Via National Nine News: Chavez puts Venezuela’s clock ahead 30 minutes

“Its about the metabolic effect, where the human brain is conditioned by sunlight,” Chavez said in a rambling, seven hour discussion on his radio show “Alo, Presidente” with Science and Technology Minister Hector Navarro.

Specifically, Chavez said the Law of Metereology will be changed to reflect Venezuela’s new time grid on the map showing it to be three-and-a-half hours behind GMT instead of the current four hours.

Minister Navarro said the longer day would benefit “all Venezuelans in their jobs and studies.”

It seems a tad creepy for the chief executive to be worrying about the metabolic effects of sunlight on the brain of the citizens of his country…

Of course, one has to wonder about the ego of any officeholder who engages in seven-hour long radio shows.

And lest it be assumed that I am being overly flippant, or overly critical because it is Chávez, I seriously do think that things like this are signs of potential problems. When a leader (especially one who is constantly seeking more and more power) thinks it is his duty or right to worry about such minutiae as precisely when people get up relative to the amount of sunlight outside, then we are talking about someone who has a clearly over-inflated view of himself and his role in government. Beyond that, any leader who really thinks his people want to listen to him on the radio for hours and hours on end has an unhealthy and skewed view of his importance. People with an unhealthy view of their importance + lots of power = the potential for serious abuse of power over the long haul.

h/t: Betsy Newmark