We Americans honestly don’t realize how fortunate we are when it comes to simple everyday conveniences. We take so much for granted; electricity, clean water, central heating, fast food, indoor plumbing, and yes… toilet paper.
 
Up until the Marxists rose to power in their country, Venezuelans took many of these things for granted too. Well, at least their toilet paper. Unfortunately that commodity has now become a luxury ~ Venezuela reaches the final stage of socialism: no toilet paper ~

Venezuela’s product shortages have become so severe that some hotels in that country are asking guests to bring their own toilet paper and soap, a local tourism industry spokesman said on Wednesday….

Why is the South American country out of such an everyday item? Do Venezuelans use more toilet paper than the rest of us? Is there a greater need to, er, clean things up? Ha! – If that were the case, Washington D.C. would face chronic shortages!
 
No, it’s just another unfortunate consequence of Venezuela’s dictator-imposed evil ideology.

 
Did you ever stop to consider why the United States, and most western nations, enjoy the advantages of modern conveniences over the rest of the world? Federal bureaucracy certainly didn’t invent air conditioning, computers or iphones. Our bloated central government is more likely to stifle any real progress these days with taxes, fees and endless regulations.
 
But the idea of America, the original worldview of our founders, created an environment that fostered freedom, entrepreneurship and inventiveness; which led to an economic system that rewarded creativity, hard work and perseverance.
 
Socialism, communism, Marxism – every form of authoritarian statism, smothers freedom, inhibits self-reliance and discourages innovation. Central planning so mismanages resources – human and natural – that the only thing it ever creates are breadlines. And toilet paper lines.
 
 
[As I noted earlier this year, Venezuela’s tyrannical regime has so ruined the refining industry that the oil rich country now has to import oil!]

 
On the other side of the totalitarian coin, we have the 14th century throwbacks who simply eschew modern conveniences altogether. Muslim countries have apparently avoided toilet paper shortages for centuries – by simply forbidding its use ~

Turkish Religious Body Issues Fatwa Allowing Muslims to Use Toilet Paper 😯 ~
 
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, known as the Diyanet, issued a fatwa that allows Muslims to use toilet paper. However, the department reminded people “that water should be the primary source of cleansing.”

 
Apparently toilet practices have always been highly regulated under Islam (Breitbart provides details if you’re interested). Nice to see them joining the 21st century – at least in matters of personal hygiene ~

“If water cannot be found for cleansing, other cleaning materials can be used,” the Diyanet claimed in a statement. “Even though some sources deem paper to be unsuitable as a cleaning material, as it is an apparatus for writing, there is no problem in using toilet paper.”

Our day-to-day lives in America are vastly more comfortable than they were 100 years ago thanks to our constitutional and economic freedoms; precisely because we haven’t had – unless recently – an all-powerful central government controlling every aspect of our lives.
 
Let’s hope Obama doesn’t turn us into Venezuela in the next two years.
 
Just to be safe, I think I’ll go plant some corn.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related:
Venezuelan Oppression – and we thought Hugo was bad
Meanwhile, in another part of the world… Venezuela runs out of food -and oil
 
Love this headline 😀 ~

Venezuela: You can’t have a revolution without a few skidmarks; ignore the toilet paper shortage! ~

To my fellow Americans, I say: Do not laugh too hard at our friends from Venezuela. There are plenty of stealth socialists right here at home, and listening to them already has us on the path to Skidmark Row. Let’s wake up before it’s too late.