Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 09/13/2010 5:52:05 PM PDT by Kaslin
Socialism: Dictator Fidel Castro's frantic bid to walk back his statement about the failure of communism in Cuba was laughable, given the state of his worker's para dise. What will show it best now are the big layoffs ahead.
In a remark that stunned everyone, Cuba's aging despot last week admitted to a writer from the Atlantic that "The Cuban model doesn't even work for Cuba anymore."
Such words would be unimaginable from an authentic leader, such as Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore or Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who really did transform their countries for the better.
But for Castro, the truth slipped out. Never one to stand by his word, Castro now claims he was quoted out of context, and it was capitalism that didn't work. That's about par for a leader who's ruined his country. Dictators, after all, can say anything they like.
In concrete terms, the failure of "the Cuban model" is getting pretty obvious. On Monday, the Cuban government announced it would lay off 500,000 government workers by March, an implicit admission that it was deadweight all along.
Out of Cuba's work force of 5.1 million, 83% work directly for the state. That means 12% of Cuban workers will be out of a job in two years. Unlike in the U.S., they'll get no unemployment benefits.
It sounds like a necessary bow to fiscal reality in a state that produces nothing of value. But the incredible thing is, the cutbacks will barely begin to address the government's issues.
Sixty percent of the Cuban work force is completely unproductive, according to a U.S. State Department report.
So a 12% layoff of the work force would leave about half of the state's remaining work force still standing around on work sites with nothing to do but collect paychecks.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
This is not unlike Teddy Kennedy's frantic pleas to the Pope a couple of years ago.
The “Soviets” clearly threatened to cut off his allowance (at the least), if he didn’t clear up this “misunderstanding”.
Fidel was for the Cuban model before he was against it.
nothing redeemable there
Oh well, the Left still has Michael Moore and an assortment of decrepit college professors. They will never admit defeat. They also have 95% of the Obama administration.
His was against Communism before he was for before he was against it, before he was for it.
How does one ‘’work’’ in a system that pretends to ‘’pay’’?
The same day John Kerry issued his retraction on the Bush tax cuts.
Coincidence? I think not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.