OK pay attention to this one. Here's a little taste of what it is like to live in a country with entirely too much government. In this case, let's focus on Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, where he has managed to nationalize nearly every major industry.

For the next three months, GM is stopping production in Venezuela. Why? Because the Venezuelan government won't give them enough dollars to import parts. Yep the government won't give them enough money to continue production. So they will just shut down. Where does Hugo Chavez get the power to do this? Simple, he had the government implement currency controls. Back in 2003, Chavez started regulating the access that businesses and people had to dollars. Now, if a Venezuelan wants to import goods or take a vacation, they must apply to the government currency agency for dollars.

So what started happening? Businesses and citizens started transferring money out of Venezuela to the tune of $72.7 billion since 2003. Clearly this had an effect on the economy ñ inflation, less private investment.

So all of this money and investment has left the country. Then what happens? An economic crisis. Oil prices drop, and oil represents 93% of Venezuela's exports. So now, the government has less money for imports. It has to tighten currency controls and ration its dollar supplies. The government starts prioritizing where dollars get spent. Food and medicine take priority while "luxury goods" like liquor, cosmetics and designer clothing are limited or completely shut out. And when it comes to those evil private businesses, they are rationed too. Hence, the closing of the GM plant ñ because the government doesn't view money for GM to import parts and continue production as a high priority.

So what happens now? Well when companies can't get government dollars they turn to dollar-denominated government bonds, which sell at three times the official exchange rate. Now more money is entering the system and .. tada the inflation rate continues to climb. Venezuelans suddenly have less purchasing power. What happens when you have less power as a consumer? Economic growth comes to a halt, and the cycle continues.

You want the Reader's Digest version of all of this? Hugo Chavez gets too involved with his dreams of regulating the free market and seizing private industry. In short order the market is on its way to hell on a sled. Hugo tries even more intervention. The sled speeds up.

Sound like anyone you know?