Quote of the day: Cuba
I'm sorry to say it, but I think the expression, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore" means, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore."
--Jeffrey Goldberg, after Fidel Castro claimed he meant the opposite of what he said.
20 comments:
Not a very clever "quote of the day."
If Goldberg did indeed distort the broader thrust of what Castro was saying to him, I would fail to see the value in trivializing the matter.
Much more important that this nonsense, is what Cuba announced today in its State newspapers - that 1/2 million (some say eventually a 1m) are going to be laid off. In US terms, that is something like 12-24 million people unemployed en masse by the Government. Say what you will, but this is not an insecure Government. It is one, however, that has come to terms with certain previously taboo economic weaknesses. In a way, this explains how Fidel's statement was both accurate - and misunderstood.
Accurate in that Cuba's economy has major problems (also many strengths) - that are being addressed in different ways right now. Cuban leaders (esp. Raul) has been stressing the need for ec. reform for years. Fidel's autobiography is very upfront about the negative economic issues...
But misunderstood in that the social, tongue in cheek nature of the retort was completely excluded from Goldberg & the media's analysis. The irony of the response was in proportion to the absurdity of the question (about whether Cuba was exporting its Revolution). Only a complete drip would take as 100% serious the notion that Fidel Castro was saying the Cuban socialist economy he built was a wreck. It was a witty reply, with some truth but also laden in tongue-in-cheek irony.
Much more important that this nonsense, is what Cuba announced today in its State newspapers - that 1/2 million (some say eventually a 1m) are going to be laid off. In US terms, that is something like 12-24 million people unemployed en masse by the Government.
Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering if the term "lay-off" really conveys what's happening. Does it really mean automatic unemployment for that many people? Or does it mean that many of those people cease to be employees of the state and instead transition into private sector jobs doing essentially the same kind of work?
Wow, leave it to the true believers to explain the precise context for the Dear Leader's plain words. Sometimes people say things that are spontaneous. The comments may flow from instinct rather than reason. There may very well be no agenda except now having to retrospectively clean up a mess. Fidel has a long career of saying things that he later had to deny or distort. Read DePalma's book on Herbert Matthews and the Cuban Revolution and you'll find numerous examples.
If Castro pukes, leftside rushes over to pull his beard out of the way.
Wow, leave it to the true believers...
Well, if you're worried about "true believers," might I ask you why you don't accuse Greg of being a "true believer" (in the American press) when he implausibly purports to know exactly what words were spoken in the conversation between Castro and Goldberg? How exactly does Greg purport to know that Goldberg's version of what was said is accurate? Unless he has a transcript of the entire conversation, he couldn't possibly know that.
Fidel has a long career of saying things that he later had to deny or distort.
And the American press has a long history of distorting the politics of governments that were not considered sufficiently subservient to the United States. Given the record, there's no particular reason why we should be "true believers" in a guy like Goldberg either.
I'm wondering if the term "lay-off" really conveys what's happening. Does it really mean automatic unemployment for that many people..."
No, you're right. "Laid off" is not the way to think about it. Many (about 200K) are going to stay where they are - just in cooperatives (the barber/retail model). 250K new "self-employment" licenses are going to be handed out (think taxi cab drivers, restaurants, repair services, etc). The rest will be hired by the State in different defined areas - industry, teachers, construction, agriculture, etc. Job-training and social assistance programs will be ramped up, of course.
There will inevitably, however, be some social dislocation. The 1.7 unemployment rate will rise. Some will get "wealthy" in Cuban terms. But no one will be left to their own defenses - homeless, without health care, food, access to training, school or something new.
Thanks for the clarification, leftside. I've never been to Cuba, so I have a lot to learn about it.
"It is one (govt.), however, that has come to terms with certain previously taboo economic weaknesses."
The Cuban government has done nothing yet. There is no evidence that they have come to terms with the fundamental economic problems of Cuba at all. This interpretation of Raul Castro's intentions show how whatever words the govt. issues, they are taken as gospel truth by Leftside.
"Cuba's economy has major problems (also many strengths) - that are being addressed in different ways right now."
