4 ms·

I suppose I agree. The US' embargo was probably quite tough on Cuba. But I don't think the state of the economy in Cuba can be entirely pinned on the embargo.

by gragas 10y ago

enraged_camel 10y ago
Of course it can. Cuba is an island nation and relies on trade to acquire the vast majority of the goods those of us in the West take for granted. Block that trade and you basically stifle all economic growth. From wikipedia: >>Cuba produces sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans and livestock.[2] As of 2015 Cuba imported about 70-80% of its food.[51] and 80-84% of the food it rations to the public.[52] Raúl Castro ridiculed the bureaucracy that shackled the agriculture sector.[52] Before 1959, Cuba boasted as many cattle as people. Today meat is so scarce that it is a crime to kill a cow without government permission.[53] Cuban people suffered from starvation during the Special Period.[29]
- mzw_mzw 10y ago
  And of course the Communist economic system -- the one that has led to immiseration and collapse everywhere it has been tried, all over the world -- has nothing to do with this. Must be the embargo!
  - enraged_camel 10y ago
    If Cuba had a capitalist economy the result would be the same. Or do you believe that capitalism has the ability to generate essential goods out of thin air?
  - pavanred 10y ago
    China
    - adventured 10y ago
      China had to abandon the economics of Communism in order to produce an economic boom finally after decades of extreme failure. They had to adopt systems of the market economy: private property, stock exchanges & stock ownership, real estate ownership, privatization of the means of production, wealth accumulation, business formation, etc. etc. They hold on to the politics of the Communist party dictatorship as a means to continue their power and wealth extraction (China's political elites are by far the wealthiest politicians on earth, they make the US Congress look like paupers).
    - douche 10y ago
      Trying to apply communist ideology directly in China led to famines nearly as deadly as a decade and a half of war, both civil and against the Japanese. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine
  - icantdrive55 10y ago
    Yea, it's just Socialism. It's horrid. It's always bad. Capitalism hasen't worked out in the little bit of history we call modern society. So--lets just throw all of the theory out the window. My hands are covering my ears. The great capitalist country, the great experiment, the almighty America is the only way. I think about our great experiment when I step over the ever increasing number of homeless. And yes, the great American experiment is still kinda working--for some of you. But maybe, someday, somewhere, a country just might find a communistic model that does work? Then, maybe, we won't be so smugly dogmatic about the rightness of our supposedly Capitalistic system? Hell, my America doesn't feel free anymore. Yes, I can run my mouth, but that's about it. My ecomonic prospects are dwindling yearly. I'm being fined, and fee'd when I open the door to my for great profit apartment. A chit hole where I am forced to live. I'd rather live in a tee pee by the coast, but I can't legally, without paying huge sums of money. Oh, wait--I might be able to live kida free in Alaska? I can't get a loan. My only successful friends are from wealthy families. I'm not yahoo American anymore. And no, I wouldn't live in any of the other chit holes, with the exception of a lot of European countries, Australia, and maybe Japan. Yes--we are still winning the war, but some days our experiment doesn't work for dudes like me. It's always worked for the rich kids though. Why? I can't recall the last Horatio Alger. We had a lot of examples up until the early 80's? We seem to be on the downward slide since though? Sorry, about venting. It's the holidays the paid dude keeps telling me.
  - sctb 10y ago
    Hacker News is not the place for fighting political battles, which this account has been doing much of. We have to ban accounts that post primarily this way, so please stop.
    - mzw_mzw 10y ago
      Fair enough. Can I at least suggest, though, that if you don't want political fights going on at HN it would be a good idea to swiftly remove "stories" such as this one that are purely political and are guaranteed to bring out every ax-grinder on the Internet in the comments?

I suppose I agree. The US' embargo was probably quite tough on Cuba. But I don't think the state of the economy in Cuba can be entirely pinned on the embargo.

by gragas 10y ago

I suppose I agree. The US' embargo was probably quite tough on Cuba. But I don't think the state of the economy in Cuba can be entirely pinned on the embargo.

enraged_camel 10y ago

Of course it can. Cuba is an island nation and relies on trade to acquire the vast majority of the goods those of us in the West take for granted. Block that trade and you basically stifle all economic growth. From wikipedia: >>Cuba produces sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans and livestock.[2] As of 2015 Cuba imported about 70-80% of its food.[51] and 80-84% of the food it rations to the public.[52] Raúl Castro ridiculed the bureaucracy that shackled the agriculture sector.[52] Before 1959, Cuba boasted as many cattle as people. Today meat is so scarce that it is a crime to kill a cow without government permission.[53] Cuban people suffered from starvation during the Special Period.[29]

mzw_mzw 10y ago
And of course the Communist economic system -- the one that has led to immiseration and collapse everywhere it has been tried, all over the world -- has nothing to do with this. Must be the embargo!
- enraged_camel 10y ago
  If Cuba had a capitalist economy the result would be the same. Or do you believe that capitalism has the ability to generate essential goods out of thin air?
- pavanred 10y ago
  China
  - adventured 10y ago
    China had to abandon the economics of Communism in order to produce an economic boom finally after decades of extreme failure. They had to adopt systems of the market economy: private property, stock exchanges & stock ownership, real estate ownership, privatization of the means of production, wealth accumulation, business formation, etc. etc. They hold on to the politics of the Communist party dictatorship as a means to continue their power and wealth extraction (China's political elites are by far the wealthiest politicians on earth, they make the US Congress look like paupers).
  - douche 10y ago
    Trying to apply communist ideology directly in China led to famines nearly as deadly as a decade and a half of war, both civil and against the Japanese. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine
- icantdrive55 10y ago
  Yea, it's just Socialism. It's horrid. It's always bad. Capitalism hasen't worked out in the little bit of history we call modern society. So--lets just throw all of the theory out the window. My hands are covering my ears. The great capitalist country, the great experiment, the almighty America is the only way. I think about our great experiment when I step over the ever increasing number of homeless. And yes, the great American experiment is still kinda working--for some of you. But maybe, someday, somewhere, a country just might find a communistic model that does work? Then, maybe, we won't be so smugly dogmatic about the rightness of our supposedly Capitalistic system? Hell, my America doesn't feel free anymore. Yes, I can run my mouth, but that's about it. My ecomonic prospects are dwindling yearly. I'm being fined, and fee'd when I open the door to my for great profit apartment. A chit hole where I am forced to live. I'd rather live in a tee pee by the coast, but I can't legally, without paying huge sums of money. Oh, wait--I might be able to live kida free in Alaska? I can't get a loan. My only successful friends are from wealthy families. I'm not yahoo American anymore. And no, I wouldn't live in any of the other chit holes, with the exception of a lot of European countries, Australia, and maybe Japan. Yes--we are still winning the war, but some days our experiment doesn't work for dudes like me. It's always worked for the rich kids though. Why? I can't recall the last Horatio Alger. We had a lot of examples up until the early 80's? We seem to be on the downward slide since though? Sorry, about venting. It's the holidays the paid dude keeps telling me.
- sctb 10y ago
  Hacker News is not the place for fighting political battles, which this account has been doing much of. We have to ban accounts that post primarily this way, so please stop.
  - mzw_mzw 10y ago
    Fair enough. Can I at least suggest, though, that if you don't want political fights going on at HN it would be a good idea to swiftly remove "stories" such as this one that are purely political and are guaranteed to bring out every ax-grinder on the Internet in the comments?