RE: Why is Latin America so poor?
I'm very sorry to hear that. What are your own considerations? Would you leave your country and know where to go? Do you have a wife or children, parents, siblings? Where are the many who have already left?
Whether a government is actually exercising its separation of powers in a fair manner can actually be seen, as I see it confirmed, in the way the police behave towards the people. Germany cannot be compared with the USA and I would be careful with other European countries. The police here are well trained and you can't just do violence to someone and get away with it. I often see cops who are decent and behave reasonably. You never hear anything about policemen shooting someone or being afraid of them. On the contrary, I have often received friendly help from them. There is certainly a lot to criticize and the fear of state authority is always evident in large demonstrations, where, however, the people themselves behave heatedly and imprudently, so that fronts arise. Last year's G8 summit was one such example. I don't think much of the hate-spreaders and the pessimists who never see a way out and spread their resignation everywhere as if the world has already perished.
The paternalistic aspirations of the state may be wanted by the majority of my fellow men and so it is up to me to put up with it, because I will not change it if people feel ineffective. This is a problem and I think the most realistic way to deal with it is to do what I think is right and to bear as much responsibility as possible for those I get hold of.
In fact, I assume that people long for leadership, even if this is considered negligent or wrong, because it's only in such a short time that we've come through a rapid technical development that the mentality doesn't fit with the technology. Once fear is the driving factor, many decisions may not be very wise or well thought out.
As I understand from your words, you personally see no room for manoeuvre. You spoke of exceptions: Do you have opportunities to support there? Would you put your life in danger and be willing to sacrifice it? I don't ask for an answer to these very personal questions, because I have no right to your response.
The Venezuelan State, and everything that touches, especially the security forces, conspire against people. The State has a life of its own despite the people, and by controlling natural resources lives without really caring about the streets.
The problems in Venezuela are not due to lack of capacity or training, they are due to lack of will.
If similar situations occurred in Germany, the results would be different, because the wealth of Germany does not reside in natural resources but in human resources, as in all of Europe or North America, so they are disparate situations that can not be compared. From there to tyrants in developed countries are more destructive and oppressive than the tyrants of less developed countries.
I am not pessimistic about the future of Venezuela, as they say, the longest day must have its end, what must happen will happen, nature is not unfair.
Good that you say that. People actually get kind of pessimistic reading and seeing what is bad in the world. We need to attach some hope to it.