Gracias, Venezuela/ Gracias, Venezuela

Josef Stalin complained that the problem with democratic elections is that you didn't know who was going to win. Last weekend, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez lost his first referendum since he was elected in 1998. Had this referendum passed, it would've abolished presidential term limits (giving Chavez an opportunity to rule for life), given him control of the central bank, allowed him to appoint regional administrators and further eroded property rights ( full information)/ José Stalin se quejó de que el problema con elecciones democráticas es que uno no sabía quién iba a ganar. El fin de semana pasado, presidente venezolano Hugo Chavez perdió su primer referéndum desde que lo eligieron en 1998. Si este referéndum hubiera pasado, los límites presidenciales habrían sido suprimidos (lo que daría a Chavez una oportunidad de gobernar para la vida), así como el control del banco central, designar administradores regionales y disminuir los derechos de propiedad