Castro says "Cuban model of Communism doesn't work"

[Cicero]

He did get a worker's state, he did stop 'Western decadence', and he did, AFAIK, manage to somewhat limit an earlier rampant corruption.
Hans

And replaced it with third world decadence.

"Before the Revolution, there were 40,000 prostitutes in the country, Over the last 25 years, the number of working women has increased by one million.."

Charles Trumbull 2001
http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/asce/pdfs/volume11/trumbull2.pdf


Four Cuban Officials Indicted in Drug Smuggling
The Washington Post November 6 1982

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/drugs/smugglers.htm

 

[Erigena]

"Today's topic: Surrogates and how to use them"

Weekend at Bernie's was a great flick. So good, they're attempting a remake in cuba.

 

[BenBurch]

Communism never worked anywhere for anyone.

I know some Franciscan monks who might differ with that.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I know some Franciscan monks who might differ with that.

It works if the entire community is able to suppress many aspects of human nature.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

Neither does Socialism.

 

[TraneWreck]

Neither does Socialism.

That will, of course, depend on how you define the term.

I'm curious if you can define it to eliminate Western Europe, Canada, and the US from the list of "socialist" countries.

In America, for example, the total GDP is $14.59 trillion (2009). About $2.7 trillion, or roughly 1/5th, was spent on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Military. Does that make us a socialist nation?

 

[Newtons Bit]

That will, of course, depend on how you define the term.

I'm curious if you can define it to eliminate Western Europe, Canada, and the US from the list of "socialist" countries.

In America, for example, the majority of our budget goes to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Military. Does that make us a socialist nation?

I don't think many people realize how many social programs that the US has. I also don't think that most Republicans realize that the non-religious portion of their platform is almost identical to classical liberalism.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

That will, of course, depend on how you define the term.

True but doesn't that same logic apply to Communism then?

 

[TraneWreck]

True but doesn't that same logic apply to Communism then?

Sure. A blanket statement like "communism never works" will be really hard to support, but just observing countries that self-idetify as communist reveals a not-so-good track record.

The best, by far, is China, and they've abandoned a lot of typical communist principles in favor of freer markets.

Likewise, we could say "capitalism" never works, because no country has been able to survive pure capitalism. Markets have to be constrained and regulated, and every country does so.

It's probably more effective to break down the "-isms" into individual policy choices.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

Yeah, when I talk about Socialism or Communism, what I'm really addressing is rigid, totalitarian ideologies that try to solve things through fixed formulas.

Political fanaticism is to me as unhealthy as Religious fanaticism.

 

[TraneWreck]

Yeah, when I talk about Socialism or Communism, what I'm really addressing is rigid, totalitarian ideologies that try to solve things through fixed formulas.

Political fanaticism is to me as unhealthy as Religious fanaticism.

I won't argue with that.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Yeah, when I talk about Socialism or Communism, what I'm really addressing is rigid, totalitarian ideologies that try to solve things through fixed formulas.

Totalitarianism isn't a necessary part of Communism in theory...it just seems to always happen in practice.

Including the monks example--Christian monks take vows of obedience. Monasteries are not democracies, the abbot is very much in charge.

 

[TraneWreck]

I don't think many people realize how many social programs that the US has. I also don't think that most Republicans realize that the non-religious portion of their platform is almost identical to classical liberalism.

For some reason this line made me laugh, "classical liberals made four assumptions about human nature:"People were "egoistic, coldly calculating, essentially inert and atomistic"."

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

Totalitarianism isn't a necessary part of Communism in theory...it just seems to always happen in practice.

Including the monks example--Christian monks take vows of obedience. Monasteries are not democracies, the abbot is very much in charge.

By "totalitarian" I just mean "rigid". I wasn't addressing Totalitarianism.

 

[Ziggurat]

But the cynic in me thinks he's just trying to polish up his legacy.

There's a phrase for that.

 

[WildCat]

Castro says "Cuban model of Communism doesn't work"

Has anyone told Hugo Chavez?

 

[TragicMonkey]

By "totalitarian" I just mean "rigid". I wasn't addressing Totalitarianism.

Well, monks are pretty rigid. Just you try to liven up the Feastday of St Ithelbod by inviting the local fallen women to wrestle in Jell-O in the cloister after Matins. They're not supposed to be able to annul the sacrament of Holy Orders but you know what? they made the exception in my case. It's theologically shaky ground, but I didn't argue because the abbot had a shotgun.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

Well, monks are pretty rigid.

Like I said: Political Fanaticism is as corrupt as Religious Fanaticism.

 

[ravdin]

You'd think that before making a pronouncement like that, he'd spare a thought for the useful idiots in the USA who have defended him all these years. This is the thanks they get. How ungrateful!

 

[a_unique_person]

It works if the entire community is able to suppress many aspects of human nature.

In theory, Communism is democratic, everyone has a voice from the factory collective up. This was supposed to prevent the centralisation of power, in practice, it didn't.