Venezuela has become a hotspot for government protests in South America. With President Maduro essentially having absolute power, this country is reminiscent of the happenings in the countries we have discussed previously. Much of the protests have come as a response to a staggering 57 percent inflation rate in the Venezuelan economy.
These numbers are terrifying and Maduro's reign has been filled with nothing but controversy. He recently said of protesters, " "If they don't retreat, I'm going to liberate those spaces with the security forces." How easily the use of the word 'liberate' is thrown around.
The latest controversy felt by Maduro's presidency is the arrest of multiple Venezuelan mayors, including San Diego mayor Endo Scarano. Scarano will spend the next 10.5 months in prison for failing to keep protesters from barricading the streets. Scarano is one of the most popular mayors in Venezuela; in 2013 Scarano won his election by over 75%. Clearly he is incredibly popular in San Diego, yet this matters little to Scarano's tyranny.
At least 30 people have died in these protests and over 450 have been injured. On top of this, almost 2,000 people have been arrested. However, very little coverage is being seen in the American media. What could possibly explain this? Of course, the issues in Ukraine are very important. However, they did not get much coverage until Russia became involved. There is certainly room for the media to discuss Venezuela as well though.
Instead, Fox News thinks that Johnny Cash's great niece is more important than the lives lost protesting Venezuela's corrupt government.
Or maybe America is not being informed because ABC news thought that Charlize Theron is riding a Jetski, something that the average American obviously cannot afford.
With the death toll in Venezuela growing, and no end in sight, the American people need to be informed of these issues. Instead, we see stupid stories about nothing leading the headlines of major American news stations while the American public stays blissfully ignorant of issues that are shaping the planet that we live on.
http://www.kspr.com/news/nationworld/Deaths-mount-as-protests-rage-in-Venezuela/21051646_25075592
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/20/venezuela-acts-againstoppositionmayors.html
http://www.cne.gob.ve/resultado_municipal_2013/r/1/reg_071301.html
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