Much has been made about the Venezuelan government’s provision of discount oil to Native tribes and poor Americans in Maine as well as other Northeastern states. Venezuela also provides discount oil to Castro’s Cuba.

A few facts:

Venezuela is a country of 23 million people and the fifth largest oil exporter in the world. Recent increases in oil prices have given the government a large windfall in revenues. Much of this windfall has recently gone to the purchase of weapons including eight warships from Spain, 30 MIG 29 warplanes, 50 attack planes from Brazil and 100,000 AK 47 rifles from Russia.

Recent statistics released by the Venezuelan government also show that 25 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, three out of 10 children live in severe poverty and one million children are in the work force, including 48,000 child prostitutes. Moreover, 54 percent of the population is in poverty.

Do we really want to accept foreign aid from a country such as this? Obviously the real motives for Hugo Chavez’s largess is diverting attention from serious problems at home.

Bernard Carr

Orrington