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Smoke this Cuban
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If anyone still thinks utopian political ideologies are a good idea, one should keep in mind that Cuba used to be pretty awesome. In 1958, near the time when Castro and his monkeys came down from the mountain and turned it into a zoo, Cuba had a per capita GDP of $3,170, outranking “all other Latin American countries except four: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela.” Cuba’s GDP was also “higher than any East Asian country or colony, save Japan, which barely beat Cuba at only $3,290. Hong Kong had a per capita GDP of $2,924, Singapore’s was $2,294, the Philippines’ was $1,447, Taiwan’s per person GDP stood at $1,387 and South Korea’s was $1,112.”
Fifty years later, Cuba is one of the poorest countries in Latin America.
That’s the fault of an ideology that sought the impossible and refused to deal with the realities of human needs, human nature, and the human condition. For all the evils of capitalism, it’s a system based on human needs, human nature, and the human condition. It’s the last best way of organizing a society.
HT: AL Daily
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One more diversion
“monkeys”
Gee - Well at least, according to Michael More, they are all healthy!!
Castro and his cronies wouldn’t have come to power if many Cubans hadn’t grown sick and tired of Somoza and his cronies.
While capitalism is the best of all the economic systems around, it is still flawed, like alll human systems are. However, in regards to this post, one should not conflate economic systems with political systems - they don’t always go hand-in-hand.
Take for example our Walmart Overlords: the Chinese. They’ve embraces capitalism pretty well, but still maintain an oppresive governmental system. Sooner or later, the Chinese people, en masse, are going to start wondering why they can make their own economic choices, but not their own political ones. I’m betting the Chinese Communist Party will see the writing on the wall, take their money, and run.
Too bad Somoza didn’t realize this. Could have saved Cubans from decades of Castro.
Fifty years later, Cuba is one of the poorest countries in Latin America.
Excuse me? While Castro’s policies contributed to Cuba’s demise, wouldn’t our out-dated embargo policy have something to do with this? We trade big-time with the inhumane, communistic tyrants across the Pacific, but won’t let Americans spend more than $100 in the island 90 miles away.
It doesn’t matter that people in Cuba make starvation wages, because everybody is making the SAME wages. It’s more important that everybody have exactly the same income, so that nobody feels jealous, than it is for anybody to actually eat. That’s why Cuba is a paradise of contentment.
It is way past time that we lift the steenkin’ embargo.
We trade with China and Vietnam, but ohhhh, no, not Cuba …
“We’ll show you … we won’t interact with you! Harumph harumph harumph!”
The UN Human Development Index which is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide.
In Latin America only Barbados, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Bahamas rated higher than Cuba.
If the embargo was lifted and American tourists flooded the island (and ruined the quiet solitude of Canadian tourists), I’m sure the Cuban quality of life would increase.