July 26, 6:52 AM
Today, July 26th, is Revolution Day in Cuba. The day when they
"celebrate", if that is the correct word, the start of the country's
descent from a comparatively rich Latin country to a dirt poor one.
Raul Castro will be on hand to make a speech, thankfully it'll be rather
shorter than the hours long rants that his brother, Fidel, used to give
at Revolution Day celebrations in years gone past.
One question that can be usefully asked on such a day is, well, was the
revolution itself worth it? Freedom and liberty do indeed have value and
it's also true that the Batista regime, which the Castro's overthrew,
was not notable for its promotion of either freedom or liberty. It's
also true that communist dictatorships are not notable promoters of either.
Perhaps free health care makes up for the poverty of the rest of the
economy? Perhaps it is the US blockade of the island which causes the
current immiseration of the populace? It is possible to continue with
such excuses for almost as long as one of Fidel's speeches of course but
this AP report gives the true reason for why the population of the
island is so poor, most of the people trying to survive on $20 a month:
Castro already has implored Cubans for more time as he implements
"structural changes" to a struggling economy controlled more than 90
percent by the state.
Now there is an argument, a valid one, that we do indeed need to have a
certain amount of government. It's also true that there are certain
parts of the economy, of the society, where we don't let free markets
rip, where we rightly have a government monopoly. Defense and the court
systems come to mind.
But 90% of the entire economy controlled by hte government? That is
truly a recipe for disaster. Think on it: WalMart being run by those who
bring you the Department of Motor Vehicles.
No, not something for Cuba to celebrate on Revolution Day.
Revoution Day in Cuba (26 July 2009)
http://www.examiner.com/x-14795-Page-One-Examiner~y2009m7d26-Revoution-Day-in-Cuba
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