May 9, 2008

Reuters: "Relieved Castro blames 'Idol' exit on inexperience"

I guess 48 years just wasn't enough on-the-job training for Fidel...

By the way, did you see how brother Raul is now letting Cubans buy personal computers for the first time ever? (I had a personal computer 23.5 years ago.) Only $700. Of course, $700 is a gigantic amount of money for Cubans not high up in the government or getting money from Miami. Cuba is really poor, compared to, say, the Dominican Republic.

In 1959, Fidel promised to issue bonds to pay for $1.85 billion in U.S. owned assets that he had expropriated, but, what with one thing and another, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc., that's never been paid. At 5% interest, that comes to $21 billion, which isn't much (for us, but it's a lot for Cuba). At 10% interest that comes to $217 billion, which is a fair chunk of change.

Is there the makings of a deal here? Say the U.S. government offered to pay off the 1958 American debtors with 5% interest and lift the embargo in return for, say, three consecutive free elections over an eight year period, free speech, right of return for exiles, and freedom for Americans to invest in the Cuban economy?

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cuba owes the United States nothing.The United States owes Cuba billions in reparations for the 50 year terrorist war that the United States has and continues to waged against Cubans.

The millions spent on tortuing Cuba for 50 years could have been spent on the "low IQ morons" you have an obssession with.

As far as the Miami Cubans go:throw them out. They have taken over a major Ameircan city and driven out the English speaking white population.

Anonymous said...

One of these dictators that just refuses to get out of our face, like Mugabe. These people are like stuck melodies which wont go away. What's so irritating about the stuck melodies in your mind is that they are usually lousy.

Byrne said...

Do we still know who the debtors are? I can't find any discussion of anyone trading the rights to these bonds. Too bad Cuba can't be like North Korea in that regard.

Anonymous said...

Hey anon:


Cuba owes the United States nothing.The United States owes Cuba billions in reparations for the 50 year terrorist war that the United States has and continues to waged against Cubans.


Why don't you write to your CongressCritter about that, or start a political party with that as your platform.

Anything but the whining, please.

Anonymous said...

I think the only thing that three deocratic elections will bring to Cuba is the pillaging of their resources by American companies. You know, I've long supported spreading democracy, until I realized that "spreading demoracy" simply means allowing American companies in to make profits that would otherwise have gone to the country!! I do not doubt that Fidel loves Cuba(I DO doubt that Bush loves America). I've been to Cuba and it is a very livable country (and a lot of Chinese goods and machinery now), and Havana is beautfiul, and I prefer visiting there than "democratic" Mexico. I'm sorry Steve, I agree with you on most things, but Cuba is better off without greedy American crony capitalism.

Anonymous said...

anonymoustheories says:


I've been to Cuba and it is a very livable country (and a lot of Chinese goods and machinery now), and Havana is beautfiul, and I prefer visiting there than "democratic" Mexico.


So, why don't you go live there?

Anonymous said...

The USA has done enough for the Cubans. If they make it here alive, we let them live in Miami, and eventually give them citizenship. The people who invested in Cuba back in the olden days got ripped off, but after 50 years it is ancient history.

We can't fix Iraq, and we can't fix Cuba. People who invest in foreign countries with unstable third-world governments should understand the risks involved. You might make a big profit, but if you don't get your profits out of the country fast enough, you lose everything. Having the taxpayers bail out the "investors" would encourage more U.S. citizens to invest in third-world countries instead of in the USA.

The USA is now broke, and probably headed into a recession or even a depression. Most of the people who invested in Cuba 50 years ago are now dead. Some of them are alive and well in Miami, and IMHO have already been compensated by having been granted U.S. citizenship.

No bailout for Cuba! "We" didn't borrow the money, and "we" don't want to "pay it back."

Anonymous said...

Cubans get like 10 grams of meat a day. there is serious food rationing.

Anonymous said...

Why should I make sure that investors make money? Losing one's investment to nationalization is a risk of foreign investment.

Perhaps a consortium of investors who want to put money into Cuba could pay off old investors.

Anonymous said...

Why should the old investors-thugs now living in Miami one of ther most corrupt cities in America-be paid off.

These old contracts were never aprroved off by the cuban people during the undemocratic and brutal Baptista regime. These finacial agreements were illegitmate in the first place. This is just an attempt to bleed the Cuban people even more that they have been by the Beltway corporate consensus.

These financial arrangements and business deals from 50 years ago have about as much legitimacy as the finacial arrangements and business deals of the late John Gotti.

bigboy said...

anymoustheories said...
“I think the only thing that three deocratic elections will bring to Cuba is the pillaging of their resources by American companies. You know, I've long supported spreading democracy, until I realized that 'spreading demoracy' simply means allowing American companies in to make profits that would otherwise have gone to the country!! I do not doubt that Fidel loves Cuba(I DO doubt that Bush loves America). I've been to Cuba and it is a very livable country (and a lot of Chinese goods and machinery now), and Havana is beautfiul, and I prefer visiting there than 'democratic' Mexico. I'm sorry Steve, I agree with you on most things, but Cuba is better off without greedy American crony capitalism.”


So the embargo is a good thing because it prevents greedy American corporations from pillaging the country. Let’s maintain it!!! Yes?

But isn’t it the conventional wisdom in some quarters that the embargo, which doesn’t prevent Cuba from trading with the other countries, just the U.S., is the main reason why Cuba is so poor?

Also, democratic elections aren’t needed for corporations-U.S. or otherwise-to pillage (invest)in a country. When Cuba was ruled by a non-communist dictator (Batista) there was ample U.S. corporations investing in the country, and now that there’s been a communist dictator in power, there are many corporations and capitalists investing in the country. The only difference is the embargo blocks U.S. businesses from doing business there, so the gap has been filled by non-U.S. corporations.

Maybe more free enterprise as opposed to socialism is the reason why it is so livable.

Anonymous said...

Conservatives should not be allowed in the room with grownups when foreign policy is discussed.

We either get comments like this:

In 1959, Fidel promised to issue bonds to pay for $1.85 billion in U.S. owned assets that he had expropriated, but, what with one thing and another ... that's never been paid.

Actually, he offered to pay it AND THE US REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE PAYMENT.

Or we get blather like this:

So, why don't you go live there?

To translate: The observation that Cuba is more liveable than Mexico is hypocritical unless one actually moves there (and learns a new language). Too funny. I do wish Neocons were held to this standard, though.

Anonymous said...

To translate: The observation that Cuba is more liveable than Mexico is hypocritical unless one actually moves there (and learns a new language). Too funny. I do wish Neocons were held to this standard, though.

The observation is pure crap which can be demonstrated by one simple fact: there are no private boats owned in Cuba. If your born there, you're trapped there, with few exceptions.

You're a liar and a dirtball of the highest order if your going to try and tell someone that Cubans wouldn't flock to Mexico if they had the chance. Cuba is a shithole where even the most basic necessities are rationed. Period. Anyone who says different is trying to sell something nasty and should be told where they can take their worthless carcass.