Extra power

As you know if you follow this blog, the South American nation of Venezuela is (as Huff Po puts it) "on the verge of collapse" economically. How bad can it get? Here is their summing up of the situation:

• Murder - second highest rate of murder in the world, following Honduras
• Inflation - expected to reach over 700% this year. Cash is useless.
• Their economy is shrinking by 8%. "It might not have been so bad if former president Hugo Chávez hadn’t chosen his oil company leaders based on their loyalty to him and his party. The employees took money from the company, but didn’t re-invest the cash to improve the country’s processes."
• Shortages of stuff the people need
• Corruption - the ninth most corrupt nation on the globe

Seventeen years of central control under socialism has ruined the prosperity Venezuela used to have. So what is current president Nicolas Maduro's urgent demand? More power, of course. "Things are so bad that President Nicolas Maduro has declared a state of emergency, giving him extra power . . "