Castro admits his economic model doesn't work for Cuba!

[glauistean]

They use the WHO and the ILO for stats.....Not that either of those 2 organizations can be believed.

why do you suggest that the WHO is not to be believed?

[glauistean]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100908/...fidel_castro_5

Apparently Fidel's either lost his mind, or is letting down his guard and being truthful to someone for a change.

In his interview with a writer from the Atlantic Monthly, he admits Cuba's economic system doesn't work....

Now...Eki, pay close attention and read the article. And realize, that this man just admitted to an American journalist that his way doesn't work. Also note that in the article he admits he asked the Soviets to use nuclear weapons against America. Now again, tell me why you defend this cretin?

Is Cuba a communist or socilist country? There seems to be a huge disconnect between what people know what the difference is.

Just an example. Many extreme right wing Americans believe that the Nazi party was left wing because they were known as nationalist socialts. Ergo, they believe that Hitler was a left winger. How idiotic and asinine. From that logic East Germany would been a democracy sinceit's official name was the GDR. German Democratic Republic. Akin to today's Republic of North Korea.

[glauistean]

Because nobody else does. Every story needs also the other side, a view from another angle.

You may as well bang your head against a brick wall when talking to anyone that is of the right wing persuasion that thinks/believes that socialism is bad. Not knowing that basic elements such as police departments and fire departments as well as postal are all "social" services supplied to the citizens of the respectiv countries.

Are the people that pick up Social Welfare checks all lefties, or those picking up unemployment. My lord, there must be thousands of dollars available to those lefties that can pick up all that money that is available.

[Mark in Oshawa]

so what's the big deal.
He just said:
"The Cuban model doesn't even work for us any more."
And I stress the "any more" portion of the sentence that has been ignored by many by just flat saying that "it never ever worked. period."
To each his own but that's not what Fidel Castro said.

When did the Cuban model stop working?
I have no idea, I am no expert -
and of course vop will say that it never worked and again, to each his own.

But I will say that the US model doesn't work any more either.
Just look around . . . . .

It is time for a better combo between the capitalist and the socialist model.
So there!
mokin:

Capitalism doesn't work? Hey..it has had a rough 2 or 3 years...but it beats the 50 years of Cuba. If you think Cuba works, head on down...I am SURE the Castro's will welcome you!

[Mark in Oshawa]

You may as well bang your head against a brick wall when talking to anyone that is of the right wing persuasion that thinks/believes that socialism is bad. Not knowing that basic elements such as police departments and fire departments as well as postal are all "social" services supplied to the citizens of the respectiv countries.

Are the people that pick up Social Welfare checks all lefties, or those picking up unemployment. My lord, there must be thousands of dollars available to those lefties that can pick up all that money that is available.

Cuba is a Socialist country by it's own definition. However, Sweden is considered socialist by their own definition and France is as well. Neither oppresses people in the manner that Cuba has or does. Neither had had one man essentially run the nation under his iron first for the last 50 years.

Cuba is socialist by THEIR defnition. By anyone not with idealogical blinkers on, it is a dictatorship. AT that point, Left vs Right doesn't really matter....except for those trying to defend Cuba's shameful record.

Tony has WHO stats that point out where Cuba stood. Now I find them pretty interesting....and I find it VERY interesting that the average Cuban isn't living anywhere close to even HALF of that standard of living now....and people can still defend Castro.

We wont even get into the people in prison for merely disagreeing politically with Fidel, or the people who die every year trying to cross the straits to Florida either.

At some point, Eki and the rest of you guys who like Cuba can say what you like, since you are all gung ho to provide "balance" but is just being contrarian for the sake of being contrary. The facts don't lie.

Cuba has no free speech, it has no economic progress of any real note, and it is a land where you have no rights that the government doesn't want to give you period. All of you defending this crap live in nations where you have ALL those rights....and live in nations that don't put government run restrictions on your chance to make it economically. You are free to work, educate yourself, vote against the politician in power, create wealth and live your lives. All those are denied Cubans...and why? Because Fidel and his brother Raul thought they were better than Battista.

The record shows Battista was no saint, but he was a geniune democratic soul compared to the blood soaked record of Fidel Castro.

As for the USA, they still give Cuba more than people realize, and if Cuba cant cut with all the European investment and Canadian investment there now, then they need to look towards the Castro's and ask them where the money is going.

The USA should trade with Cuba...I think flooding the island with cheap blue jeans, and other consumer goods all proudly saying Made in the USA would be nice...but then again, The USA doesn't make that stuff either!!!

[Eki]

Tony has WHO stats that point out where Cuba stood.

Or figures that Free Cuba Foundation says are "WHO stats".

[anthonyvop]

Or figures that Free Cuba Foundation says are "WHO stats".

Actually it was a paper vetted and accepted by Florida International University.

You are more than welcome to look you the stats yourself and dispute them if you want.

[Eki]

Actually it was a paper vetted and accepted by Florida International University.

Just because it's on a university server doesn't mean it's vetted and accepted by the university. Students, students' clubs and staff in many if not in all universities keep keep all kinds of crap on their server accounts. I know, I have worked at a university.

[glauistean]

Cuba is a Socialist country by it's own definition. However, Sweden is considered socialist by their own definition and France is as well. Neither oppresses people in the manner that Cuba has or does. Neither had had one man essentially run the nation under his iron first for the last 50 years.

