Doug1943
Platinum Member
- Jan 3, 2016
- 1,243
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I'm no fan of President Obama, but his recognition of the Castro dictatorship in Cuba was the best foreign policy move he has made. If Congress will only vote to drop that stupid embargo, things will begin to change fast in Cuba.
I had a three-week vacation there in November, traveling around the island by bus and staying in private homes. I talked to as many people as I could (not many, with my very limited tourist Spanish, but some people speak English). It was a small, non-random sample I talked to, but I've been doing a lot of reading about Cuba since then, and I think it's pretty clear that not only doesn't the economic system not work, everyone knows it doesn't work. The atmosphere reminded me of the Soviet Union in the late 80s.
Of course, in a police state it's hard to know what people really think, unless they know you well enough to trust you. But I would say the attitude of the people I talked to, towards the Communist government, was more one of exasperation, and perhaps resignation, rather than burning anger.
But I doubt very much that the government will carry on as it has been. The end of the embargo will bring a definite economic boost, but it's not like socialism-plus-trade-with-a-big-country will work, but plain old socialism won't. Socialism doesn't work, period. (Anyway, Cuba has had a lot of trade with the rest of the world.)
Anyway, I believe change will come in Cuba. The American embargo, if it's lifted, will no longer be a fit-all excuse for the regime's economic failures. And intelligent Cubans, including regime economists, know what's wrong: no market. So if there is no soap to buy in Santiago, no one is allowed to make and sell some, or import some, or bring some from where it's in surplus. You go to jail if you try to do things like that.
And here's were our friends on the Left ought to get involved: if the debate really opens up in Cuba about the future of the economy, the question naturally arises: what should be done with all the factories, etc that the government owns? Sell them to the highest bidder? Assign them as private property to regime cronies (the Russian solution)? Turn them over to their workers to run as a co operative?
People who don't like capitalism have a chance to propose their alternatives.
How to do this? Easy -- via the internet. At the moment, Cubans have limited access to it, because there are few hotspots and the cost of the satellite link is high (a week's wages for an hour's access). But more and more Cubans are getting access -- a couple of reports from Al Jazeer give details, here and here .
More importantly, there is a remarkable on-line 'newspaper', available in English and Spanish, The Havana Times, which is written by Cubans living in Cuba (although articles are commented on by people from everywhere). It's amazing, what they get away with printing.
I would urge Americans to go there before everything changes forever. You're allowed to now, and if you stay in private homes (the 'casas particulares'), eat where the locals do, travel by bus, you can have a great holiday for less than $50 a day. People are generally friendly and helpful, the violent crime rate is very low, and it's a really interesting place. I didn't encounter any anti-Americanism -- in fact, many taxis and buses were flying little American flags!
Go see it for yourself!
I had a three-week vacation there in November, traveling around the island by bus and staying in private homes. I talked to as many people as I could (not many, with my very limited tourist Spanish, but some people speak English). It was a small, non-random sample I talked to, but I've been doing a lot of reading about Cuba since then, and I think it's pretty clear that not only doesn't the economic system not work, everyone knows it doesn't work. The atmosphere reminded me of the Soviet Union in the late 80s.
Of course, in a police state it's hard to know what people really think, unless they know you well enough to trust you. But I would say the attitude of the people I talked to, towards the Communist government, was more one of exasperation, and perhaps resignation, rather than burning anger.
But I doubt very much that the government will carry on as it has been. The end of the embargo will bring a definite economic boost, but it's not like socialism-plus-trade-with-a-big-country will work, but plain old socialism won't. Socialism doesn't work, period. (Anyway, Cuba has had a lot of trade with the rest of the world.)
Anyway, I believe change will come in Cuba. The American embargo, if it's lifted, will no longer be a fit-all excuse for the regime's economic failures. And intelligent Cubans, including regime economists, know what's wrong: no market. So if there is no soap to buy in Santiago, no one is allowed to make and sell some, or import some, or bring some from where it's in surplus. You go to jail if you try to do things like that.
And here's were our friends on the Left ought to get involved: if the debate really opens up in Cuba about the future of the economy, the question naturally arises: what should be done with all the factories, etc that the government owns? Sell them to the highest bidder? Assign them as private property to regime cronies (the Russian solution)? Turn them over to their workers to run as a co operative?
People who don't like capitalism have a chance to propose their alternatives.
How to do this? Easy -- via the internet. At the moment, Cubans have limited access to it, because there are few hotspots and the cost of the satellite link is high (a week's wages for an hour's access). But more and more Cubans are getting access -- a couple of reports from Al Jazeer give details, here and here .
More importantly, there is a remarkable on-line 'newspaper', available in English and Spanish, The Havana Times, which is written by Cubans living in Cuba (although articles are commented on by people from everywhere). It's amazing, what they get away with printing.
I would urge Americans to go there before everything changes forever. You're allowed to now, and if you stay in private homes (the 'casas particulares'), eat where the locals do, travel by bus, you can have a great holiday for less than $50 a day. People are generally friendly and helpful, the violent crime rate is very low, and it's a really interesting place. I didn't encounter any anti-Americanism -- in fact, many taxis and buses were flying little American flags!
Go see it for yourself!
