Kamarade Communiste

Autrefois, il y avait l'URSS:

Wikipedia
Economy of the Soviet Union

URSSOne big problem which plagued the Soviet Union's centrally planned economy from the very beginning and especially from 1928 onwards, is the lack of the price signal which told the producers about the consumer's needs at any point in time. Since needs of consumers change constantly it's rather difficult to anticipate them years in advance which is necessary in a planned economy.

The result of this, was an economy plagued with constant shortages in most parts of the economy. For the producers, this meant that many factories, for example, would sit idle waiting for parts or raw materials to arrive because their suppliers, were not able function at their optimal level either, waiting for their suppliers, in turn. […]

For the consumers, the problems which plagued factories and suppliers, resulted in severe shortages of many consumer goods and even basic staple food. Whenever these consumer goods would become available on the market, consumers routinely had to stand in long lines (queues) for the most desired consumer goods and even for such basic staple food as milk, meat, produce and comfortable clothing and shoes. This problem was even more severe outside of large urban centers.

Maintenant il y a le Venezuela:

Associated Press
Meat, sugar scarce in Venezuela stores

VenezuelaShortages have sporadically appeared with items from milk to coffee since early 2003, when Chavez began regulating prices for 400 basic products as a way to counter inflation and protect the poor.

Yet inflation has soared to an accumulated 78 percent in the last four years in an economy awash in petrodollars, and food prices have increased particularly swiftly, creating a widening discrepancy between official prices and the true cost of getting goods to market in Venezuela.

"Shortages have increased significantly as well as violations of price controls," Central Bank director Domingo Maza Zavala told the Venezuelan broadcaster Union Radio on Thursday. "The difference between real market prices and controlled prices is very high." […]

"They say there are no shortages, but I'm not finding anything in the stores," grumbled Ana Diaz, a 70-year-old housewife who after eight hours, had managed to fill a bag with chicken, milk, vegetable oil and sugar bought at official prices. "There's a problem somewhere, and it needs to be fixed."

Gonzalo Asuaje, president of the meat processors association Afrigo, said that costs and demand have surged but in four years the government has barely raised the price of beef, which now stands at $1.82 per pound. Simply getting beef to retailers now costs $2.41 per pound without including any markup, he said.

"They want to sell it at the same price the cattle breeder gets for his cow," he said. "It's impossible."

Comment en 2007, peut-il encore exister des gens pour défendre le communisme… Ça me dépasse !