? Elected 7 times. New schools. Given land to the poor. Spread the wealth around to those outside the 1 %. I'm prejudiced and believe Chavez is the best thing to hit Venezuela ever. He has had a beneficial effect on many South American gov'ts to the benefit of their lesser citizens. When was the last time you heard of a gov't trading OIL for medical care for its' citizens? We could use some of Hugo Chavez in our politics, for sure.

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Dave, you're a brave man.

I've seen several different documentaries on Chavez. He's either painted as Satan...or Santa Claus.

The clips of Chavez addressing the UN...and the similar...don't quite make him shine. He always sounds like he's been coached by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

DaveFagan said:

Big Oil, Big Ketchup and "The Assassination of Hugo Chavez"

Big Oil, Big Ketchup and "The Assassination of Hugo Chavez"

"Just after Bush's inauguration in 2001, Chavez's congress voted in a new "Law of Hydrocarbons." Henceforward, Exxon, British Petroleum, Shell Oil and Chevron would get to keep 70 percent of the sales revenues from the crude they sucked out of Venezuela. Not bad, considering the price of oil was rising toward $100 a barrel.But to the oil companies, which had bitch-slapped Venezuela's prior government into giving them 84 percent of the sales price, a cut to 70 percent was "no bueno." Worse, Venezuela had been charging a joke of a royalty - just 1 percent - on "heavy" crude from the Orinoco Basin. Chavez told Exxon and friends they'd now have to pay 16.6 percent.
Clearly, Chavez had to be taught a lesson about the etiquette of dealings with Big Oil"

Has Chavez been good for Venezuelans?
Is BIG OIL a threat to Chavez.
Is BIG OIL a threat to Maduro?
Is there something wrong with helping the poor?
Could we use a Hugo Chavez in this Country?

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Question, why should the state receive a higher royalty, when the companies are the ones who are building all the materials, providing all the logistics, etc, to extract the oil?
Essentially, any royalty received is free money to the state.

Harry Guerrilla said:

Question, why should the state receive a higher royalty, when the companies are the ones who are building all the materials, providing all the logistics, etc, to extract the oil?
Essentially, any royalty received is free money to the state.

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It is known as the "patrimony" of a Nation. The Nation should negotiate for every nickel you can get and if your opposing players play dirty, you should respond in kind. Hugo Chavez owes the USA a kick in the groin, but he recognizes reality and power politics and has been careful not to aggravate the USA. We have allowed our Big Oil Corporations to run our foreign policy and war-making arm. What do you think Iraq and LIbya are about? Don't you believe that Big Oil runs some of our foreign policy?

DaveFagan said:

It is known as the "patrimony" of a Nation. The Nation should negotiate for every nickel you can get and if your opposing players play dirty, you should respond in kind. Hugo Chavez owes the USA a kick in the groin, but he recognizes reality and power politics and has been careful not to aggravate the USA. We have allowed our Big Oil Corporations to run our foreign policy and war-making arm. What do you think Iraq and LIbya are about? Don't you believe that Big Oil runs some of our foreign policy?

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I'm sure, but it doesn't answer why the nation deserves more royalty revenue.
Just because the oil is located in a nation, doesn't mean anything.

Again, any royalty is free money, for essentially doing nothing.

Harry Guerrilla said:

I'm sure, but it doesn't answer why the nation deserves more royalty revenue.
Just because the oil is located in a nation, doesn't mean anything.

Again, any royalty is free money, for essentially doing nothing.

