Cuba our wonderful tropical neighbor to the south has become a popular topic of conversation because of the US congressional visitors that they have recently hosted. It was the long awaited opening that Cuba has been waiting for to push for the end of the US trade embargo that has been over them for decades, and a chance at some more American dollars to prop up their communist regime through American tourism and Cuban family relations.
I think that if we get guarantees from the Cuban government that the income they gain from trade with the US and US tourists be used to improve the quality of life for its citizens that it might not be a bad idea at all to lift travel and trade restrictions with the little communist regime just 90 miles to south of our sovereign waters.
The question to ask at that point is would Cuba actually live up to those guarantees. I think one way to look at the Cuban government to see if we can trust them is to look at their history since Castro regime came into power in 1959.
1) Once Fidel Castro had successfully defeated President Fulgencio Batista and became Prime Minister he had most of those who had followed him faithfully either incarcerated or executed.
2) Most of those who supported President Batista during his Presidency and the revolution were incarcerated or executed as well.
3) After that he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into a one party socialist republic.
4) There was of also the Cuban missile crisis, which ultimately forced a showdown between the US and USSR and prompted the removal of the soviet missiles.
5) The Mariel boatlift, which was meant to give law abiding good people an opportunity to come to the US was instead populated by with criminals by Castro and turned lose on our soil.
6) The Castro regime uses all foreign hard currency to support its military, security, and apparatchik apparatus while paying its citizens in worthless Cuban pesos.
7) Since Fidel Castro’s retirement in 2008 his brother Raul Castro ahs taken over the government and has the very same beliefs and aspirations for the little island nation that his brother had throughout his entire political career.
Now with that kind of information I can only assume that there would be little if any benefit to the citizens of a Castro Cuba than those benefits they already enjoy, if I can use the term enjoy in their case. It appears that the only group that would prosper under the lack of a trade embargo and tourism restrictions is the government of Cuba alone.
That is all I have for you guys today, but it is all true except my opinion, which is of course an educated opinion, I hope you all have a terrific day and I will be back again tomorrow, CIAO4NOW!!!!!
I definitely have to agree with you. I don't think anything will change for the Cuban people even if the embargo is lifted. It's sad...but I believe it's true. Good post Tim.
Joy said...
April 22, 2009 at 10:24 AM
I would definitely say foe, but a fairly impotent one at that. My answer to the yes or no is certainly no also. I don't see why we have to prop up a regime that is obviously blind to the suffering of its own people.
Anonymous said...
April 22, 2009 at 7:04 PM