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> may have a profound impact on millions of Cuban lives in a very short period of time. I can think of some things Raul Castro could do which would improve mil

> may have a profound impact on millions of Cuban lives in a very short period of time. I can think of some things Raul Castro could do which would improve millions of Cuban lives in a very short period of time.

toomuchtodo 11y ago
Would you care to list them? I've been interested in packing a backpack and heading to Cuba for a bit.
- amazon_not 11y ago
  A few freedoms here and there wouldn't hurt. Currently there aren't a lot of things that you can do without involving the state. Merely by removing some restrictions people could sort out a lot of things themselves.
  - the_af 11y ago
    I fully agree freedoms will help. At least some of the restrictions are going away, and some weren't really enforced in later years (e.g. officially no-one can trade on their own and the so-called "black market" is illegal, but in practice this wasn't enforced because otherwise people wouldn't be able to live their lives at all). Some degree of "off the record" trade is allowed... one example that comes to mind right now are the unofficial restaurants called "paladares", hosted in private apartments; everyone knows they exist and where they are located, and they don't get closed down by the police.
- 13thLetter 11y ago
  Allowing political dissent would be a good start. (Are you really not aware that Cuba is a dictatorship?)
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    > Are you really not aware that Cuba is a dictatorship? I am, but I live in the US: we have illegal drone strikes against US citizens, NSA wiretapping against US citizens, and so on (the glasses are rose colored for some). Every country has its human rights issues. Cuba may not move towards democracy as much as we'd like, but quality of life can still be improved for its citizens in parallel with political reform.
    - 13thLetter 11y ago
      > I am, but I live in the US: we have illegal drone strikes against US citizens, NSA wiretapping against US citizens, and so on (the glasses are rose colored for some me thinks) Are you seriously claiming that a government which has been ruled by a strongman for decade and which regularly throws people in jail for criticizing the regime is morally equivalent to the US government in its treatment of its own citizens?
      - toomuchtodo 11y ago
        No. I'm saying every country has its problems, and that to say one specific problem must be focused on before any of the problems can be solved is disingenuous. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
        13thLetter 11y ago
        > No. I'm saying every country has its problems, and that to say one specific problem must be focused on before any of the problems can be solved is disingenuous. Sorry if that wasn't clear. So why is it that we must focus on the problem of NSA wiretapping before we are even allowed to talk about the problem of millions of people being oppressed by a Communist dictatorship?
        toomuchtodo 11y ago
        I'm not saying what you focus on. I'm looking for solutions I can contribute to on the ground. Political revolution is not one of them. I don't have that sort of capital to expend.
  - reis4g 11y ago
    Yeah well, on 2016, the ability a Cuban citizen has to change it's surroundings on certain aspects is probably higher than that of an US citizen with the same aspects/surroundings, so, if proven, is US a dictatorship in a mask? Your statement is at the very least, buggy. Political dissent is allowed, not encouraged. Another thing is the US gov investing gazillion dollars on busting the career of a dissident blogger and hence everybody (lazy) reading shitty news... Why not invest it on the very successful Cuban research on Cancer? A mistery? And if you go to Cuba and talk with Cubans you will see most of us want more BUT love what we have. And in general, we are happy people, look at statistics, look at health charts, education, poverty, suicide charts if that's your thing... so, yes, dictatorship. Also, things have been and are changing... Raul Castro said he would be stepping out after 5 years and I believe he will, and then all the "representative" democracy elections that won't solve anything. Democracy per se is not a good thing, but it is the perfect instrument for those able to influence masses.
    - reis4g 11y ago
      erratum: "dollars on busting" should be "dollars on boosting"

toomuchtodo 11y ago

Would you care to list them? I've been interested in packing a backpack and heading to Cuba for a bit.

amazon_not 11y ago
A few freedoms here and there wouldn't hurt. Currently there aren't a lot of things that you can do without involving the state. Merely by removing some restrictions people could sort out a lot of things themselves.
- the_af 11y ago
  I fully agree freedoms will help. At least some of the restrictions are going away, and some weren't really enforced in later years (e.g. officially no-one can trade on their own and the so-called "black market" is illegal, but in practice this wasn't enforced because otherwise people wouldn't be able to live their lives at all). Some degree of "off the record" trade is allowed... one example that comes to mind right now are the unofficial restaurants called "paladares", hosted in private apartments; everyone knows they exist and where they are located, and they don't get closed down by the police.
13thLetter 11y ago
Allowing political dissent would be a good start. (Are you really not aware that Cuba is a dictatorship?)
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  > Are you really not aware that Cuba is a dictatorship? I am, but I live in the US: we have illegal drone strikes against US citizens, NSA wiretapping against US citizens, and so on (the glasses are rose colored for some). Every country has its human rights issues. Cuba may not move towards democracy as much as we'd like, but quality of life can still be improved for its citizens in parallel with political reform.
  - 13thLetter 11y ago
    > I am, but I live in the US: we have illegal drone strikes against US citizens, NSA wiretapping against US citizens, and so on (the glasses are rose colored for some me thinks) Are you seriously claiming that a government which has been ruled by a strongman for decade and which regularly throws people in jail for criticizing the regime is morally equivalent to the US government in its treatment of its own citizens?
    - toomuchtodo 11y ago
      No. I'm saying every country has its problems, and that to say one specific problem must be focused on before any of the problems can be solved is disingenuous. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
      - 13thLetter 11y ago
        > No. I'm saying every country has its problems, and that to say one specific problem must be focused on before any of the problems can be solved is disingenuous. Sorry if that wasn't clear. So why is it that we must focus on the problem of NSA wiretapping before we are even allowed to talk about the problem of millions of people being oppressed by a Communist dictatorship?
        toomuchtodo 11y ago
        I'm not saying what you focus on. I'm looking for solutions I can contribute to on the ground. Political revolution is not one of them. I don't have that sort of capital to expend.
- reis4g 11y ago
  Yeah well, on 2016, the ability a Cuban citizen has to change it's surroundings on certain aspects is probably higher than that of an US citizen with the same aspects/surroundings, so, if proven, is US a dictatorship in a mask? Your statement is at the very least, buggy. Political dissent is allowed, not encouraged. Another thing is the US gov investing gazillion dollars on busting the career of a dissident blogger and hence everybody (lazy) reading shitty news... Why not invest it on the very successful Cuban research on Cancer? A mistery? And if you go to Cuba and talk with Cubans you will see most of us want more BUT love what we have. And in general, we are happy people, look at statistics, look at health charts, education, poverty, suicide charts if that's your thing... so, yes, dictatorship. Also, things have been and are changing... Raul Castro said he would be stepping out after 5 years and I believe he will, and then all the "representative" democracy elections that won't solve anything. Democracy per se is not a good thing, but it is the perfect instrument for those able to influence masses.
  - reis4g 11y ago
    erratum: "dollars on busting" should be "dollars on boosting"