But I imagine that even among Fidel's supporters, many are hopeful that his death will bring about change for Cuba. Let's face it. It's one of the poorest countries in the world. Which means that the revolution was a failure in my book. You can't sell me that free universal health care and education malarkey when you are working for $1 dollar a day plus rations. Or that somehow he defeated the USA.
It is one of the Words poorer countries but whose fault is that? Think about it! Is Gaza poor because of Hamas? No it is poor because of Israel’s total land/sea/air blockade and their total control of everything from food and water, to medicine and electricity. It prevents an expanding economy ..... they have no freedoms!
For over twenty years, the UNGA has had a vote to lift the US sanctions on Cuba. Every year only two countries oppose the motion ..... the US and Israel! With the collapse of the USSR they lost much of their financial support. In spite of the US sanctions they have fared better than the Palestinians have against Israeli sanctions. At the social/family level they are relatively better off than many ordinary families in western countries. Sanctions have kept them poor as a country, not Castro’s philosophy.
A $1 a day is irrelevant, it is the actual cost of living which is relevant when compared to income. This will explain where your concept is flawed. I would say on average they were better off than many ordinary Cypriot families!
How Poor is Cuba?
Bottom line, Cuba is not nearly as poor as you think. It has large, developed cities. The population in general is happy with their lives and the economic system. This would not be the case is there was rampant starvation and economic unrest. It is not enough to simply dismiss the lack of upheaval as being attributed to a communist hard line regime which would crack down on opposition. History has shown that opposition to the government has been low since the Cuban revolution and even when there was dissent, the government was not particularly harsh and actual jail time is low. Things were generally worked out peacefully. If the Cuban government was really simply a dictatorship, it would not still be around and thriving after 60 years of reform.
http://bestcubaguide.com/cuba-poor-country-salary/
