The Socialist Wheels Come Off: Venezuela and America

Via Doug Ross, this from the Atlantic:

...[T}he factory union began to insist on enforcing an obscure clause in its collective-bargaining agreement requiring the factory’s restrooms to be stocked with toilet paper at all times. The problem was that, amid deepening shortages of virtually all basic products (from rice and milk to deodorant and condoms) finding even one roll of toilet paper was nearly impossible in Venezuela—let alone finding enough for hundreds of workers. When the entrepreneur did manage to find some TP, his workers, understandably, took it home: It was just as hard for them to find it as it was for him.

...Failing to stock the restrooms puts him in violation of his agreement with the union, and that puts his factory at risk of a prolonged strike, which in turn could lead to its being seized by the socialist government under the increasingly unpopular President Nicolas Maduro. So the entrepreneur turned to the black market...

No sooner had the TP delivery reached the factory than the secret police swept in. Seizing the toilet paper, they claimed they had busted a major hoarding operation, part of a U.S.-backed “economic war” the Maduro government holds responsible for creating Venezuela’s shortages in the first place. The entrepreneur and three of his top managers faced criminal prosecution and possible jail time. 

All of this over toilet paper. ...........................................................................

It's not over toilet paper. Or beer. Or medicine. Or electricity.

It's over Socialism.  Socialism means poverty and repression every time.

Even in America the wheels are coming off the Statist Project, whether Obamacare, the TSA, the IRS, Visas for San Bernardino and Uranium for Putin, Puerto Rico, $20 trillion debt, the EPA ruining rivers, hiding Flint and bankrupting coal, giving .50 caliber machine guns to el Chapo, failure after failure after failure.

Half of our military aircraft are grounded and overworked crews are using McGuyver duct tape and coat hangers to keep the other half flying--those wheels are literally coming off.

But at least men can use the ladies room now.

This used to be a well-run country. Until