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To: bkopto
“It’s still one of those nations where you see donkey carts alongside cars, trucks and buses in downtown Havana because that’s exactly what they’d rather have for transportation,” Williams stated Saturday.

After the communist government was over thrown in Chile you had that exact mix on the road. Really old cars, even Modal T's, horse drawn carts, buses that spewed black smoke and very cheaply made European cars. Our Peugeot 404 was a luxury vehicle.

Ten years after, a really old car or a horse drawn cart was a rarity in the capital. You still saw them from time to time but they were being replaced by slightly less cheaply made European cars and a few Japanese cars.

Another decade and the old cars and horse drawn carts were gone. The buses spewed a little less smoke, most people rode the subway if they were going downtown.

Amazing how "exactly what they would rather have" changed with prosperity.

37 posted on 11/26/2016 7:19:25 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Not a Romantic, not a hero worshiper and stop trying to tug my heartstrings. It tickles!)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear
Amazing how "exactly what they would rather have" changed with prosperity.

Long ago, before Saab was bought and ruined by GM, I read an interesting interview with the CEO.

It was right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the "Trabbie" (i.e. the East German Trabant) was available to collectors in the west.

He bought one and gave it to his kids. They already had a vintage Saab, and he wanted them to understand: the two car manufacturers started out nearly the same in the late 50's.

30 years later, capitalism has built the newest Saab's: more reliable, safer, and fun to drive (I had a Saab Turbo, and it was an awesome car).

In contrast, communism was still building the same crappy Trabant, with no significant changes.

93 posted on 11/27/2016 10:17:16 AM PST by justlurking (#TurnOffCNN)
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