Cuba Is Slowly Changing .... But For Many They Will Not See The Benefits

Jonas Echevarria, whose livelihood depends on the catch of the day, lives in a shantytown called Little Swamp on the fringe of the Rio Almendares. Credit Eliana Aponte for The New York Times

New York Times: As Cuba Shifts Toward Capitalism, Inequality Grows More Visible

HAVANA — The river where Jonas Echevarria fishes cuts through neighborhoods brimming with new fine restaurants, spas and boutiques, springing up in Cuba’s accelerating push toward private enterprise.

Tattered mansions and luxury apartment blocks speak of old wealth and new. A bounty of private restaurants known as paladares serve pork tenderloin, filet mignon and orange duck to tourists, Cuban-Americans visiting relatives and a growing pool of Cuban entrepreneurs with cash to spend.

These were things Mr. Echevarria, with only a few eggs, some plantains and a handful of rolls in his pantry, would not be having for dinner.

WNU Editor: Another example on how a command economy only brings extreme poverty and suffering to almost everyone. I visited Cuba about 20 years ago .... and I vowed to never go back. I have seen extreme poverty in many places .... India, China, Dominican Republic, etc. .... but Cuba is one of the worse. As to their vaunted health care system .... a friend of mine who was vacationing last year developed appendicitis .... she is a nurse but when she saw the hospital that they brought her to .... she went straight to the airport and took the first available plane to Montreal. I know that Cuba will change for the better when the Castro brothers are gone and the institutions that they put in place to maintain their rule have disappeared .... until then .... the poverty and suffering will only continue. And if you should decide to vacation at one of their luxurious resorts .... my advice to you is that you better not get sick.

Update: It figures .... my GF just read this post, and she wonders if we can go to Cuba next year instead of spending the entire winter freezing in Canada. As she put it .... after 20 years maybe things have changed and a return trip is warranted.

Sighhh .... you just cannot win.