A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I get off on '57 Chevies!

Unfortunately, to the hard core commies this is a feature, not a bug.

Havana - Cuba , is not socialism. It is communism. We should be abetting Castro and company as they try to soften their image.

But,but,but. Can't you see all the happy people in Cuba? They are all equal! And they are not in chains,like the mean,nasty GOP wants to do to Americans.
Lets all cheer for communism,ala phil and queerbecer.
And phil will be along to tell us how farmers in Cuba are better off,and aren't welfare bums in 3..2...

"I get off on '57 Chevies" Thomas L

I see a 53-? FORD not a Chev!

Slap Shot. It's a Pontiac....Poor old n&^ger thinks it's a Cadallac

Capitalism and socialism are not mutually exclusive.

The best is to mix socialism and capitalism together then add a little bit of culture (alcohol) and you get the best cocktail ever.

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Sir Winston Churchill

Slap Shot: It's a Clapton song. I was being a tad facetious.

And yet the teachers still teach our kids that Cuba is a paradise and that places like Hong Kong are Hell on Earth. The kids believe it, at least my 17 year old son does, and the myth continues. (My son is discovering that capitalism is a pretty good thing now that he is actually making real money.)

Where's the before and after photos of Detroit?

I've never found talking to socialists to be terribly productive particularly as it comes to who is happier etc. since that's invariably the subject into which they attempt to misdirect the discussion i.e. pick some very vague parameter which is extremely subjective and make an emotional argument. Rather, I point out that the one thing socialism promises i.e. material well being is the one thing it most abjectly fails to deliver. And the historical head to head comparisons e.g. North vs South Korea, East vs West Germany, Taiwan vs mainland China have proven the superiority (all other things being equal) of price-regulated market economies over central planning.

After the Castro Brothers go to wherever dead Commie tyrants go (I have my guess but that's His call, not mine), one big business opportunity will be "mining" Cuba for 50's American cars. There's a huge, very lucrative market for restored 50's cars and properly done, this could be a very profitable business opportunity. Just in this one photo, I see 3 potential restoral jobs (not counting the blue Fiat POS).

Unfortunately these pictures do not show the behind the scenes real affects on people of what socialism does to the population, such as the killing labour camps, the hopeless lethargy, the brainwashing of the children, turning the children against their parents, and many more.

If the NDP would achieve power federally in
Canada, their ultimate aim as stated in their constitution is shown in the following Brian Lilley and John Robson Sun News segment.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/1828528834001

You've got to admire how Cubans blame the American embargo for the hole they are in. They've been able to trade with the rest of the world but their economy is so bad even Ladas didn't replace the old Chevies. If they are smart they can trade with the U.S.. I'm pretty sure they get American oilfield equipment through Canada.

EskIMO: now detroit, that's what socialism looks like.

Eskimo, Detroit was destroyed by unions. Unions are socialist not capitalist activities.

Unions drove up the costs of Production far beyond the capacity of the consumer to pay for those products. And decimated any profits which would have been put back, via Investment, into maintenance of equipment, development of new ideas and technology and hiring more workers. That's the legacy of unions. They've destroyed an entire industry - and then, expect the taxpayer, the consumer who cannot afford their products, to bail them out!

Unions switched the focus of an industry from benefiting and developing its products and services, to benefiting its workers. Wages rose above that of non-unionized factories. Benefits and pensions rose to two to three times that found in other industries, and these are not taxed. The sheer cost, the incredible cost of this focus-on-the-employee meant that the actual production of goods collapsed.

That is the legacy of unions. Parasites on workers and eventual total destruction of workers.

Dave in Pa.

Doubt there will be much money to be made "repatriating" vintage U.S. cars from Cuba to the U.S.A. Since parts have been unavailable there for so long, the cars are cobbled-together, and held together by paint and body filler. That '55 Ford in the picture may well have a Russian tractor engine in it.

Cuban cars have been used up, worn out, rebuilt; used up worn out, rebuilt again and again. They look nifty in a tourist picture, but Canadian car guys who have been there say you wouldn't want to own one.

