Thanks for an interesting read. However, I think I will cancel my one-week trial subscription after the initial 5 days. At 84, I don't think I am up for reviewing the relative merits of Democratic Socialism, Marxism and Capitalism. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, I am familiar with one-party, authoritarian regimes where a small cadre of leaders hold sway over the citizenry. While I feel certain that Senator Sanders, Congressperson Cortez and Mayor Mandani would disagree with me and celebrate the successes of socialism in Cuba and Venezuela, I see it differently.
I'll be sorry to see you go. I'm a democrat and definitely not a fan of authoritarianism or one party states. But for what it's worth Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the United States, provides healthcare to all of its citizens, and its economic problems are largely thanks to a decades-long US blockade. At this very moment, people are dying in Cuban hospitals because the Trump administration is trying to violently strangle the country.
I am a Libertarian. I take note of your comment about lower infant mortality rate and health care. Oddly, Cuba is able to trade with many other countries but can’t because it has little to offer. And they are broke. When I lived there, Cuba benefitted from its proximity to the US. Our country purchased much of their yearly sugar crop at favored prices. So after the ouster of Batista, Fidel and company began their political project by nationalizing many foreign owned businesses and many owned by our companies. Geographically, it never made sense for Cuba to turn to the USSR for support, but they did in large part because Fidel’s aim was always a one-party state with him at its head. Living in Florida, I run into Cubans and all describe terrible conditions in the country. They don’t talk about the low-mortality rate or health care. Like the Venezuelans in the “diaspora” after ouster of Maduro and his wife, I hope Trump, who I don’t especially like, to steer them back to a multi-party democracy. Because of my background, I served most of my State Department career in Latin-America - Argentina, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia. I am perplexed by our stances and disappointed by our supporting causes in half-hearted ways. In Cuba, the Kennedy administration sent the Cuban brigade to the ill-fated Bay of Pigs and reneged on the promise of support. And then we did it again when we supported the “Contras” in Honduras to overthrow the “Sandinistas” in Nicaragua. After that debacle, the “Contra” commanders had always wondered when they would be “Bay of Pigd.” We are a feckless, but powerful nation, and our political leaders toy with other peoples countries and futures. Just my two cents worth and enjoy the conversation….Take care and be well!
Thanks for an interesting read. However, I think I will cancel my one-week trial subscription after the initial 5 days. At 84, I don't think I am up for reviewing the relative merits of Democratic Socialism, Marxism and Capitalism. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, I am familiar with one-party, authoritarian regimes where a small cadre of leaders hold sway over the citizenry. While I feel certain that Senator Sanders, Congressperson Cortez and Mayor Mandani would disagree with me and celebrate the successes of socialism in Cuba and Venezuela, I see it differently.
I'll be sorry to see you go. I'm a democrat and definitely not a fan of authoritarianism or one party states. But for what it's worth Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the United States, provides healthcare to all of its citizens, and its economic problems are largely thanks to a decades-long US blockade. At this very moment, people are dying in Cuban hospitals because the Trump administration is trying to violently strangle the country.
I am a Libertarian. I take note of your comment about lower infant mortality rate and health care. Oddly, Cuba is able to trade with many other countries but can’t because it has little to offer. And they are broke. When I lived there, Cuba benefitted from its proximity to the US. Our country purchased much of their yearly sugar crop at favored prices. So after the ouster of Batista, Fidel and company began their political project by nationalizing many foreign owned businesses and many owned by our companies. Geographically, it never made sense for Cuba to turn to the USSR for support, but they did in large part because Fidel’s aim was always a one-party state with him at its head. Living in Florida, I run into Cubans and all describe terrible conditions in the country. They don’t talk about the low-mortality rate or health care. Like the Venezuelans in the “diaspora” after ouster of Maduro and his wife, I hope Trump, who I don’t especially like, to steer them back to a multi-party democracy. Because of my background, I served most of my State Department career in Latin-America - Argentina, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia. I am perplexed by our stances and disappointed by our supporting causes in half-hearted ways. In Cuba, the Kennedy administration sent the Cuban brigade to the ill-fated Bay of Pigs and reneged on the promise of support. And then we did it again when we supported the “Contras” in Honduras to overthrow the “Sandinistas” in Nicaragua. After that debacle, the “Contra” commanders had always wondered when they would be “Bay of Pigd.” We are a feckless, but powerful nation, and our political leaders toy with other peoples countries and futures. Just my two cents worth and enjoy the conversation….Take care and be well!