The only strength the Cuban economy has is monopoly ownership if you consider that an advantage. I defy you to find a reputable economist who sees any advantage in what the Cuban govt. has undertaken in its economic policies.
"Only a complete drip would take as 100% serious the notion that Fidel Castro was saying the Cuban socialist economy he built was a wreck."
OK, I've been called worse things. Even the emperor can recognize what has transpired after 50 years of state-run centralized planning. He says what any Cuban citizen or honest observer would recognize in a minute. The production of goods continues to fail because "the govt. pretends to pay workers, and the workers pretend to work." There is nothing left to distribute. Buildings are collapsing. Transportation system is pathetic. No food to buy in state stores. Currency is worthless. The only ways everyday people stay afloat are through contact with tourists, family remittances from abroad or thievery. Getting on homemade rafts, contract marriages with Ecuadorans and becoming a jinitero(a) are considered rational economic decisions by the people who live under the tyranny.
Cuba was always a destination for immigrants until Castro. Today, if allowed freedom of travel, the island's population would be devastated. No issue of Granma, words from the Dear Leader(s), or convoluted interpretation from Leftside can change that fundamental reality.
This interpretation of Raul Castro's intentions show how whatever words the govt. issues, they are taken as gospel truth by Leftside.
But you refuse to answer my question. Why should we take Goldberg's version of what Fidel said as the "gospel truth" either?
It seems strange to me that you accuse others of believing in the "gospel truth" when you refuse to recognize your own side's totems.
Read the article--Fidel says specifically that he was not misquoted.
There is no evidence that they have come to terms with the fundamental economic problems of Cuba at all. This interpretation of Raul Castro's intentions show how whatever words the govt. issues, they are taken as gospel truth by Leftside.
These are not my interpretation of Raul's words, Anon. This is real reform. The shedding of 1/10 State jobs and opening of more cooperative and private enterprise tells you they are serious. There's a document hanging in Cuban workplaces today that explains the need for change quite clearly (lagging production, bloated State rolls, ect.)
I defy you to find a reputable economist who sees any advantage in what the Cuban govt. has undertaken in its economic policies.
You want me to find a "reputable" (ie. capitalist) economist who approves of Cuban socialistm? Well what is the biggest economic problem reputable economists in the US are struggling to solve? Unemployment? Well, Cuba has a 1.7% rate. I'd call that an advantage. How about the fact that in a poor country no one goes hungry, no one goes homeless, the people are healthy and well-educated. I know "reputable" economists usually don't care about such niceties, but the tens of millions of poor (and middle class) people in this country sure do. Another advantage - you can actually do work in Cuba to benefit your country, your neighborhood, ect. If your an engineer, you probably work on solving actual problems of the nation, rather than problems of making things cheaper for a corporation. There are very few really pointless jobs in Cuba - unlike here, where finding meaning at work is a fantasy for most.
Buildings are collapsing. Transportation system is pathetic. No food to buy in state stores. Currency is worthless. The only ways everyday people stay afloat are through contact with tourists, family remittances from abroad or thievery.
You have the Miami propoganda down, but that bears little relationship to the Cuban reality. Yes, about 15-20 buildings in old Havana fall down each year. But just in the past day, I counted 4 or 5 reports of falling structures in the US that injured people. Yes, transportation used to be crowded, but the Government imported 2-3,000 Chinese buses a few years ago that has basically solved the intra and inter-city transport problems. Taxis are now plentiful as well. There is plenty of food to be found in State stores - just not always what you are looking for (its seasonal). And where else in the world can one dollar buy you tickets to the opera, a movie and baseball game and some rum on the side? Most Cubans have no tourist contacts, have no remittances and do not have to steal or sell their body - or marry and Ecuadorean. Of course some do, like every other country in Latin America (Cuba actually gets far less remittances than comparable countries, due primarily to US Law).
Today, if allowed freedom of travel, the island's population would be devastated.
For what country in Latin America can't you say that? What if Mexicans had "freedom to travel" across the border without visas and entry permits? And even though it seems like each and every Cuban migrant makes national news, the number of Cubans who leave is actually modest considering that Cubans are the only people in the world granted automatic US residency upon stepping on US soil. Imagine if Mexicans or anyone else had that right? Those countries would be empty.
