(1) Fans of Best of the Web Today--Michael Smith
"I've been thinking about Venezuela - not about what craphole the socialists have turned it into,
but what happens next in a post-socialist country.
There will be a post-socialist Venezuela because the socialist government will fall and
capitalism will come because capitalism needs no government support to survive - it only needs two people who each have something the other wants, needs or desires and both are willing to trade.
I've been thinking about whether it makes sense to put together a group of technicians, engineers, managers and financiers over the next few years,
people who are willing to invest time and money in rebuilding middle market industries down there.
...They are going to need people who know how various industries work and how to bring them back. Venezuelan industry hasn't modernized, it actually has been sliding backwards in time as the death spiral continues.
A friend of mine made a killing in the 1990's while advancing technology in a country when he put together a group that bought a medium sized, privately owned, specialty tire manufacturer (made farm and heavy equipment tires) and a couple of years later, sold it to a Russian company.
The Russian tire industry had not modernized and was still making tires the way they were made in the 50's.
This business my friend's group bought was not up to date as compared to US technology standards but was decades ahead of the Russian factories.
I've seen cases where entire factories were imported - a less efficient, less competitive factory here in the US is the cream of the crop in most countries like Venezuela..."
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Seven additional men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Newman, California, Police officer Ronil Singh, authorities say, for helping suspect Gustavo Perez Arriaga try to flee into Mexico.
