Venezuela Poor Keep Faith in Maduro’s Subsidies as Oil Plunges

For 15 years, it has been a common sight in Venezuela: a bus full of government supporters heading to a pro-government rally. So it was last week on a highway beneath the capital, Caracas, with a few differences. The bus was worn down -- plastic bags taped over broken windows -- and so were its riders. And on the road below, hundreds lined up for hours for basic goods at a supermarket with limited supplies. “These shortages didn’t used to happen,” Eduardo Gomez, the driver, said as he watched. “This can’t go on forever.” More…