From: fedora@fea.st
On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:34:35 -0500, Wilson
wrote:
>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.
And it has nothing to do with socialism or not.
--
Noah Sombrero mustachioed villain
Don't get political with me young man
or I'll tie you to a railroad track and
<<>> to <<>>
Who dares to talk to El Sombrero?
dares: Ned
does not dare: Julian shrinks in horror and warns others away
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
|
