Will CP please Define Cuba?

[mustardman]

pARSEly, The question you have to ask is why Cuba is socialist or why have so many latin american and s.american countries tried to go that route.
Simple answer - U.S foreign policy-
The U.S has used and abused many of these countries taking every thing out and putting nothing back - bullying tactics that continually backfire. Because it causes the people to want to be in charge of their own country and this gives rise to leaders like Che guverra and Fidel.
Nicaragua -same thing- people elect a socialist gov't instead of the US puppet ,so U.S arms and trains the opposition party and causes the deaths of thousands - Ronald Regan called them freedom fighters, sure sounds like a noble cause eh ?

Chille -same thing-people elect socialist gov't ,so CIA back and train an army under Agusto Pinochet, assassinate the elected leader and Pinochet is installed where he goes on to butcher ,torture , **** and pillage
(Sure he is a Dictator but at he's their Dictator) When people think of 9/11 in chille they are thinking of Sept 11 1973 when there leader (iendez)
was killed and the brutal regime took over.
The U.S talk alot about freedom and democracy but the truth is they don't care as long as the dictator in power allows them easy access to any wealth their country might have.
Most of The Sept 11 2001 terroist came from Saudi Arabia - one family controls entire country- House of Saud-
However U.S administration is on good relations with Saudi Arabia (due to OIl ) So they don't need to invade there heh how about invading Iraq,
we don't get along with Saddam (even though he was trained and supported by U.S when Iran was common enemy)

So parsley I think we have to remember that the U.S is a great friend and ally BUT when they are doing something wrong I think we have to tell them. They are upset that we trade with Cuba, too bad they should get over the bay of pigs and start trading with Cuba as well instead of trying to starve them out.

[cottonpicken]

New i shouldnt have bothered.
I believe there are 2700 americans escaping to canada-even if you just count the fags.2700 in a country of 11 million is not mass exodus.
Parsly why do you suppose the people rose up and got rid of batista?Maybe the majority was making a few hundred dollars a year when the americans were in charge?
How many countries import food?Lots, even fully developed ones.For you to state people are starving rather than the truth of importation makes you a liar.
Sex trade?Open up your own phone book and go to the word escort.Prostituion has been legal here for a long time.
By the way i'm not the only person who believes the embargo america put on cuba is idiotic-WHICH CAUSED CUBAS ECONOMIC STRIFE NOT FIDELS POLICIES-a great number of americans feel the same way.
In case none of you know who Che is hes the guy whos picture is on a billion shirts,you would know it to see it.I guarantee he will be remembered forever by billions of people.A very interesting figure of history that few on this forum would reconize.

The cold wars over guys you can all come out of your mental bunkers its safe.

[cottonpicken]

Whoops-good post mustardman,accidently overlaped some of your thoughts.

[mustardman]

Hey Cottonpicken don't worry ,I think its going to take a lot more info from us to counteract what looks like an overdose from the "Orielly Factor "

[parsley]

Good Morning,

Cuba has designed their political regime and are enjoying the rewards.

Cuba's political system provides Cubans with $3500.00 per year. I would not want to live on $3500, so the question was, do you? ... and your diversionary answer, by both, was to bash Americans.

Doctors and lawyers and dentists in Cuba work in the tourist industry in order to financially survive. Huh?

No American dollars are allowed in Cuba, so they deal in special convertible pesos. Cubans actively/quietly seek American dollars. Huh? Imagine if Canada blackballed any currency.

The blackmarket economy flourishes in Cuba. This underground open market system is what supplies Cubans with the goods they obviously want to purchase. If Cubans hate Americans, they show it by buying American goods on the blackmarket. Huh?

The Cubans exist under the system they have designed, but meantime, they seek consumer goods, American dollars, exiting, freedom, modernization, technology etc. Cubans can see what economics does for the everyday guy like me. Economics.

I expect more than 'bash the USA' answers.

No system is perfect, but do you want, no, are you prepared to live on, the $3500.00 per year emulating from what the Cuban government has carved out?

Parsley

[northfarmer]

Cp, Mustardman.....have been to Cuba, have toured more than just the tourist spots, spoke to many well educated people there that served my drinks and drove me around because those are the best jobs....

they measure their standard of living by whether or not they have to squat over a pipe to take a dump or sit on a seat like we do, most are forced to the first.....this may be better than a lot of other S American Countries, but not as good off in general as Chile, Brazil and Argentina, of which I have also toured.....

when I was there several years back most could not wait for the old geezer Fidel to croak, most support him out of fears of reprisals, and the public adolation and marches are all a show....the have spies of the government among them and to be known as a non supporter does not bode well...

there will be changes there no doubt in the future.....just like things will not stay the same here or south of the border....

but alas...if our liberal/centrist/ conservative ideolgies in N America do not serve you well there are still some other spots in the world that will have you, but may never let you go once they get their hooks into you....LOL

[FarmRanger]

Communism has been an abject failure anywhere it’s been tried. The only people with a high standard of living under communism are a few elites who keep those privileges by exercising brutal authority. Everyone else exists in an environment where hard work isn’t rewarded, expressing dissent is met with imprisonment or death, and free flow of information is viciously suppressed. Elections, if they exist at all, are not free, nor democratic. If it’s so wonderful, why can’t they tolerate competition of ideas and information?

A previous poster said “The U.S has used and abused many of these countries taking every thing out and putting nothing back”. Yep, just like Japan, and Germany after WW2. /sarcasm off. Germany was actually a good example of a country divided between communists in the east and capitalist in the west. Anyone who knows history remembers the vast difference in standard of living between East and West Germany. Similar to Cuba, it was so “wonderful” under the communists, they had to build a wall to keep East Germans from escaping to the west, and killed anyone who tried.

[cottonpicken]

Farm ranger have you ever heard of a little country called china?The next super power of the world.

3500 dollars doesnt sound like alot but it still puts them in the top half of the global population.And that money goes a lot further down there than up here.

Parsly how the hell can you talk about cuba without mentioning the us.Talking about us policies is factual not bashing.

I'll give you another fact you wont be able to wrap your head around.
Your great southern saviour is bankrupt.

[parsley]

cottonpicken,

Will you will agree that Canadians have a higher income, have more technology, and travel more then Cubans?

Parsley

[cottonpicken]

Only if you agree we are the second largest country flush with natural resource wealth and havent been isolated from the rest of the world by a bully.

Just got off the phone with my brother who was just there and he said there was no anti-castro feelings from the people.