The Gonzalezes are home in Cuba this evening. Now Castro is going back to his rants about the US embargo on Cuba, which extends for 40 years now. The only beneficiaries of this embargo are
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Castro, who uses the emnity the US has towards him as a reason to live,
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the other countries who trade with Castro in defiance of the embargo.
Several industries, including the farming industry, want to make inroads in the Cuban economy, but they are stopped. Phamecutical companies would love to profit from the cuban medical program which, although great, suffers from embargo-related shortages of supplies. I say lift the embargo; you are only hurting the sitizens that remain in Cuba.
The main reason the embargo has not been lifted is that politicians are afraid of offending a small but very vocal and well organized minority. It makes no pragmatic sense, since we lose out on potential trade and because the embargo does nothing to further the cause of ousting Castro from power.
Most of the Cuban-American community has either personally fled Cuba, or is decended from those who did. Clearly, they have very strong anti-Castro sentiments, and perhaps with good reason – but they propose to go about hindering Castro in an archaic, asinine way. We should not let them decide American policy on Cuba, just as we would not let a murder victim’s family sit on the jury of a defendant’s trial.
Finally, we are in a unique and excellent position to take advantage of trade with Cuba. With many trans-national Cuban/American families (there has to be a better phrase for that), we already have inroads into Cuban society. Castro won’t be El Presidente forever; we should make our peace with Cuba now, and try to foster some good will.
I also think it’s a great idea to lift the embargo. Tell Castro that we’ll lift it if he allows freedom of travel for Cubans to the U.S. and vice versa.
Peace,
mangeorge
Cuba is supposed to have some of the best bonefishing flats in the Western Hemisphere…
How about this: We lift the embargo with Cuba if Cuba agrees to meet OSHA and EPA standards. We can ill-afford another place for business to run to.
I have to agree with Derelith. We’ve already business running screaming to Mexico and anywhere else they can, I’d bet decent money they’d do it there too if they had a chance. The sad thing is, we could overwhelm the island in capitalism in a few years if we tried. We’d be providing everything, I’d bet.
Otherwise, I don’t care.
Hell, Texas doesn’t even meet those standards. And now they’re whining about pollution. They say that California sent all their smog to Texas. 
Peace,
mangeorge
Here’s a riddle:
What’s the difference between China and Cuba?
Answer: About a billion potential customers.
The point I’m trying to make here is that American big business made a large, concerted effort for free trade with China, because it is the biggest market in the world. Cuba, on the other hand, is a small island nation. Thus, we can “be tough” on communism by isolating Cuba, but still cash in on the Chinese market. Yay, patriotism! Fight against the evils of communism and universal health care! And welfare! And progressive income taxes! And capital gains taxes! Hell, let’s just go back to slavery… then we could keep those jobs in America!
God bless America. Sometimes, we really need it.
That hasn’t already been said.
However, Doc, does this mean you’re looking for places to try out your new boat?
What an idea, Mjollnir.
And if the situation doesn’t change I could probably pay for the whole vacation by just picking up a few passengers…