In his Aug. 23 op-ed column, "Contained Revolution," Michael Shifter said that Venezuela's performance under President Hugo Chavez has been "dismal."
Throughout Mr. Chavez's time in office, the government has invested in the expansion of education and school lunch programs, health care, and subsidized food, building materials and credit for the poor.
On a recent visit to Caracas, I saw the government-run stores that were built in poor neighborhoods to provide food staples at below-market prices. I also saw the medical facilities and health services that the government provides free of charge.
Mr. Shifter did not mention that economic problems during Mr. Chavez's time in power are partly due to the business-led opposition, which has attempted to sabotage the government through capital flight, disinvestment and business lockouts. After the opposition lost the recent referendum by a large margin, opposition leaders continued their campaign of political destabilization by crying "fraud," though the Carter Center and the Organization of American States found no evidence of voting irregularities.
It's time for the U.S. political establishment to show the democratically elected government of Venezuela the respect that it deserves.
JUSTIN DELACOUR
Albuquerque
