Yanqui Come Visit!

So, a number of friends/readers have expressed some skepticism about our trips to Cuba.  Aren’t we playing into the hands of the Cuba government, they ask. Or, I’m not one of those jock-sniffing secret lefties on Latin America who worship Fidel Castro and Che Guevera, am I?

No, a thousand times no.  Here’s what I believe.  The only thing being hurt by America’s embargo of Cuba are the Cuban people.  A guy at the Havana airport who says he has been to Cuba 105 times (and says that any American can go to Cuba if they want) said that monthly American tourism visits have dropped from 25,000 per month to 3,000 per month (that’s an 88% drop, for those who haven’t cared about math since they graduated).

Many Cubans we met were surprised and happy to learn we from USA.  They presumed we were Canadians (seriously?  I look like I like wimpy Justin Trudeau?  Heck, I don’t even like Tim Horton’s, primarily because their donuts taste like stale versions of Dunkin Donuts).

(If you prefer Dunkin Donuts to Krispy Kreme, please keep your lame opinions to yourself.  On everything, not just donuts.  If you can’t be trusted on donuts, you can’t be trusted on anything.)

Once they learned we are Americans, they asked if we liked Cuba, if we would tell our friends to come, and if we were coming back.  They were upset about the weak tourist activity from Americans, and how it is hurting them and their families.  

The other factor is, I know this is unpopular with some fools out there, but the fact of the matter is, capitalism works!  It’s not perfect, and the oligarchy that ruled Cuba under Bautista was not capitalism.  Socialism/communism – and I’m not sure of the difference, because in history it is a difference without a distinction – fails every time.  

Incentives work.  You see it clear as day in Cuba, where taxi drivers appreciate your business, private restaurants serve delicious food and provide great service.  With the state-run businesses, you don’t know if you are getting decent service or surly service.  

Yes, I over-tipped, but the appreciation from those over-tipped is strong and deep.  Their faces genuinely light up, and then they shake hands with an enthusiastic pump.  Apparently, Canadians are cheap.  Anyhow, I figure it’s our way of trying to pump a little more into these families’ budgets.

The embargo that is keeping Americans from going to Cuba at a high rate won’t hurt the government.  As one Cuban said to us, “Growing up in school I learned that you are the enemy, but you are not the enemy.”  (No, tweeter meme, it was not in a coffee shop with a bunch of hipster Millennials, it actually happened!).  While I don’t think it hurts the government, it definitely hurts the people.

The U.S. can lead by example – the more tourism to Cuba, the more demand for better WiFi, better food, better transportation, cleaner beaches – the better it will be for the people.  Cubans are quite friendly to Americans (sometimes too friendly, as my grifter posts will show).

I am not naive enough to think that if we normalize relations (let’s face it, the Russians were most likely behind the sonic attacks) that the government will fall and Cubans will be free of being spied upon by their neighbors or bullied by their leadership.  But I think the embargo policy has not worked, so it is time to try something different.  I was a big supporter of the embargo, but it did not work.

The more openness, the more likelihood that the Cuban government will be forced to stop jailing dissidents.  The more openness, the more likelihood Cuba will move forward toward capitalism rather than backwards to socialism.

Anyhow, we’ve tried it the other way since the early 1960s, and just because it was the right policy then doesn’t mean it is the right one now.  Capitalism works, let’s give the average Cuban a chance to do better in life.

Socialism sucks.  Help out the Cuban people – go there.  I guarantee you will love it!