11 ms·

Why aren't they getting the fuck out now?

• scorpioxy 10y ago
  The ones who were financially able to/had a place to go to already did. But not everyone has those benefits. You also have to figure out what to do in terms of money after getting out(1000% inflation will eat up your savings). Sometimes the devil you know...
• jimmywanger 10y ago
  (Note: I've only been observing the situation from the sidelines, as an armchair economist. I have no skin in the game.) 1) The exchange rates are screwed. It's hard to get hard currency (Euros, Dollars) on the open market, as that goes through the government. Right now, I believe that 1000 bolivars roughly goes for 1 dollar on the black market, although the other commenter can correct me. There are two official exchange rates, one for 10 bolivars for one dollar. That rate you need government connections to get. (It's only for "essential goods" like flour and such) The other I think is about 600 bolivars for a dollar. So if you've saved up 100k in bolivars, all of a sudden it's only worth 1k american dollars when before it was worth like 70k. Venezuela is the only place where your currency has value, no other country would bother taking your notes. 2) What place will take you? Especially if you don't have any valued skills. To emigrate to another country requires a lot of paperwork and money. I don't think you can simply claim refugee status cause you're from Venezuela (yet). Basically, if you're a farmer or former middle class worker without foreign currency holdings or connections, you're stuck. Columbia doesn't want a huge influx of unskilled labor, neither does Brazil or the United States.