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If I ran a country, I would not let Big Oil in. I would attempt to develop internally the equipment, engineering capabilities, transportation, communications, infrastructure and LOCAL labor pool to work to the advantage of the Nation. One's responsibility is to one's constituency and Big Oil is a Corporate contingency and a "fictitious entity" in name only. Corporate owes no allegiance to any Nation. It's loyalty is to Capital. The USA has allowed an Octopus of Energy to gain huge political influence in this Nation. I don't think it has worked to the people's benefit. It is "charge what the traffic will bear." It is Global Warming. It is huge fossil fuel pollution. It is huge chemical superfund toxic waste sites. Very simply, it is not Exxon/Mobil's oil under some Nation's topography. It is the patrimony of the Nation to work to that Nation's benefit in every way possible. It is the people's resource to develop. In the fossil fuel matter, there are grave consequences to mismanaged resources and we are all suffering from the previous bad management to the detriment of the planet. It is just good business for "Corporate" to deny their transgressions to the bitter end. I hope that end is near and in the future resources will be developed with something other than just Capitalist profit motives. Responsibility would be a good place to start.

DaveFagan said:

I post this because Hugo's health is fragile and it leads into future possibilities. Do USA citizens realize that we tried to overthrow Chavez? Do we have any right to do that? Does Big Oil run our government? Will we attempt to subvert Maduro? Why did Hugo donate gasoline to poor USA citizens? Is it possible that USA citizens only know what they read in major media and hear on TV about Chavez? Elected 7 times. New schools. Given land to the poor. Spread the wealth around to those outside the 1 %. I'm prejudiced and believe Chavez is the best thing to hit Venezuela ever. He has had a beneficial effect on many South American gov'ts to the benefit of their lesser citizens. When was the last time you heard of a gov't trading OIL for medical care for its' citizens? We could use some of Hugo Chavez in our politics, for sure.

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The fact that this post comes from a user whose lean is listed as conservative is remarkable. I applaud you.

Chavez's only crime is preventing corporate exploitation of his people; he believes that, if Venezuelans hauled the oil out of the ground, Venezuelans should benefit from it, not far-away corporate overlords who see only dollar and euro signs where people live. That, and I think he's toeing a dangerous line that could harm Venezuela by aligning himself with Iran.

That said, he is obviously a HORRIBLE, EVIL HUMAN BEING WITH PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION because he is a BABY-EATING SOCIALIST.

Our media paints him in the same light as Kim Jong-il and Ahmadinajad, when in reality he's just a populist president who looks out for the interests of the Venezuelan people over the size of his pocketbook. Do we need a Chavez in our government? No. We need hundreds of them.

Vapor said:

The fact that this post comes from a user whose lean is listed as conservative is remarkable. I applaud you.

Chavez's only crime is preventing corporate exploitation of his people; he believes that, if Venezuelans hauled the oil out of the ground, Venezuelans should benefit from it, not far-away corporate overlords who see only dollar and euro signs where people live. That, and I think he's toeing a dangerous line that could harm Venezuela by aligning himself with Iran.

That said, he is obviously a HORRIBLE, EVIL HUMAN BEING WITH PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION because he is a BABY-EATING SOCIALIST.

Our media paints him in the same light as Kim Jong-il and Ahmadinajad, when in reality he's just a populist president who looks out for the interests of the Venezuelan people over the size of his pocketbook. Do we need a Chavez in our government? No. We need hundreds of them.

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I emphasize that it is a "failed Media" that allows the impression to be distributed that Hugo " is obviously a HORRIBLE, EVIL HUMAN BEING WITH PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION because he is a BABY-EATING SOCIALIST. " Who pays to generate that Media impression? It is a Capitalist country, ergo the Media profits from what they produce. No organization attempts to identify false narratives in the Major Medias, so I figure the false narratives have defined gov't support. Does that mean the CIA buys your news. Yes, that would be one agency among many. That is the nice thind about Capitalism, you can buy and produce any news you can afford. If Hugo is stepping on Heinz ketchup and Exxon/Mobil toes, you can be sure they can afford to buy some really bad publicity for Hugo, and they do! There are no laws against this. It's "jus bidness," as our recently deposed dunce was so fond of stating.

Chavez as all around has been good for Venezuela and the Venezuelan people. Expanding social services, stopping western corporate imperialism, growing the economy, helping the once ignored poor. Saying that there are still much to be done in Venezuela, keep on expanding economic growth, stopping crime, and keeping up the path they are currently on.

http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/venezuela-2009-02.pdf