Reply #5: It Doesn't Surprise Me That The Evidence Is Stacked Against The Cuban Model

[Vogon_Glory]

It doesn't surprise me that the objective evidence is stacked against the "Cuban model" of centralized state socialism. Cuba is an impoverished country with a visibly run-down infrastructure that is lagging behind even those of many of many of its neighbors where the old kleptocracies are still firmly in place. I've been to Cuba. I've seen it with my own eyes. Whatever great gains the Castro revolution may have made in terms of social equality, health, and education, I was not impressed with what I saw of the local economy.

I DON'T believe that the US trade sanctions caused it to be so run-down. Whatever the current state of US military pre-eminence even during the last decade of the Cold War, the world has been a multi-polar place in economic terms even while Ronnie Ray-gun was in the White House. That represents over twenty years of missed opportunities for genuine economic growth LOST. The Havana government had PLENTY of alternative sources for capital and trade. The Havana government could have liberalized its economy DECADES AGO, and if it might not have become as prosperous as southern Europe was in the 1980's, it could have become at least as prosperous as Syria or Turkey.

The embargo was and remains the excuse still grasped by Castro-nomics' remaining fans.

Remaining fans of the Castro revolution should go look at Batista-era and early Revolutionary-period photos of Cuban buildings and infrastructure, then compare them to contemporary photos of the same buildings and scenes. The evidence is right there for those willing to look at unpleasant facts.

And another thing. It is by the grace of Divine Providence that Cuba has such an agreeable climate. If they had a climate as cold as North Korea's or drought-prone as Zimbabwe's, they'd probably suffering massive starvation.