Cuba: Why I Defend Socialism
"I am a Cuban who has lived for 76 years, therefore I know full well how life was before the revolution, having experienced it directly and indirectly.
As a result, it hurts me to read so many aspersions cast upon a government that fights tooth and nail to provide us a better life. If it hasn’t fully been able to do so, this is because of the many obstacles that have been put in its way."
Writer compares Cuba to Bolivia and Venezuela, and I think these examples could be extended by others, which Cuba is doing fairly well against. Especially considering the fact that; Cuba was blockaded by the Super Power of this planet for long and lacked the natural resources.
Tough job, good work, imo....
I'm not sure how anyone from Cuba could defend Socialism, except they were in the government. People who worked in government under socialism, would obviously defend it, because their specific lot, got better.
But by any rational measure, any objective comparison, socialism ruined Cuba. You can see in the 1950s, that Cuba was very much a 1st world country. They were driving the same modern cars, Americans were driving at the time. They were living in the same modern buildings, that Americans lived in at the time. They has had a health care system very similar to that of America at the time.
By any quantifiable measure, they had the America standard of living.
While things are improving today in Cuba, for the past decade, they lived as a 3rd world country. They were still driving battered, and beaten 1950s cars, with more duct tape, than metal. Their buildings are patched and boarded and hobbled together, from the 1950s. Buildings routinely fall down.
Latin American Herald Tribune - Death Toll in Cuba Building Collapse Climbs to 4
And their health care system has been horrific. Doctors routinely refuse to report the death of patients, because if they do, they could lose the job they have. Aspirin is so rare, it's like finding a moon rock. People live 3 families in one home, because the housing shortage is so bad.
So I don't know where this guy was, or what job he had in the government, but he either smoked pot the entire communist era of Cuba, or he's lying.
The only other thing I'd argue with, is this myth of the blockade. There is no blockade of Cuba, and never was. America has an Embargo. The only country on the face of the planet, that Cuba absolutely can't trade with, is America.
But this BS that Cuba has no natural resources, and has a blockade against it, is ridiculous.
OEC - Cuba (CUB) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners
Five seconds. Just five little seconds, to punch in Cuba Trade, and find that Cuba has imported $7 Billion dollars worth of goods. And has exported $2.5 Billion dollars worth of goods.
While those numbers seem small, remember that Cuba only has a GDP $6 Billion. Yes, that's right, they are importing more goods, than the entire country produces in a year.
How are they importing so much, if there is this mythical "blockade" of the country?
BTW, Cuba has more natural resources than Hong Kong.
Hong Kong isn't producing gold, nickle, iron ore, and sugar cane, or tabacco. Cuba is.
So this myth that cuba has no natural resource, and is blockaded by the US, all lies. All of it.
There is only one reason Cuba is poor. Socialism. Period.
