A Socialist South America Means a Problem for Gringo North America

I'm worried by the trend towards socialist governments in South America. I wrote the following in response to what a friend asked me in regards to Venezuela's President (almost dictator) Chavez's brand of socialism.

For people like Chavez, the move toward socialism is not one of benevolence, but rather, one aimed at the consolidation of power. Despite any good that socialism may bring to the masses, it is even better at creating strong central governments. Using government corruption as his battle cry, Chavez is convincing many Latinos that the time is ripe for sweeping change. The problem for us isn't that he's right (he is), it's that his brand of change is not a solution that will bring lasting benefits.

So far, Chavez's brand of socialism is sweeping governments in Latin America. Bolivia is the latest example of this. Corruption and greed have become so endemic in this part of the world, that the people are willing to do just about anything to end it (along with, hopefully, their resulting poverty). The wicked in power have brought this scourge upon their own heads, and now the people are happily being led down the path of socialistic experimentation that will bring them moderate gains in income (at best), and lasting centralized governments and dictators that will be even harder to replace (at worst). This, to me, is a clear case of the wicked being used to punish the wicked.

The end game for Chavez is to create a powerful Latin American entity. What self-respecting Latino wouldn't want such a thing? Pride and machismo are as much a problem in that region of the world as corruption. I may be generalizing a bit, but that weakness is being exploited by Chavez. The next twenty years may indeed see the rise of a South American super-state. Sure, Chavez sounds crazy and harmless to us compared with Osama bin Laden - but the Latinos in South America don't see him that way. To them, he's a hero. And because of that, he's growing in power right under our gringo noses.

Socialism is a perfect example of how convincing concepts can be when true gospel principles are mingled with the laws of men. Socialism preys upon the very thing it aims to eliminate - greed. It tells masses of people that they can have more by having less. It tells people that if they only give up certain freedoms to a large, central government and benevolent leadership whose only aim is to increase their prosperity, that freedom from fear and financial destitution will follow. It is a hollow lie. While the concept may be close to the Law of Consecration, the administration of such an enterprise is being managed by men. In the case of Chavez, a man who wants to solidify his hold on power. This is why the Law of Consecration is difficult in a telestial world.

Socialist Europe has avoided this fate because its nations were (up until recently), little more than small economic fiefdoms. That is changing with the rise of the EU (but that's another topic). In South America, you have poor countries that have had little respect, suddenly on the verge of greatness in the form of a socialist super-state. The people in this region, en masse, would love to be respected players on the world stage (remember the machismo that is absent in Europe). It just takes a man crazy enough, and willing to tell them anything, to do it. Hitler tried this, but was checked by the west. And now the west's moral authority to check such dictators is waning.

Remember, D&C 87:5 says that in the last days, "it shall come to pass that the [Lamanites] will marshal themselves and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation." I think what we're seeing in Latin America may be the early stages of that prophecy being fulfilled. We need to watch ourselves or again, the wicked will be punished by the wicked.