Good vibe but extreme poverty. It once was a jewel. Not anymore

@ James

What nonsense. It was a bloody corporate playground. Fidel and Che restored dignity.

Viva la Revolución!

Regardless of the facts, some people won’t tolerate criticism of Cuba. Some people don’t want to lose their child sex holiday destination and are quiet happy to talk up the regime that protects it.

It looks cool yes, but living in that would be a nightmare, is that what you want?

@Aranthos, It is not that they do not “want” the same commercial shite, it is that they are not “allowed” have the same commercial shite, its a big difference. It is a shame that you idealize the Castro led dictatorship that has kept his nation and citizens in such a repressed state.

It still has the best health system in the world and education system through college and its free. I’ll think u’ll find the reason Cuba has very little infastructure is more due to the massive economic sanctions placed on Cuba in the sixties that continue to this day. There is other factors but that is by far the most overwhelming.

Derek, in reality, free healthcare in Cuba means long queues and bribes if you want to jump ahead and get your lifesaving operation quicker. Not too surprising with doctors earning in the region of 20 US Dollars per month and prices for most goods pretty much western. You can only buy basic food and pay for bus fare with Cuban peso, the remainder you pay for with Peso Convertible, i.e. dollar-like currency for foreigners.

This is a picture inside a pharmacy in Havana I took myself: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/286946/ntc/cuba_farmacia.jpg — It pretty much reflects the state of healthcare.

The US sanctions have very little impact on Cuba’s economy, it’s just propaganda that tells they do.
It’s Cuba who imposes sanctions on Cubans. There’s over 150 other countries Cuba can deal with but doesn’t: Cubans are not allowed to start businesses like you and me are. They’re not allowed to leave the country unless a foreigner pays them off. They are effectively slaves of the totalitarian system.

Raf. I am not advocating Communism, its a shitty ideology the same as capitalism with the same massive corruption but to say US sanctions and the pressure they put on other nations to not deal with Cuba has little impact would be the same as saying economics sanctions by Britain on Ireland would have little impact.

@Raf I heard a similar story from a nurse who was in Cuba some years ago, he said while thinge like Healthcare are free its a bit like everyone sharing the same big empy box of nothing. Shag all use. He said much the same thing, a warm friendly people, held back by and restricted by their own leader who uses PR to make everyone think its the best system in the world.

“its a shitty ideology the same as capitalism with the same massive corruption”

Far from it. Capitalism may have flaws, communism is evil by design. It turned out a tyranny from the beginning everywhere it was tried. It always worked out just as in Orwell’s Animal Farm.

I am saying this having lived in both.

In capitalism, it’s politicians and people on the top where corruption occurs. It is a design flaw of the democratic system, politicians should be walled from business.
In communism, it’s everyone who has encounters with corruption. Literally, everyone. You have to give an “envelope” to your doctor if you want proper treatment. The police tell you what it costs to buy your way out of a ticket. And so on.

During two weeks in Cuba I saw people either bribe officials in plain sight or blatantly steal from the system. It was so reminiscent of commie Eastern Europe and things I saw as a kid there, it was uncanny.

It’s a system that strips people off their dignity pretending to defend them.

As for the US embargo, I’d say the most impact it has is on their own “free” people. You and I are free to go to Cuba, Americans cannot. It is pathetic.

You have to admit though, their propaganda is brilliant :)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/286946/ntc/habana_asesino.jpg

Raf, i am sure u are well knowledgeable on the flaws of communism but u have a lot to learn on the flaws of capitalism if its even called that now, personally i prefer oligarachy. This shit system we live in relies on massive inequality and debt where for example in the US 93% of wealth created in 2009/10 went to the top 1% and 0.001% went to the bottom 40% ( 90 million ppl ) . We, the minority, who live in the first world can only maintain our standard of living due to the vast poverty of the vast majority in the third world, we corrupt them and steal their resources, cause we aint got any ourselves and we use their migrants to do our meaningless jobs. The poverty and death that envelopes the 3rd world is a direct result of the capitalist society. I could go on and on but there is good tennis game on.

How much are the White House paying you?

. I went to chemist all they had in whole shop was couple of boxes of plasters

Yeah, sure