Cuba is socialist by THEIR definition. By anyone not with idealogical blinkers on, it is a dictatorship. AT that point, Left vs Right doesn't really matter....except for those trying to defend Cuba's shameful record.

Tony has WHO stats that point out where Cuba stood. Now I find them pretty interesting....and I find it VERY interesting that the average Cuban isn't living anywhere close to even HALF of that standard of living now....and people can still defend Castro.

We wont even get into the people in prison for merely disagreeing politically with Fidel, or the people who die every year trying to cross the straits to Florida either.

At some point, Eki and the rest of you guys who like Cuba can say what you like, since you are all gung ho to provide "balance" but is just being contrarian for the sake of being contrary. The facts don't lie.

Cuba has no free speech, it has no economic progress of any real note, and it is a land where you have no rights that the government doesn't want to give you period. All of you defending this crap live in nations where you have ALL those rights....and live in nations that don't put government run restrictions on your chance to make it economically. You are free to work, educate yourself, vote against the politician in power, create wealth and live your lives. All those are denied Cubans...and why? Because Fidel and his brother Raul thought they were better than Battista.

The record shows Battista was no saint, but he was a geniune democratic soul compared to the blood soaked record of Fidel Castro.

As for the USA, they still give Cuba more than people realize, and if Cuba cant cut with all the European investment and Canadian investment there now, then they need to look towards the Castro's and ask them where the money is going.

The USA should trade with Cuba...I think flooding the island with cheap blue jeans, and other consumer goods all proudly saying Made in the USA would be nice...but then again, The USA doesn't make that stuff either!!!

Mark, Sweden and France and almost every country in Europe is socialist or has socialist programs. These same programs also exist in the US and as your flag implies, your own country, Canada. They may elect conservative " faux capitalists) in many of these countries , but by and large they are socialist. Is there something wrong with socialism? What is wrong with the principles of socialism? Better than having 2% of the population controlling 60% of the wealth of the country.

You know Mark, most of the wars that the US has been involved in or has helped spark in the past half century has been done so by the right wing capitalist regimes.
Iraq, Iran, Iran and Iraq, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,El Salvador, Chile, Guatemala, Peru,Venezuela, Argentina, Malvina's,Bolivia, Paraguay and many more.

Now Mark, what have any of these countries gained whilst under the thumb or should I say fist of capitalism. Say capitalism in the form of Britain's' throughout the centuries under the guise of an Empire? What have the uneducated gained? What have the poor gained? What have the common people of any of these countries gained? The answer you already know. Death by abduction or through "legitimate" means. No wealth to share and as "Tony" may say, "pull yourself up you liberals by the boot straps".
In these world and our world you get nothing if you have nothing even if you strive as hard as you can. You work all your life to pay for your home only to have it foreclosed on by banks that sell to the highest bidder because you lost your job in this great Friedman experiment that is nothing but a sham. A Bernie Maddof scam. An Abramof scam. A greedy capitalistic scam that has reeked nothing but chaos upon everyone.

Step back and you will see that few and far between believe in the absolute capitalist society that you propose. Socialism is here whther you like it or not and you are a participant.

[race aficionado]

Capitalism doesn't work? Hey..it has had a rough 2 or 3 years...but it beats the 50 years of Cuba. If you think Cuba works, head on down...I am SURE the Castro's will welcome you!

Yo Mark!
What's with the attitude.
You surprise me by being so defensive and implying that I move in with the Castro's.

I do admit it though, I've always wanted to visit Cuba.

By the way, where did I say that Capitalism doesn't work?
I said the current US of A's model is not working. and I am saying this by recognizing that the USA's model has a percentage of socialism in it, not only capitalism.

I attended a lecture in NYC two months ago where percentages were presented to show how these different combinations of capitalism and socialism are working on certain countries.

Take the source of this information as my experience of listening to others giving their opinions about our planets socio/economic situation. Just that.

The US of A, a country of which I am a citizen of, has about a 95% capitalism and 5% socialism ratio.
I live here and I can clearly see that it is not working so well and it is not the "rough 2 or 3 years . . ." that you mentioned in your post.

It is a proven fact that countries that have a more even ratio between capitalism and socialism in their economic model are more relatively stable.
Case in point: Norway, Sweden and Finland.
They are not the richest countries in the world but they don't have a group of very rich people and very poor people. It's more balanced.

These are the % presented to make this point:
USA 95%-5% Capitalist-Socialist
Britain, France, Germany an average of 80%-20%
Japan 90%-10%
Russia - changing every second: 90%-10% Capitalist-Socialist. There are now more billionaires in Russia than there are billionaires in North America.
Who would have thunk it!!
Norway, Sweden and Finland have an average of 60% capitalist and 40% Socialist.
And yes, these are smaller nations and it is probably easier to get to this balance but leadership and attitude do help.

The ideal % according to some - is 30% capitalism and %70 Socialism.

And before rocks start being thrown - these are opinions and please take them as such.

Relax!!!!


Take them for what it's worth, question them, deny them . . . but you can't deny the facts of the relative economic stability of countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland as compared to that of US of A.

The USA does indeed have socialist implementations, like glauistean has reminded us, and some people are going to have to get rid of their fear that the word or concept of "socialism" brings upon them.
This fear has been ingrained in their brains through their history because of "the evil commies - the evil enemies" - all this while they have been enjoying it's social benefits for many years without even knowing it, or wanting to know it.