It’s amazing! MSNBC posts a NYT article that is critical of Venezuela. Venezuela endures worse murder rate than Iraq. A lot worse. Who knew that things have not been going well in that Socialist Paradise to the south, that the liberals are so proud of?

In Iraq, a country with about the same population as Venezuela, there were 4,644 civilian deaths from violence in 2009, according to Iraq Body Count; in Venezuela that year, the number of murders climbed above 16,000.

These numbers are about 3 times higher than what they were when Chavez took office and started reshaping the country towards his ideals. While mentioning the grim economic realities, NYT of course tries to mention the usual liberal garbage about rich and poor, but only in passing:

Reasons for the surge are complex and varied, experts say. While many Latin American economies are growing fast, Venezuela’s has continued to shrink. The gap between rich and poor remains wide, despite spending on anti-poverty programs, fueling resentment. Adding to that, the nation is awash in millions of illegal firearms.

Finally Chavez’s tactics are grudgingly revealed:

But some crime specialists say another factor has to be considered: Mr. Chávez’s government itself. The judicial system has grown increasingly politicized, losing independent judges and aligning itself more closely with Mr. Chávez’s political movement. Many experienced state employees have had to leave public service, or even the country.

More than 90 percent of murders go unsolved, without a single arrest, Mr. Briceño-León said. But cases against Mr. Chavez’s critics — including judges, dissident generals and media executives — are increasingly common.

Henrique Capriles, the governor of Miranda, a state encompassing parts of Caracas, told reporters last week that Mr. Chávez had worsened the homicide problem by cutting money for state and city governments led by political opponents and then removing thousands of guns from their police forces after losing regional elections.

The article is a good read and I’ll bet that there will be no mention of it anywhere on the Left. The anti-capitalists, dictators and demagogues, are their heroes and not to be criticized publicly. But the naked truth about socialist methods is out for all to see.