Why is Cuba so corrupt?

[CopperGoat]

Cuba is not doing so good right now. the poverty is massive, and there is not much democracy. the reason why is because the United States don't anyone trade with them, including themselves. But what else is there, in communism there is no such thing as private property. is there private property in Cuba?

[Akbar]

people poor in cuba because of amerika, but why you ask?

because casto was dumb to have nukes in his country from the russia. castro made that dumb decison and his people suffer because of him

when he die and people in the cuba have free trade the embargo be lifted

[thursday]

Cuba is not doing so good right now. the poverty is massive, and there is not much democracy.

Lies. First of all, poverty is almost non-existant in Cuba. Look at the facts. Cuba meets all the required standards of the World Health Organization and it has the highest doctor-patient ratio in the world. Furthermore, it sends over one thousand doctors to other third-world countries every year.

In the first few years of the Revolution illeteracy was almost completely abolished. Children go to school and attending Univeristy is not only encourged but free of cost. Nobody is exploited by Yankee clothing corporations in Cuba. Nobody is exploited period in Cuba.

Unemployment is virtually nonexistant and life expectancy is high. Now, compare Cuba with any other third world country. You will see that Cuba is by far a better place to live.

Furthermore I must disagree with both the right-wingers and Trotskyites by saying Cuba is an extremely democratic socialist republic. Elections for regional assemblies were recently included. People elect their locals assemblies and the National Assembly of Popular Power. No rich political parties nominate candidates. Not at all. Candidates are nominated by people's organizations. People actually get involved through the Communist Party of Cuba, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution and other such people's organizations. There are no upper-class private media forums where candidates with money can campaign. All democracy is grassroots. That is democracy.

The National Assembly is made up of members of local government, athletes, doctors, teachers, working people, religious Priests, military officers and many other people from various walks of life. Many are not members of the Party and twenty-five percent of public office officials are women.

Cuba is no paradise, but much of Cuba's problems are to be blamed on none other than the United States. Military coups, assasination attempts, bandit marauders, full-scale invasions, the collapse of the Socialist Bloc. -- all of these typically nation ending events for Cuba but since 1959 Cuba has been socialist. After all of this one would except the nation to once again be ruled by an American puppet, but such has no happened. Cuba si!

Viva Fidel!

[vox]

Akbar has the history a little wrong. The Cuban Missile crisis didn't happen until October of 1962, but the embargo against Cuba was in place before that, starting under the Eisenhower administration in October of 1960 and then expanded to a full embargo by JFK 16 months later in February of 1962, after the Bay of Pigs attack.

vox

[Akbar]

no i no wrong

the cuba is in the mess because of castro

vastro fool and people suffer

and those who thing the cuba is so wonderful then go live there..oh wait there no interent in the dirty cuba

[nz revolution]

Akbar you are a silly child. I dont think the people in Cuba are suffering, Im sure I read somewhere they have some of the best education and they were the only country to pass the WHO (world Health Orgs) test. How is this you say? Because everyone gets health care, not like in the United $tate$ of Embarrasment where the rich rule...

Also.
A revolutonary doesnt run off to another country. At least not without first trying extremely hard to bring a revolution to his/her own nation first.

I plan to go to Cuba, but I want to see a revolution in my own country as well...

[redstar2000]

Yes, there is private property in Cuba. People there own their own homes, apartments, cars, etc. There is also quite a lot of small business: restaurants, bed & breakfast lodgings, taxis, etc.

There are difficulties. One is the "two-tier" economy. Cubans who work in the tourist industry and have access to hard currency (dollars, euros) probably live pretty close to the standard-of-living of any western country--they shop at "hard currency" state stores for the whole range of modern consumer products and they even travel freely abroad.

For many other Cubans, life is much harder. While basic foodstuffs are available, many items we take for granted are rarely on the shelves in ordinary state stores for pesos. You can, of course, buy hard currency for pesos in Cuba so you can shop in a hard currency state store; but the exchange rate is horrendous. A retired Cuban pensioner gets maybe 150 pesos a month; this will buy maybe 6 dollars/euros...not much!