Ken(Kulak);
Here in BC the LIbel party has already insitutitionalized child rearing. Pre-schooling starts as young as 3 years old and full day pre-school at 4. No mistake at the DNC when attendees were asked about the role of government in their lives. Not only was it viewed as good but also necessary and a 'right'. I don't think there is a political party which doesn't want access to children to mold their thinking.

The problem isn't that the USA does not want trade with Cuba. The USA trades in agricultural goods with Cuba for cash only, and are likely the largest trade partner with Cuba in spite of what the legislation says. Japan "forgave" its cuban debt a couple of years ago when it became obvious that Cuba would never pay this back..

Americans have + $6 billion in private property claims against the cuban government, for property that was seized when communism was wrought on the island.
"The whole embargo was started over property being taken from American citizens," he says. "Over time human rights and democracy issues have grown more and more important.

"http://babalublog.com/2012/03/pursuing-property-stolen-by-the-castro-dictatorship/

Cuba is an economic basket case - they have had open trade with China and Russia for decades but none of the wealth trickles down to the working class. I suspect the Castro Bros. run a mafia like racket and skim a big chunk of change off the top of every major transaction that passes through the Cuban (their) bank.

Yes. They're so happy in Cuba that some attempt to cross open ocean waters to the evil state of Florida by any floating means possible.

It's also why vacationers to the Communist beaches of Cuba must take toothbrushes and aspirin and any other small items with them to provide the basics to the happy people.

This accomplishes three things. One, it is a help. Two, it points out the total depravity of a system which allows Castro to be worth an estimated $800 million and "his people" to need a handout of toothbrushes. Three, it allows "our people" to mollify our conscience when we go to relax in the sun.

"Foreigners who would like to establish business ventures in Castrolandia find themselves unable to make the leap once they find out that the military junta who runs the place will not allow them to own or control whatever they create. They are also driven insane by red tape, ever-shifting regulations, and eternal delays.

Imagine a child who brings his toys to some other kid's house and is immediately told that those toys don't belong to him any longer, and that all games played in that household can only follow the rules set by the kid who lives there. Child after child goes to play there, and goes back home empty-handed, stripped of his toys, after losing every game due to the fact that the greedy playmate always changed the rules to his advantage. After a while no one comes to play at that house. And the kid who lives there complains loudly that he has no friends and no one to play with."

"Welcome to Castrolandia"

http://babalublog.com/2012/09/ay-mami-no-quieren-jugar-conmigo-oh-mommy-they-wont-play-with-me/

The cuban government cheats people of their dignity, of their profits for work they've done, and most importantly, of their freedom. That's why they're poor.

Yes, but the photos don't show the crowds of happy Cubans revelling in their uncrowded paradise. HK looks like an overbuilt nightmare.

I've spoken to several Canadians who have vacationed in Cuba,and all of them describe it as a socialist paradise. They've said there is no sign of oppression,and the Cuban people seem happy with their life.

All those vacationers were good Canadian Union members,mostly public service Unions,so surely they wouldn't lie to me ,would they?

I just assume Canadian Unions hand out rose colored glasses to members about to visit a communist Country. Wonder what they'd think of North Korea.

Hong Kong is an absolute joy to visit with incredible subways and a brilliantly designed airport where we landed and we in our cab on the new highway in 45 minutes. Been there twice and would recommend it to anyone as a travel destination.

dmorris said: "All those vacationers were good Canadian Union members,mostly public service Unions,so surely they wouldn't lie to me ,would they?"

Relatives of mine went. They said it was -really- nice along the beach. Not at all nice two to three miles inland, where the servants lived.

So if the gullible union members stayed in the Potemkin Villages where they were supposed to, they wouldn't know any better. And when was the last time you saw a union goof that would walk a fifty yards farther than he absolutely had to?

ET, I disagree. Unions are socialism perfected. It's the ultimate portrayal of Orwell's Animal Farm in that some animals (union brass, shop steward, etc) are more equal than those on the floor.

