Is Venezuela political unstable?

I lived there in a town on the border with Colombia for a year. I wouldn't call Venezuela politically unstable. However I would say that it is politically corrupt. People have free elections there, however because the rich people don't like chavez and control most of the media they get to have a more powerful on how outside people view things there(how do we get our news as american? the media mostly.) The government there is corrupt because that is just generally how the culture is. I know Venezuelans who told me that before Chavez if Colombians came to work on farms in Border towns when their contract with the farm owner was finished and it was time for him to pay them many times he would just kill them so he wouldn't have to pay(this was apparently a common practice at one time). Chavez fixed that problem. He also Stopped American oil companies from taking 70% of the profit on venezuelan's oil by nationalizing their companies AFTER he offered to buy them out. One thing he uses all that oil for is in trade with Cuba for doctors and medicine in Venezuela. Medical treatment isn't completely free if you need a specialist or brain surgery or something, but for most common ailments it is. Anytime I was sick I just walked into the doctor's office, got treated and medicine, and walked out. But Chavez also does corrupt things and steals businesses from people who are not harming poor people with their business. Many times politicians there steal money meant to be distributed to the poor(both the socialist party and the opposition party) and both parties pay people to vote for their cantidates. The closest thing I saw to political instability there was when a group of indians (guajiros) who the mayor of my town had promised many financial things to, marched on city hall and threatened to burn it down with the mayor inside it if he didn't fullfil his promises. He promptly fullfilled them, by the way. However I simply think that this situation is an example of how common people there have power and how sometimes the corrupt will be brought to justice. But most of the army, national guard, police, and politicians can be bribed and really it is sort of expected. I had a friend who was a cop who hadn't recieved a paycheck in months because of govt corruption on levels higher than him and so honestly I just see the whole bribing thing as a tax to support public officials(cops, etc.) It is VERY different to the system we are used to and it has its advantages and disadvantages. As an american I plan on returning to Venezuela to live. But everyone has to make their own conclusions about the definition of what is "stable"... that is like saying what is "normal". However if you mean do you have to worry about m chaos everywhere? then the answer is no. :) Hope that helped.