Communism Works - For This Guy, Anyway...

Questioninggeller said:
I wonder how many kids and adults went hungry in the US yesterday? How much is the war effort costing right now?
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What does that have to do with Cuba or Castro?
 
Mycroft said:
What does that have to do with Cuba or Castro?
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I was referring to the general theme of the government and related figures that gain while other sgements of society do not benefit. That is, the common people's needs are put aside while other interests are pursued.
 
Questioninggeller said:
I was referring to the general theme of the government and related figures that gain while other sgements of society do not benefit. That is, the common people's needs are put aside while other interests are pursued.
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Hmmm. Why don't you start a thread on it?
 
Mycroft said:
Hmmm. Why don't you start a thread on it?
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I'm only interested in answering your question that was a response to my reply. There's no need for me to start a thread or you to be a smart ass.
 
Questioninggeller said:
I'm only interested in answering your question that was a response to my reply. There's no need for me to start a thread or you to be a smart ass.
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/derail
 
Questioninggeller said:
I wonder how many kids and adults went hungry in the US yesterday? How much is the war effort costing right now?
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I wonder how many kids and adults tried to escape from USA on a boat today risking their lives?
 
Questioninggeller said:
I was referring to the general theme of the government and related figures that gain while other sgements of society do not benefit. That is, the common people's needs are put aside while other interests are pursued.
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You mean what you think the common people's needs are are put aside while what the duly elected representatives think the common people's needs are are pursued.

BTW, $550 million actually seems low to me. That comes out to be about $50/person.
 
Furious said:
Well, to be fair, I doubt Castro gets to keep it when he retires. The problem is that he doesn't appear to want to retire soon.

Bush de facto owns a rather expensive white colored house (the security system alone!) in Washington DC at the moment and has a significant hand in how the entire national budget is spent, but there is a pretty good chance he'll give it up willingly in 2009. Until then though, I can see how one could claim he "de facto" has quite a bit of wealth.

I'll stop splitting hairs now. :p
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Hmmm.

Castro doesn't appear to want to retire soon? Golly, I can't imagine why.

And if he doesn't get to "keep it", it'll be because his successor has had him killed or put into a little show retirement home. Or because of the old-fashioned reasion, you can't take it with you.

And there is an infinite gulf of difference between Bush, the currently hired manager, and Castro, the owner of his people and nation. Bush survives in office at our whim. Castro's people survive at Castro's whim.
 
Questioninggeller said:
That is, the common people's needs are put aside while other interests are pursued.
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Well, isn't that the essential difference between capitalism and communism? In capitalism, people are pretty much free to do whatever they believe is in their own individual best interests. Under communism, the individual is coerced into doing what the state (e.g., the HMFIC) believes is best for everyone.

From that arise the two separate creeds:
Capitalism: I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
Communism: From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.

While the former is a credo of selfishness, it has in fact been the greatest poverty-destroying and class-leveling machine in world history. And while the latter would appear to have as its goal the achievement of equal economic prosperity for everyone, wherever it has been tried, it resulted in riches for a tiny few members of the favored ruling elite, and grinding poverty and brutality for everyone else.

If communism's credo were to be truly enacted, Castro would live no more comfortably than any other Cuban. The fact that he does makes him a walking, breathing hypocrisy.
 
Bjorn said:
I'm not going to be the Cuba apologist here, but facts are they aren't doing bad at all in some areas. Your sources aren't exactly unbiased.

-snip-

Compare and enjoy. And don't quote www.therealcuba.com for facts on Cuba.

My biased source is the CIA factbook. Again, don't think I am considering moving there, but facts are facts.
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True, the site is biased...yet I'm sure the facilities pictured exist. I'm also sure Castro doesn't go there for his medical care.

I found the "realcuba" site linked to from the Hermanos Al Rescate site. When I was doing my flight training for my private pilot license I met many of the Hermanos pilots. They were very cool, very dedicated men, and great pilots. Several of them were destined to meet Cuban MIGs armed only with a slow Cessna and leaflets. They never had a chance.

I hate Castro personally....because he murdered people I knew and respected. He's the only dictator who's tyranny has ever touched my life. So forgive me for using a biased site. Anyone who can shoot down civilian general aviation aircraft using high performance jet fighters is just a cold-blooded murderer. That he treats his people like worthless possessions is just par for the course. Statistics are, in the end, just statistics.

-z
 
rikzilla said:
True, the site is biased...yet I'm sure the facilities pictured exist.
-z
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Sure. But you are fast when it comes to pointing out biased sources yourself, aren't you? :p
 
Bjorn said:
Sure. But you are fast when it comes to pointing out biased sources yourself, aren't you? :p
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We keep each other honest. JREF democracy in action.
-z
 
I'm not so sure that Castro is just a humble civil servant who is forced by the people to live in those mansions, and ride in those luxury cars, and so on.

That Forbes list seemed to be talking about *personal* wealth, not government assets...
 
crimresearch said:
I'm not so sure that Castro is just a humble civil servant who is forced by the people to live in those mansions, and ride in those luxury cars, and so on.
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Well, since nobody said that, it's a non-issue.


That Forbes list seemed to be talking about *personal* wealth, not government assets...
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From the article: "Cuba's socialist dictator-for-life derives his fortune from a web of state-owned businesses." In this case, they're saying government assests = personal wealth.
 
Or they are saying that he accumulated his own personal fortune, 'derived' through profits from state transactions, leaving his wealth as a seperate $550 million pot of money from the state's assets...you know, in case he ever needed to take a... vacation, or something.
 
Cleon said:
From the article: "Cuba's socialist dictator-for-life derives his fortune from a web of state-owned businesses." In this case, they're saying government assests = personal wealth.
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Actually, they are quite clearly saying that Castro uses some government assets to gain personal wealth. Obviously Forbes believes it is possible to determine which assets belong to the Cuban government and which belong to Castro. Perhaps you disagree, but you should probably determine how Forbes calculates the number before you determine that their estimate is wrong.

Surely you don't believe that $550 million is the net capitalization of the assets of the Cuban government?
 
aerocontrols said:
free_waterfall_jr.gif


You can't own property, man.
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pic00059.jpg


I can. But that's because I'm not a penniless hippie.
 
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