Freedom's Retreat

If the one party elections last year where the beginning of the end for Venezuelan democracy, then last night's forced takeover of RCTV by government soldiers may be a sign of the end game. Hugo Chavez has long decried RCTV for its critical view of his government and his efforts to make himself a Castro-style socialist dictator. It appears that the station has now paid the price for opposing his tyranny.

As our petro-dollars continue to fuel Chavez's rise to absolute power, American's should ask ourselves how our own choices effect people around the world. Most of the presidential contenders seem to think that all policy and economic choice happens in a vacuum and fail to realize how the smallest domestic issue in the US can ripple across the globe and affect the lives of millions of people.

The biggest movie of the summer has been Spiderman 3 with its signature line, "With great power comes great responsibility." Perhaps it is time for our policy-makers, voters and consumers to consider that wisdom as well.

Read more about the RCTV take-over here.