Read the article--Fidel says specifically that he was not misquoted.
He says he made the particular statement in question, but the problem --contrary to what you and Goldberg claim-- is that we can't deduce the actual meaning of the statement until we know what else he said in the course of the interview. If Castro says, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore," that doesn't tell me anything as to what the Cuban leader specifically wants. Nor does it tell me anything about what he thinks of the "Cuban model" relative to other systems. So, contrary to what you and Goldberg claim, the statement can have no clear meaning until it is placed into the broader context of what Castro was saying.
So, unless you have a transcript of the entire conversation, your claim to somehow know what Castro was really saying is just bogus.
Read the article--Fidel says specifically that he was not misquoted.
But he most certainly was misinterpreted by Goldberg and much of the Western press - as I think I've aptly explained. To put it simply, just look at all the hubbub about all this. Look at the breathless quotes from Goldberg about this being a "Emily Litella" moment - and suggesting that Fidel had just said "never mind" to the Cuban Revolution. I mean come, on... it should be obvious to anyone with half a skull that this is not a good interpretation of what happened.
A proper interpretation of the quip is quite simple, and not very interesting. It is that Fidel once again repeated his concerns about the Cuban economy and agrees it needs fixing, which he has also said before. I think you can take a reasonable leap from there and infer he's support for the changes announced the other day, which is indeed a fundamental change. But not in the way folks like Goldberg think.
Hey Lefty--
Your economic analysis is simply wishful thinking for a beloved illusion. As Raul Castro stated, "We have to erase forever the notion that Cuba is the only country in the world where one can live without working.'
Unemployment rate of 1.7%...pretty silly that you believe both that statistic to be true (a positive economic acomplishment!!!) and that the announcement of laying off up to one million people is a "real reform." I guess these workers will never show up in the unemployment numbers as in Cuba two contradictory facts can be reconciled by dialectical sophistry such as there "are no really pointless jobs."
Homelessness:
http://ricardomedinaen.wordpress.com/
2010/03/24/cuban-family-evicted/
Unemployment rate of 1.7%...pretty silly that you believe both that statistic to be true.. and that the announcement of laying off up to one million people is a "real reform."
Well I'm not the only one. The CIA apparently trusts the statistic as well. Now, it is true that they count unemployed the same way the US does. So there are certainly some folks who have given up looking for official work because they make money some other way...
I don't know how you can argue that it is not "real reform" when the Cuban state sheds 1 (possibly 2) in 10 workers and allows significant private and cooperative enterprises. You obviously don't understand Cuba, or you would understand the significance of this, and other recent reforms.
And are you seriously going to tell me that the Cuban authorities condemning a building as unsafe has something to do with homelessness in Cuba? This, while the Cuban Government repairs the buildings for the family - and had provided an alternate space for them to live (apparently unsuitable because of their kid's asthma)? Since the Cuban blogosphere has not followed up on this "story" since March, I can pretty safely surmise that that it ended well for the family. Get real... I met a woman last night at Walgreens who had just been REALLY evicted by a capitalist landlord because she lost her job. This does not happen in Cuba.
Lefty--
The two countries do not count the unemployment numbers the same way. The numbers from Cuba are thoroughly manipulated. No one of any credibility, the World Bank, foreign governments, academic economists or even the CIA believes that Cuba's self-reported economic numbers are objectively true. This is why no one loans money to this government unless they are willing to lose the amount. Reread Raul Castro's own words and you will realize that your statements on Cuban employment are silly. Lastly, the "real reform" does not count until it is implemented. I don't give political leaders credit for words alone. I wait until the actions take place.
Do I hope the Cuban people get an opportunity to exercise greater economic freedom? Yes. I think there is a consensus that ranges from the departed Milton Friedman to Raul Castro that the socialist system of Cuba must change. It is unsustainable. If these reforms take place, although others are needed as well, it might be a significant and positive step in the right direction.
The problems with Cuban economic statistics:
http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/
PNADL742.pdf
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