The situation in Venezuela is result of "easy life" the ordinary latin americans generally look for. Here in Brasil the same thing risked to happen four elections in a row when people chose the labor party commanded by Lula and Dilma. The difference is that the entrepreneur class is stronger within politics and Dilma was impeached before things could get out of control, but we were toward the same direction. Still our economy has not recovered from 13 years under labor party rules. Leftists find uneducated people struggling to survive and desperate to get rid from the same entrepreneur class that saved the economy but usually enslaves the population. So promises of easy state-controlled life is happily swallowed and people elects left parties. Venezuela decline started with Hugo Chavez, and now democracy is gone and no hope is left for that population.