I recently read an article in a local paper about the desperate situation in Venezuela. It told the doleful tale of an economy in crisis with shortages, blackouts and widespread corruption.
At a certain point, the article mentioned that the average worker’s wage was about one dollar… a month! I did a double-take at the figure and thought to myself that surely there must be a typo in the text. No one can live on such an abysmally low wage.
Upon doing a Google search, I found that the official government-mandated minimum wage in Venezuela “remains fixed at 130 bolívares per month, a rate unchanged since March 2022, which now equates to approximately $1.50 to $3.50 USD monthly, depending on the exchange rate.” Other articles gave estimates of less than a dollar. The exact amount is unimportant considering the pittance it represents.
Not a Typo, But Reality
This was not a typo but a hellish reality. It remains in effect today even after the recent change of president. Indeed, the official government-mandated wage has been frozen at around one dollar for four years. As in most communist countries, the inhabitants survive by engaging in corruption at all levels, scrounging for food or relying on foreign remittances.
What impressed me about the article was the casual way in which the writer mentioned the wage without commentary. There was no sense of moral indignation that a government would impose a pennies-a-day existence upon its citizens.
With all the talk of human dignity these days, no one seems to be concerned that what was once one of Latin America’s wealthiest nations is reduced to this abject level of misery. No one wants to get to the bottom of why eight million Venezuelans have left the country to escape this communist hell.
For me, the reason was clear. The article was about a socialist country. The left is immune to such attacks. Such conditions can always be blamed on America and the West, and not socialist mismanagement. If Venezuela were not a socialist regime, the media everywhere would be denouncing the wage as cruel and inhuman.
A Sin that Cries to Heaven
However, the worst thing about this wage is a moral dimension that needs to be addressed. Depriving workers of their just wages is one of the four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. The other three are willful murder, sodomy and oppression of the poor. The socialist wage is responsible for this first sin. The government must be held accountable before God and the world for what it has done.
Others are complicit in this sin and make this outrage possible. These, too, must be denounced.
The Media, Western Socialists and Trade Partners
There are leftist media that do not report on the misery in the country. Their silence and excuses help enable the regime that has brought so much suffering to the Venezuelan people. They do not bring to light an unacceptable situation that demands action.
Socialist workers’ parties and leftist organizations in the West are also culpable. Despite the evidence of widespread misery, they refuse to acknowledge the disaster and support the government. For parties that claim to represent the oppressed workers of the world, the official one-dollar-a-month wage should be a rallying cry against oppression. There is no excuse for their support.
We could also mention Venezuela’s trade partners, who help keep the government in power by providing much-needed oil revenue. These nations refuse to address human rights violations and seek profits. Others like Russia, Iran and China support the cruel ideology that makes Venezuela agonize. All supportive governments should be ashamed of their complicity and repent.
The Shameful Role of the Catholic Left
Perhaps the most mystifying of all complicities is the voice of the Catholic left, the so-called Chavista priests in Venezuela, who support the government. These pro-government religious leaders advocate for the “Bolivarian Revolution” and its “socialist project.” They still idealize the Cuban regime that has long suffered a similar plight, with similar slave wages.
The case of Venezuela should be at the top of the list for those championing the poor and downtrodden. The Catholic left’s complicity with this cruel tragedy is shameful and contrary to the Christian message. These accomplices will especially be held accountable for this sin that cries to heaven for vengeance.
A dollar a month. What a scandalous fact that continues!
The situation in Venezuela is not a typo but a tragedy that must end now. Working with those in the government who imposed this slavery on the Venezuelan people is not a solution, but criminal enabling. The regime needs to be eradicated, and every last slave driver associated with it brought to Nuremberg justice for this sinful crime against humanity.
Photo Credit: © Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com
First published on TFP.org