Socialism is wonderful, part 3,682,192

Yesterday I posted an article about the socialist government of Venezuela seizing two drilling rigs belonging to an American company.  Looks like that's just the start of a new wave of "expropriation."

All done "for the people," of course.   (Oh, of course).

In the name of fairness.  Of course.

Thousands of Venezuelans lined up outside the country’s equivalent of Best Buy, a chain of electronics stores known as Daka, hoping for a bargain after the socialist government forced the company to charge customers “fair” prices.

President Nicolás Maduro ordered a military “occupation” of the company’s five stores....Members of Venezuela’s National Guard, some of whom carried assault rifles, kept order at the stores as bargain hunters rushed to get inside.

“I want a Sony plasma television for the house,” said Amanda Lisboa, 34, a business administrator, who had waited seven hours already outside one Caracas store. “It’s going to be so cheap!”

And if seizing an electronics store and forcing it to sell its goods at a loss secures a million more votes from "the poor" for the socialist government that's just an accidental benefit.

It gets even better.  A savvy politician (say, Obama) would have denied ordering the seizure of the stores, would have blamed a nameless, "overzealous" underling, so he could later claim to be "a friend of business."  But Maduro apparently loves socialist purity more than long-term planning:

Venezuelan president Maduro appeared on state television calling for the "occupation" of the electronics chain.

"This is for the good of the nation," Maduro said. "Leave nothing on the shelves, nothing in the warehouses … Let nothing remain in stock!"

Daka's store managers, according to Maduro, have been arrested and are being held by the country's security services. Neither Daka nor the government responded to requests for comment.

Does anyone doubt that Obama and the Dems would do this in a heartbeat if they thought it'd buy them a few thousand more votes?  Hell, they *are* doing it, right now:  What the hell do you think "free" medical care, "free" cell phones and all the other "free" giveaways are about?