I Find This Hard to Believe

So my good pal Hugo down in that "$5,800-GDP-Per-Capita-Utopia" known as Venezuela likes to blather on about how the US is out to get him and that they're preparing for invasion and he will "save" the "people" from that horrible plague known as capitalism (which for a plague has this amazing track record of eliminating poverty, famine, disease and bringing about untold standards of living).

Thusly, I thought I might pull a Norwegian on him and show the masses that without oil Venezuela would be absolutely nothing and to threaten the US with cutting off the supply of oil would mean slicing his own throat.

Oddly enough, I may be wrong. According to the latest GDP and oil production figures put out by Venezuela's Central Bank it seems oil has not been taking up a larger and larger percent of the economy and that there has actually been some viable private sector, non-petroleum growth as well. Oil as a take of Venezuela's economy has actually gone down from 19% to just above 15%.


But, I am cynic.

When a girl says yes to a date, I'm experienced and wise enough to know to apply the rule of 505025.

And when somebody says they want to contract me out, I know not to get excited until not only have they actually contracted me out, but until they gave me a check AND THE CHECK HAS CLEARED!


And when a girl actually goes out on the date and impresses me, I know enough that it's a temporary show and I'm bound to discover 3 dates later some new psychological disorder with its foundings in suburbian 90210-induced hatred for her mother, not to mention some failed-to-be-mentioned-illegitimate-children that were the products of years past, and let us not forget the always reliable Jesus Freak Fanatic that makes radical Muslim terrorists seem quite reasonable.

Oh yes, I know when to be the cynic.

Additionally, my economic spidey senses are tingling about this chart and they've yet to be wrong once.

So my question to those of you who might know something about this, can figures from the Central Bank of Venezuela be relied upon?

I have a hard time believing oil HASN'T taken a higher percentage of Venezuelan GDP especially with the increased social spending and petro-programs Hugo's been splashing his money about with. Not to mention the fact the price of oil has been at historic highs and hasn't seemed to translate into additional GDP. And let's face it, Hugo ain't exactly known for his transperancy in governance let alone government income statements.