When we went on any tours, the guides were quick to point out any
failings of the United States and Guantanamo Bay was mentioned, as in
it's occupied illegally. Some years back Cuban's started to hoard
Dollars, the government made it a prisonable offence to own them and
they then set up what is called the Convertible Peso, which IIRC is
worth 24 of their Peso's. It is the convertible Peso that tourists use,
so Dollars have no use for locals. You have to convert your own currency
in Cuba, you can't buy C Peso's here in the UK. Anything American can't
be used.
As for Castro, he is generally well thought of, the impression I got was
that before Castro there were the very rich few and everyone else was
very poor. Castro made everything state owned, so for example Bacardi
was made in Cuba, but after the nationalization the owner moved it
abroad as he owned the patent. Many of the rich lost most of their money
and in general these are the ones that are anti. I guess there are
similarities to the white farmers of Zimbabwee, but that's another
story. However, everyone has a job and 7% of their earnings is payed to
the government as a mortgage, so many own their modest properties now.
They can't sell for a profit, they can only arrange a swap. So in
someways I can see there point of view, even though I would find it hard
to accept after being used to our own system.
I'm sure Cuba will change, but I hope it is a gradual process as it will
all go horribly wrong. It would be nice to see them being able to freely
travel abroad, but how many would return currently after seeing the
wealth in other parts of the world.
The bottom line with me is you can pull apart both their and our
systems, but neither are perfect, we are just used to what we've got.
One thing I will say, I felt safer there than I do in the UK and
certainly some of the large towns and City's in the USA.
Anyway, let's hope Hurricane Paloma doesn't damage their fragile
infrastructure anymore.
--
Keith (Southend)
http://www.southendweather.net
e-mail: kreh at southendweather dot net