One of my favorite blogs, Newsbusters, asked White House spokesperson, Tony Snow, to comment on NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell’s assertion that Cuba’s economic woes come as a result of the embargo. His response:
It’s a direct result of policies that suppress people’s natural freedoms, and their abilities to generate wealth and also to enjoy the incentives to build fresh wealth and opportunity on their own. So, again, look around the world, and socialism is 0-for-history when it comes to producing widespread, profound prosperity.
I’ll try to remember this quote. Pray for Tony Snow to live to be 100.
Ms. Mitchell is not a very good reader of History and should brush up on it. She should read about how the old USSR had to import more than 3 million tons of wheat from Argentina in 1980 since the US, Canada and Australia did not want to sell them any, as punishment for the invasion of Afghanistan in Dec. 1979. This, after more than 60 years of Communism in a nation whose land for cultivation was the world’s biggest and whose harvests of wheat year after year failed to meet its people’s needs. What was the excuse there?
Henry,
As a “business dweeb” where to begin to refute Ms. Mitchell?
Many of the same people claim that the economies of the rest of the world are developing more rapidly than the US and will surpass the US.
Cuba trades with most other nations including such current economic powers as Japan, China and India, and old line developed countries like the UK, Canada, France, Spain, Germany etc.
Do not forget Venezuela’s oil.
Who then would need the US?
The sugar harvest this year in Cuba was only about 1.5 million tons. What was it in 1958, about 7.2 Million tons?
If you cannot produce, then its your own damn fault.
Delaware, where I live, is exporting chickens to Cuba. I’m no farmer but you’re telling me you cannot breed enough chickens? Chickens fidel, that’s not freakin’ rocket science.
Delaware has about 700,000 people and the state produces enough chickens to help feed 11 million Cubans, as well as itself and some other American states.
There is no embargo there Ms. Mitchell.
Something like 37 of the 50 sataes currently do some business with Cuba, according to a recent newspaper article here in The First State.
Ms. Mitchell’s husband is Alan Greenspan, a good Republican economist. She should get an economics lesson from him.
Oh, and Val, while the Heat lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Sixers didn’t even get in.
And while the Dolphins drafted Ted Guinn, Jr and not Brady Quinn, Da Iggles, traded their first round pick to their division rival Cowboys.
Take heart sir.