Lawrence R. Huntoon, M.D., Ph.D.

The bitter fruit of socialism was recently exposed on the front page of the Wall Street Journal: “Venezuela Is Starving.” Hobbled by economic policies, Latin America’s once-richest country can no longer feed its people.1 The Journal also reported that inflation in Venezuela is estimated to reach 720 percent in 2017, making it very difficult for ordinary people to make ends meet. People rummage through dumpsters hoping to find a few scraps of food to sustain them. Inflation is the invisible thief that robs the country’s people. Venezuelan officials are fond of boasting about their universal health care system, under which all people allegedly have “guaranteed access to treat all their illnesses.”2 Socialist policies, including price controls and currency exchange rules, however, have led to severe shortages of food, medicine, and medical supplies...