I know this has been making the rounds in the blogsophere, but it’s still worth highlighting: Venezuela is facing shortages for a number of basic consumer goods, including toilet paper. Naturally, the socialists who have been in power for the past 14 years have tried to pin the blame on the opposition and the United States. From Hurriyet (“Turkey’s leading English daily”):

The South American OPEC member has the world’s largest proven oil reserves but has wrestled with periodic shortages of several consumer goods since price controls were imposed in 2003 under the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

“We have consistently denounced the strategy of hoarding and speculation, and the campaign of terror that has spread among the people, forcing them to buy compulsively and fearfully,” ruling party lawmaker Jose Avila said.

The government has long accused the center-right opposition and the United States of plotting to undermine Chavez’s self-styled socialist revolution.

Indeed. And how does the socialist government of Venezuela plan to counter the chronic shortages that price controls have created? Why, with more government programs of course:

Venezuela’s National Assembly on Tuesday approved a $79 million credit to import toilet paper and other personal hygiene products to relieve shortages in the petroleum-rich state.

There are more damning indictments of socialism as well, though none are explicit. In other news, I always smirk whenever I hear an ardent supporter of the current thief-in-chief here in the States try to pin the bad economy on the Bush administration’s mistakes. It’s been, what, five years now?