This is the kind of story that really makes me sad. It's one thing to see communist countries like Cuba, where it's too late to help. But it's quite another to watch the descent of a country into socialism, and all the evils associated with it. Venezeula's Hugo Chavez is following the classical playbook and we, as a country, don't have the moral clarity to speak out against it.
From the Cato Institute:
"Chávez Introduces ‘Good Life Card’, Better Known as Rationing Card in Cuba"
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/chavez-introduces-good-life-card-better-known-as-rationing-card-in-cuba/#utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cato-at-liberty+%28Cato+at+Liberty%29
Meanwhile, check out Jeffrey Goldberg's recent article from the Atlantic:
"Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore'"
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-cuban-model-doesnt-even-work-for-us-anymore/62602/
"...I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting.
"'The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore,' he said."
"I asked Julia to interpret this stunning statement for me. She said, 'He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the Revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under 'the Cuban model' the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country.'"
"Raul Castro is already loosening the state's hold on the economy. He recently announced, in fact, that small businesses can now operate and that foreign investors could now buy Cuban real estate. (The joke of this new announcement, of course, is that Americans are not allowed to invest in Cuba, not because of Cuban policy, but because of American policy."
I love Goldberg's description of this photo: "For now, I leave you with this image from our day at the aquarium (I'm in the low chair; Che's daughter is behind me, with the short, blondish hair; Fidel is the guy who looks like Fidel if Fidel shopped at L.L. Bean):"
Be sure to also check out Part 1 of Goldberg's interview with Castro:
"Fidel to Ahmadinejad: 'Stop Slandering the Jews'"
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-to-ahmadinejad-stop-slandering-the-jews/62566/
"I asked him, 'At a certain point it seemed logical for you to recommend that the Soviets bomb the U.S. Does what you recommended still seem logical now?' He answered: 'After I've seen what I've seen, and knowing what I know now, it wasn't worth it all.'"
"I was surprised to hear Castro express such doubts about his own behavior in the missile crisis - and I was, I admit, also surprised to hear him express such sympathy for Jews, and for Israel's right to exist (which he endorsed unequivocally)."
Amazing stuff. Time changes us all.
Or does it? Shortly after this story came out Castro attempted to take back his comments. From CNBC (you can find this on many news sources, of course):
"Castro: I Meant That 'Capitalist System' Doesn't Work"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/39102590/
"Castro confirmed that he said those words 'without bitterness or concern.' But, he said, 'the reality is that my response means exactly the opposite.'"
Okay, Fidel. Sounds to me like you know the truth and you let it slip, and now your're backpedaling as fast as you can. Maybe I should have made this part of my "Occasionally they tell the truth" series.
And here's still more news from Cuba, from Dan Mitchell:
"Cuba Announces Plan to Eliminate 500,000 Bureaucrats"
http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/cuba-announces-plan-to-eliminate-500000-bureaucrats/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
"What’s ironic, though, is that Cuba is trying to reverse its mistakes while politicians in the United States keep adding more bureaucrats. In other words, Obama wants more people in the wagon and fewer people pulling the wagon. That’s not a good trend line."
No comments:
Post a Comment