Or better yet, tell someone who works in a public sector job, who busts his hump all day long, prefers to stand on his own merrits and abilities that his "bretheren" that screw the pooch all day and rely on the union to protect therir lazy asses, that said pooch screwing is somehow capitalistic.

It's host and parasite. Except socialism needs the parasite to survive.

I agree Detroit was destroyed by unions, but don't forget about several heaping helpfuls of Democrat rule and renewal programs stirred into that $hithole.

@ phil

When the Berlin Wall fell, in which direction did the people run?

Eskimo "don't forget about several heaping helpfuls of Democrat rule and renewal programs stirred into that $hithole."

Why are the "projects" always much worse than the slums they replace? I assume it's because people have nothing invested in their homes - like an urban Indian reserve.

'To the socialized welfare states of the west.' - yes, and it was still a major right turn.

(BTW, the lead car in the pic is a '56 Ford)

Hong Cong looks like the city of the future. Detroit a scene from a Mad Max movie.
You choose. Socialism with its decay, or Capitalism with its growth.

phil @ 1.29 pm.
Scroll down to the second last photo at your link, I love the Tv dishes on top of the public housing. What is it that Kate says about all those wide screen Tv's in public housing?

There is an unspeakably ugly side to Hong Kong too. People forced to live in tiny cages, and an overall willingness to engage in backstabbing viciousness that permeates most human interactions, area couple of examples. though those things may be more to do with culture than economics.

Eskimo: cite the case where this "socialism perfected" is growing in popularity and it out-comPeting more liberalized labour systems.

Edward teach "people forced to live in tiny cages" really? Do cite some evidence of that.

Eskimo - what are you disagreeing with? I said that unions are socialist. NOT capitalist. You said that unions are socialism perfected. So, what's there to disagree about?

As for an individual public service worker, who is working hard, he'll be harassed by the other workers who don't want that competition.

And the public sector is not capitalistic; it's socialist. I think you misunderstood my post.

Another good comparison would be Thailand and Vietnam. Things only began to improve in Vietnam when the politburo began to allow the million Vietnamese who escaped to start sending money from Canada, the USA and Australia back to relatives in Vietnam so that they could start private businesses. Saving Thailand was the reason that the US fought the communists in Vietnam proving that the 'domino theory' was valid.

ET, my mistake. I did misread your original post.

Damn, they should rename Hong Kong.
Reagan springs to mind.
里根 there.

That Phil, he's causin us a mess of trouble down on the farm. Shane, little Johnie's friend, has a laptop thing and he shows John the words Phil wrote and then Johnnie tells me about it and now John wants us to get a TV with more than 1 channel. Don't get me wrong, Johnie he's good boy but his head is gettin fulled up with crazy ideers. Why just the other day he told me the kids at school told him eelectricity came to farms even where Tommy Douglas wasn't the Premier.

Not really a fair comparison, is it now? Cuba has been under an American blockade for nearly half a century that has choked that country.

Capitalism may very well be superior to communism/socialism for creating wealth, and I personally believe it is, but you can't kid yourself into thinking that the comparison you've made is an accurate measure.

Oh wait a second. I forgot where I was. Of COURSE you can kid yourself! This is the most rightwing blog in Canada, where reality has no bearing.

"This is the most rightwing blog in Canada, where reality has no bearing."

Ha! Gawd that's funny.
Notice your comment is still here as SDA does not attempt to manufacture consensus through censorship.

Cuba earned its embargo through nationalizing (stealing) 6 billion dollars in U.S. assets. That's about 50 billion in today's dollars.
Then there was the Cuban missile crisis (small piece of reality there) and the fact that as late as '96 they were still shooting down our civilian aircraft. And let's just set aside the human rights issues which led Clinton (of all people) to strengthen the embargo except for humanitarian assistance.

In short, Cuba "choked" itself. Pesky thing that reality. I would suggest that your argument has "no bearing" because it simply ignores reality. How very left wing, accusing others of the very misdeed you are in the process of committing.

Its very right wing to point that out when it happens. So your comment has some merit after all. ;)