Such a sad situation there. While traveling around latin America, especially Panama and Mexico, I met many Venezuelans who had left to find new lives. The stories they told of their families back in Venezuela were heartbreaking. It seems many of those with means to leave have already left. This also helps create a brain drain which further increases the problems there.<p>All of us in the developed world need to study and educate others on what the policies in Venezuela have done (no, it wasn't the weather, the evil corporations, oil prices or whatever other excuse of the week they claim). We need to ensure other countries do not go down this route.<p>Especially concerning to me is the popular support of Chavez/Maduro and these policies:<p>Jeremy Corbyn, Britain's Labour party leader tweeted: "Thanks Hugo Chavez for showing that the poor matter and wealth can be shared. He made massive contributions to Venezuela & a very wide world"(1)<p>In Spain, a political party gaining major support helped create the disastorous policies in Venezuela (2)<p>Please, those of you who support these types of policies - educate yourself on their effects. And take a look at the reverse, how well the average Chinese person has done as their economy has gone from control to free enterprise (3).<p>People vote with their feet. How many Panamanians and Mexicans are emigrating to Venezuela? How many people moved away from the special economic zones in China? How many of the desperate poor in Florida take rafts to go to the communist paradise of Cuba?<p>(1): <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/309065744954580992?lang=en" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/309065744954580992?l...</a><p>(2): <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/world/europe/venezuela-casts-a-long-shadow-on-elections-in-spain.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/world/europe/venezuela-cas...</a><p>(3): <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_GDP_of_China" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_GDP_of_China</a>