Striking Transport Workers Clash With Police in Nicaragua

We as policemen are complying with our duties and the constitutional mandate Nicaraguan transport workers clashed with riot police Tuesday in Las Maderas town, 45 km east of the capital Managua, as the national transport strike entered its ninth day. via Inside Costa Rica

[Leck Heflin]

Price freezes produce shortages. Unless the govt is able to subsidize the suppliers and cover their losses, price freezes will fail and cause greater chaos. Of course the Nicaraguan government cannot do that presently. So, even if they do freeze prices who will the government force to sell the fuel at the reduced prices? Even Hugo Chavez has limited means in this area. He is often to eager to promise aid but often this aid fails, or is very slow, to materialize. The Nicaraguan government doesn't have the means of production to generate the fuel themselves, so that's out. The only remedy is to empower the people to become more productive in a free market, increasing their ability to adjust to market prices. Another possible aid would be to enable production of non-food related biofuels. Both are obviously long term and not short term solutions.

[fluke]

hmmm what would Avril do in this situation?

[tucker]

the aid from venezuela goes directly to ortega and not to the government who allocates it-no one knows how much aid-word has it that after the oil is refined in the old confiscated exxon refinery in nicaragua-a large portion is sold to other central american countries and gas is cheaper in those countries than in nicaragua