One of the by-products of this two-tier economy has been the sharp increase in burglery and robbery in Cuba. Another by-product has been the enormous increase in prostitution...a source of hard currency for women otherwise excluded from employment in the tourist industry.

Cubans who receive hard currency from family members living in exile (mainly, I suppose, in the U.S.) are another difficulty...they have a much higher standard-of-living than ordinary Cubans, again because of their access to hard currency shops. And, of course, they furnish the core of pro-capitalist opinion in Cuba.

From the standpoint of historical materialism, Cuba "ought" to be just another capitalist country, like Mexico or Venezuela. The tension between what Cuba "should" be and the efforts of the Communist Party of Cuba to create a socialist society is reflected in this two-tier economy. Cuba is ALREADY part-capitalist and part-socialist.





(Edited by redstar2000 at 9:08 pm on Nov. 19, 2002)

[YKTMX]

They also have high literacy rates in Libya, that doesn't mean that's socialist or democratic. Cuba is a dictatorship, Castro has totally bastardized the revolution, the sooner he dies the better. Anyone who thinks its socialist, should pay a visit to the "re-education" centres for homosexuals.

Peace

[kingbee]

thats the problem- all socialist countries see homosexuality as "bourgoeis perversery". it is sad that the tourist apartheid is taking over,but it has got a brilliant health and education system for a 3rd world country.

[YKTMX]

Exactly. These countries were never socialist, if you want a small glimpse of real socialism look at russian after the second revolution, legalized abortion, legalized homosexuality. That's real equality.

[Conghaileach]

The World Bank recently stated that Cuba was a country to be emulated, despite the fact that it has done the opposite of everything the World Bank says poor countries should do for a better standard of living.

Castro aside, there are many good points about the Revolution. The people get free housing, education and healthcare. Cuba has higher literacy rates than even the US. Cuba has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world (equal qwith Canada).

[Panamarisen]

We should say, also, and before any other point, that Cuba is actually, and since more than 40 years ago, suffering an embargo. An embargo today means almost as saying the definitive way of anhilating a country.
You put today Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia, Spain, France, Italy, ..., whoever, under an economical embargo, and it would be a catastrophe to the country.
Cuba is still standing on.
If people prostitute themselves, if people got to struggle that much, in the case of Cuba doesn´t mean it´s because of the political system, but because, obviously, of that criminal, absolutely illegal embargo...!

HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

[thursday]

Any socialist who claims Cuba is not socialist is not a socialist them selves.

No other time in Earth's history have we seen a better experiment with a socialist government. If Fidel's Cuba is such an "island prison" as you right-wingers and Trotskyites make it out to be, then how has the Castro government held power since 1959 despite hundreds of assasination attempts on comrade Castro, CIA armed bandit bands in the countryside, a full scale invasion and US support for anti-Castro terrorist groups in Florida? Could a man running a terror police-state survive all this? Never! It takes an island of eleven million pro-Castroites to defeat not only American imperialism but also attacks from leftists who should stand in solidarity with socialism at it's best.


Cuba is a dictatorship, Castro has totally bastardized the revolution, the sooner he dies the better. Anyone who thinks its socialist, should pay a visit to the "re-education" centres for homosexuals.

Firstly, Cuba is not a dictatorship. Yes Fidel has held power since 1959 and he will until the sad day when he passes away, but he is elected by members of the National Assembly. Why is he always elected? Because he is CASTRO, he is the leader of the Cuban Revolution! Hell, I'd vote for him.

And I really wouldn't turn my back on a true socialist nation based on how they treat their homosexuals. The facts are behind Cuba. Compare Cuba with other third world nations and you decide which is a better place to live.

Fidel lives! Now and forever.

[kingbee]

[quote]Quote: from thursday on 3:52 am on Nov. 20, 2002

Compare Cuba with other third world nations and you decide which is a better place to live.

[quote]

as much as i dont think that cuba is ideal, i think this is a grea point.the system is cuba is so much more beneficial to the people than any other 3rd world country. when people say about the food shortages, do you blame the goverment for food shortages in other countries? despite the lack of freedom of speech, it has one of the best welfare systems in the world for a 3rd world country