"Venezuelans vexed by new deprivation: no toilet paper" by FABIOLA SANCHEZ and KARL RITTER | Associated Press, May 17, 2013
CARACAS — First milk, butter, coffee, and cornmeal ran short. Now Venezuela is running out of the most basic of necessities — toilet paper.
Blaming political opponents for the shortfall, as it does for other shortages, the embattled socialist government says it will import 50 million rolls to boost supplies.
That was little comfort to consumers struggling to find toilet paper on Wednesday.
‘‘This is the last straw,’’ said Manuel Fagundes, a shopper hunting for tissue in downtown Caracas. ‘‘I’m 71 years old and this is the first time I’ve seen this.’’
One supermarket visited by the Associated Press in the capital on Wednesday was out of toilet paper. Another had just received a supply, and it quickly filled up with shoppers as the word spread....
Economists say Venezuela’s shortages stem from the government’s controls on foreign currency and price controls meant to make basic goods available to the poorest parts of society.
‘‘State-controlled prices — prices that are set below market-clearing price — always result in shortages. The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union,’’ said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University.
President Nicolas Maduro, who was selected by the dying Hugo Chavez to carry on his ‘‘Bolivarian revolution,’’ says that antigovernment forces, including the private sector, are causing the shortages in an effort to destabilize the country....
No doubt in my mind about that.
Commerce Minister Alejandro Fleming blamed the shortage of toilet tissue on ‘‘excessive demand’’ built up as a result of ‘‘a media campaign that has been generated to disrupt the country.’’
‘‘The revolution will bring the country the equivalent of 50 million rolls of toilet paper,’’ he was quoted as saying Tuesday by state news agency AVN. ‘‘We are going to saturate the market so that our people calm down.’’
Finance Minister Nelson Merentes said the government was also addressing the lack of foreign currency, which has resulted in the suspension of foreign supplies of raw materials, equipment, and spare parts to Venezuelan companies, disrupting their production.
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Related: AmeriKan Media Eulogizes Chavez
They shit all over him and then didn't leave any paper?
Also see: Capriles insists Venezuela must hold new presidential election
He's what we call a sore loser.
