Elizabeth Pineda: Pineda and Beef Soup

elizabeth pineda: A retired secretary, Pineda survives on a monthly pension of just 18,000 bolivars, or about 6, according to The Japan Times. She supplements her income working as an astrologer, and although the stars have been telling her Venezuelans are on the road to ridding themselves of socialist President Nicolas Maduro, she doesn't expect him to go quickly or quietly. ; The government is going to strangle us even more with their bad decisions and shamelessness, Pineda said while sharing a bowl of beef soup with two friends, none of whom can afford the 1.50 meal on their own. But as Elizabeth Pineda was stocking up on staples Sunday at a sidewalk market near a Caracas slum, she was bracing for things to get a lot worse, not better. Economists agree that the longer the standoff between the U.S.-backed Guaido and Maduro drags on, the more regular Venezuelans are likely to suffer. The high-risk and seldom-used strategy of recognizing an alternative government that doesn't already have de facto power is tantamount to blocking Maduro's access to Venezuela's all-important oil revenue, with enormous legal and financial entanglements. Maduro, who so far appears to have the backing of the decisive military, has dug in, accusing the U.S. of orchestrating a coup by encouraging Guaido to declare himself interim president and then leading a chorus of nations that immediately recognized his rule. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.