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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Rich Venezuelans, alarmed by Chavez's socialism, head to Florida |
| 2007-03-04 |
| As Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez further tightens control of the South American country's economy, wealthy Venezuelans who once thought they could live with his socialist edicts are turning to their backup plan - flight to the United States, particularly Florida. Venezuelans have long gobbled up condos and pre-construction deals in Florida as investments, but the latest buyers want homes where they can live and business properties that will help them earn a green card. "First the people who come are the businessmen in the highest circles, then the losing politicians, then the military and then the professionals," said Miami-based immigration attorney Oscar Levin. "You're beginning to see the (Venezuelan) professionals." This latest and largest potential group of emigrants say they fear the effect Chavez's socialist policies will have on the economy and on proposed educational reforms that could mirror the ideologically imbued education of Chavez ally and mentor, Cuba's Fidel Castro. "There is so much insecurity, political insecurity, economic insecurity," said Venezuelan Miguel Medina, a business executive who moved to the Miami in August. "You don't know if a contract you signed today will be honored by the government in the future....This was definitely my plan B, but it was time to do the plan B." Between 2000 - a year after Chavez took office - and 2005, the number of Venezuelans living in the U.S. doubled to about 160,000, according to the latest U.S. Census numbers. Nearly half live in Florida. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 Simply put, the Venezuelans that are fleeing Chavez did NOT put him into power : he won riding the poor and Indian vote into office. The wealthy and educated overwhelmingly {upwards of 90%} voted AGAINST Chavez. These are the individuals of means and education that are fleeing the storm that will swamp their homeland, and we want them to come here and become very grateful to us. That way, when Chavez gets himself overthrown and executed, the very people needed to rebuild the country will be in the US and we will have a certain measure of control over them. Also, the oil industry in Venezuela is very dependent on US expertise, refineries, and equipment : Venezuela crude is thick, gooey, sulfuric crap that takes a specific refinery setup to crack into anything resembling a useful product. If Exxon and the others leave, Chavez has 6 months before the oil industry collapses around him. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-03-04 21:02 |
| #8 Tell me the difference between these twits who made the problem and the Californians who are cashing in after socializing their state and taking their gains to other states in order to begin the cycle of economic and cultural contamination? Uh, I vote Republican? |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2007-03-04 16:56 |
| #7 before the Hugonauts become completely entrenched and we have an oil-rich Cuba on our hands. Missed the article yesterday where the oil companies were seriously planning to cut and run if Chavez continues his attempted grab of their assets? Concensus is if they leave, the oil money stops instantly, and the venezuelan finance minister is sweating bullets, the oil companies are NOT playing, "Screw with us and we ruin you" is the message here. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-03-04 10:49 |
| #6 Give me your jet setters, your rich, your spacious mansioned few yearning to shop till they drop. The Gucci clad privileged of your oil endowed shore. Send these, the fatted calves, mob tossed to me, I open my international bank accounts and investments beside our golden arches. Give them enough time to take a very short vacation on their way to Spain. Tell me the difference between these twits who made the problem and the Californians who are cashing in after socializing their state and taking their gains to other states in order to begin the cycle of economic and cultural contamination? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-03-04 09:38 |
| #5 Nothing should be free! Declare Forida, Texas, California, and Arizona Federal Foreign Resettlement Zones (FFRZ) and create a special lifetime IRS tax for those entering from other lands. This would discourage float-bys and help even the score a bit in health care, law enforcement and education. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-03-04 09:37 |
| #4 We don't want or need this. Those educated professionals should stay and fight for their country before the Hugonauts become completely entrenched and we have an oil-rich Cuba on our hands. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2007-03-04 08:51 |
| #3 Can we exchange them for Alec Baldwin and Cindy "Tongue Kissed Hugo" Sheehan? |
| Posted by: ed 2007-03-04 02:27 |
| #2 So we get the rich, smart capitalists and Hugo gets poor, stupid socialists? Rockin! I'll buy that for a dollar! |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2007-03-04 02:19 |
| #1 Cubans move back, they move in. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-03-04 01:06 |