The rise of Hugo Chavez to power in Venezuela has had a host of negative consequences for the country, the neighborhood, and the Americas as a whole. Domestically, one of the most depressing has been the country’s skyrocketing homicide rate:

Since president Chávez was elected in 1998, the homicide rate in the capital has more than doubled from 63 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants to 130 today. The country has experienced a parallel spike: from 20 to 48. That compares with a homicide rate in the US of 5.6, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Public safety is government’s first and most-important job. All too often, demagogues intent on a radical restructuring of society can’t be bothered with it.