AND HE’S THE BAD GUY

[bemildred]

The bad guy, Fidel Castro, has led a country that has eradicated illiteracy. And, the people have access to free medical care, among the finest in the world. Education and most housing is free. Not bad for a tyrant.

On the other hand, illiteracy is rampant in the U.S. Health costs are incredibly high, and most people who are "covered," are only partially taken care of. A few years ago, my wife was hit in a head-on collision that sent her to the hospital for one night. She was covered by insurance: 80%. When the bills finally stopped coming in, the total was $31,000. Great, she was covered, but 20% of $31,000 is still more than $6,000 that we had to pay. Tales are rampant in the U.S. of people who have insurance coverage and then need an operation. When all is said and done, they still have to pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. A few days in the hospital and they lose their houses and/or life savings.

Literacy and health care take center stage in Cuba. In the U.S., 56 times more money is spent on its war machine than on education. And Cuba is an "outpost of tyranny?"

Just yesterday, Fidel Castro announced that the minimum wage in Cuba is to be doubled on May1. He attributed the growing economy as his reason for the move. In the U.S., there is talk of abandoning the minimum wage. It’s too costly say the opponents. Yet, no one is quibbling over the $81 billion that will soon be approved almost unanimously for the war effort in Iraq. As long as one knows what button to push to unleash a missile, the administration considers that person literate. He/she may not be able to write one sentence in English, but that comes secondary to being able to manipulate weapons.

LaGauche is Right