From: Wilson@nowhere.invalid   
      
   On 1/9/2026 9:51 PM, dart200 wrote:   
   > On 1/9/26 12:42 PM, Wilson wrote:   
   >>   
   >> https://x.com/AgrisAcademy/status/2008280244105380254   
   >>   
   >> My Venezuela experience as head of trading in the region for Cargill.   
   >>   
   >> Cargill was the leading producer of critical staple ingredients such   
   >> as flour, pasta, vegetable oil, and rice in VZ.   
   >>   
   >> I am not saying I agree with grabbing the dictator, but I did have a   
   >> front row seat to the damage a kleptocracy did to innocent people.   
   >>   
   >> 1.   The government took over our "minute rice" facility at gunpoint   
   >> because we were "gouging" the nation's poor. The government was never   
   >> able to run the plant.  It never ran again. It was returned years   
   >> later with no equipment inside.   
   >>   
   >> 2.  There are 1000's of generals in the army. They are each given a   
   >> slice of the economy to loot. The large number of generals made it   
   >> difficult to organize a coup against the regime.   
   >>   
   >> 3.  The government opened grocery stores and sold staples below the   
   >> cost we sold them to the government. In theory they used petro oil   
   >> money to lower grocery prices. Our regular grocery outlets were forced   
   >> out of business. When the government demanded we sell them products   
   >> below cost we simply had to shut down. The populous became ever more   
   >> dependent on the government handouts. (PS this is the mayor of New   
   >> York City's proposal).   
   >>   
   >> 4.  Dollars - We needed dollars to go buy raw materials like wheat   
   >> from places like the US and Canada. The government would periodically   
   >> allocate us some dollars that could only be spent for raw materials   
   >> and freight. Eventually only the local companies that can and would   
   >> pay bribes got dollar allocations. We had several facilities closed   
   >> for lack of raw material.   
   >>   
   >> 5.  My employees liked working for Cargill. The office was an armed   
   >> compound with access to a gym, high speed internet, global   
   >> communications, and a weekly box of basic staples. Cargill provided a   
   >> safe and secure environment if only for the working hours.   
   >>   
   >> 6.  Employees became very close to others inside the apartment   
   >> building.    Going out on the street with a desperate population was   
   >> not advisable.   
   >>   
   >> 7.  I needed wood pallets for feed. We tried to export wood pallets to   
   >> swap for grain. We refused to pay the bribes it would take to export   
   >> the pallets.   
   >>   
   >> 8.   I once tried to set up a closed loop wheat planting to flour mill   
   >> supply chain. They came and stole all the seed wheat for food. When we   
   >> tried to ship in seed wheat in containers via US donors there was no   
   >> way to get it out of the port without it being stolen.   
   >>   
   >> 9.  Livestock - Our feed business completely collapsed. Even if you   
   >> could raise a pig, you couldn't defend it from being stolen. People   
   >> with guns were hungry.   
   >>   
   >> 10.  Employees - In the end my highly skilled team alone with other   
   >> highly educated people chose to leave. Cargill often found jobs for   
   >> them in other Latin countries. The regime was more than happy to see   
   >> the well-educated leave the country. Setting these employees up with   
   >> high quality stable jobs after fleeing remains one of the best things   
   >> I ever did in my career. No one remembers millions in trading earnings.   
   >>   
   >> This is a short list. In my opinion the first money spent needs to   
   >> happen now and it needs to be food. The US is already on the clock.   
   >> The current regime does not care if it starves the population. The   
   >> orgy of theft will actually accelerate if they believe their days are   
   >> numbered. VZ should be an outstanding customer of US grown ag   
   >> products.  Rice, bread wheat, veg oil ect. Feed the people first.   
   >>   
   >> Jeff Kazin   
   >> Former head trading Cargill   
   >>   
   >   
   > again, people cry about 20th century corruption and i'm like have we   
   > tried putting 21st century transparency in there? nope   
   >   
   > everyone likes to talk about hungry people in venezuela cause muh   
   > socialism!?!?!?   
   >   
   > no one talks about hungry people in the philippines cause that doesn't   
   > fit the narrative ur pushing eh???   
      
   The Philippines has an extreme poverty level (<$3.00 a Day) in 2021 of   
   5.32%. Venezuela was 9.71%. (According to the World Bank).   
      
   I don't especially trust the World Bank. So...   
      
   The Philippines Statistics Authority (apparently it's well trusted with   
   transparent metrics) says that in 2023 15.5% of the people were below   
   the national poverty line.   
      
   Venezuela doesn't publish official poverty statistics. ENCOVI (Encuesta   
   Nacional de Condiciones de Vida) is an independent household survey   
   conducted by Venezuelan universities. It showed approx. 51.9% of the   
   people were living in poverty in 2023.   
      
   UNICEF says that in the Philippines 26.4% of children live below the   
   national poverty line, with 12.4% living in extreme poverty (which   
   basicaly means not enough food).   
      
   UNICEF doesn't have ratings for Venezuela because their government.   
      
   You can look this shit up Nick.   
      
   It's pretty transparent for anyone paying attention that thug   
   governments that steal from their people don't thrive.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)