Shouldn't his number be coming up pretty soon anyway? Maybe that is what this is all about. Preparing for the inevitable.
''The economy is at its worst ever," she said glumly, adding that she cannot afford to feed her 12-year-old son meat most days. A resident of Cabaiguan, a few hours' drive east of Havana, she hitchhikes to Havana to sell farmers' cheese, earning 300 pesos a month (about $12), about average for Cuban salaries.
Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a former government economist-turned-dissident who is on medical parole from a 20-year sentence for opposition to the regime, said yesterday that he could not reconcile Castro's prediction of 9 percent growth this year with official data that showed dramatic declines in sugar production to 1908 levels, and a drop in electricity generation that is affecting industry.
The 312 pesos that the average Cuban earns monthly ''is not enough to buy 6 liters of domestically-made soy cooking oil. . . . The ration cards let us buy only one subsidized soap every two months," he said. ''This has created great social divisions."
A recent government report said 43 percent of Cuban homes need repairs, and 500,000 new houses must be built. Last month, officials said 1.7 million Cubans had no running water due to drought.
Candid commentaries in the party newspaper Granma indicate the government is aware of the problems. There are rumors of authorities painting over graffiti mocking Castro's bid to offer subsidized electric rice cookers at a time of power blackouts. In hushed conversations, Cubans grouse about their lot and sarcastically mimic the government's slogan painted on garish billboards: ''Vamos bien" (''We're doing well").
Subsidized oil from Venezuela and credits from China have allowed Castro to alleviate conditions somewhat, two months ago raising retiree pensions to 150 pesos ($6 a month), and giving doctors a raise so that the highest-paid now earn the equivalent of $25 a month. Tuesday night, Castro said he was making available some 14 million subsidized appliances.
But these populist measures may not be enough to satisfy those who say they have lost faith in the system.
''I was born and bred with this revolution," said Mario, 50, a state taxi driver. ''But today, what's to celebrate?
''It's a facade, a sham," he said of Castro's discourse about a better future. ''The words are beautiful, but the reality is something else. Like everyone I know, I'm very disillusioned." ***
You're right. He's old enough to kack any day. I just don't want to see him die in bed. I want to see him get justice.
Having learned nothing from its experience in Iraq, the Bush administration has appointed a viceroy to plan Cuba’s future. Bush's appointmentof a low level Republican congressional staffer may play well with the ‘amen corner’ in Miami, but make no mistake: Cuba’s future will be planned by Cubans in Cuba not by a State Department appointee in Washington.