Definitely meant the "further left" as in Stone or Penn. I don't tar the mainstream Democrat party with that brush.

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I'm not a huge fan of subsidies of any kind, but one can see why the one for heating oil could make some sense. Better would be to put that spending into infrastructure to get people converted over to alternate supplies. It's a better long-term solution.

As for Chavez's participation, the Venezuelans are still too poor and too underdeveloped to justify sending so much support abroad. Their subsidies of Cuba, Honduras, and others were (in my opinion) unquestionably a case of buying influence, buying friends on international bodies. Meanwhile, Venezuela is still without:

1. a working rail system for goods transport

2. the long-rumored new port for the Zulia chemical plants (allowing the lake to slowly return to fresh water status)

3. completed construction of the Jose and Punto Fijo refineries (would have really helped the balance sheet - Shell could have done in 1/3 the time and with 25% of the people)

4. divided highways for major freeways (a huge waste and a safety problem for many small towns)

5. removal of the damaging fuel subsidy that regressively hurts the poor and promotes some of the worst air quality you'll see

6. good functioning international airports (exception is Caracas, which has improved a bit)

7. improved speed in the ports (literally MILLIONS wasted on this each year)

Had he put money in these areas, the knock-on effect on the cost of doing business and on the quality of peoples' lives would have been tremendous. The ability of businesses to hire would have been improved (reducing strain on the government to pick up the slack).

His demonization of the profit motive was, in my view, an idealogical mistake that is on the level of a fatal flaw. He felt like he could finally construct a working Marxist society where the Soviet Union, China, and others had failed. I don't think a "working Marxist society" is even possible. I guess I'm a bit of a right winger in that area, at least. Private enterprise and private incentive are important.