You need to remove the idea that if we trade with Castro the Cuban people will benefit. The rest of the world is free to trade with Castro. We are allowed to give them humanitarian aid. Their relatives send them dollars and and/or go visit with a suitcase (only one allowed--Castro's dictate) filled with things they can barter. They usually don't take anything for themselves personally, so that all the room is available to take things to leave. Knowing the rest of the world is free to trade with Castro (He owns an island that can produce goods and an educated population that could provide skilled labor for a foreign business on the island. You'd think tourism would be a money maker.) so, with such prospects, how is their suffering the fault of the U.S?
Doesn't make sense does it? Well it does if you understand that Castro is a communist. People are not allowed to enrich themselves. He takes the wages (in dollars) from foreign companies that the people earn and then pays the workers one-tenth what they earned in local currency. He pockets the rest. This is Castro's communism. He also barters doctors and teachers and trainers and subversives out to other miserable hell-holes either for goods or to shore up alliances. The Cuban people are his property, they belong to him. How will tading with Castro change this?
Castro gives 5 hour speeches, orders large crowds to wherever he wants, runs the state controlled T.V., radio, newspaper and schools. He controls all information, all economy everything. He also provides a better life to those higher up in his communist circle, because after living under communism, people wouldn't choose to live under communism, so you have to have people around you who will forcefully preserve your paradise. Now when Castro dies, don't expect this wonderful event to usher in a wonderful life for the Cuban people. Castro doesn't intend for his dream to die and those close around him aren't about to let that happen either.
If we allow U.S. companies to secure loans to pay for good sent to Cuba (Castro will only give them worthless IOUs which is one reason so few countries will trade with him anymore) and the American people will foot the bill for this. In turn Castro will take the profit from our stupidity and use it to advance his communist agenda and terrorist activites around the world. How will this help the Cuban people? How is their suffering improved? They suffer because of communism and Castro and our trading with Castro will not help, infact in will strengthen him and send the message to the world we endorse and recognize his communist government. We must not do that tjg.
My belief is that this is impossible. Look at China and the growing middle class. True it is small, but it is a group born of capitalism and no communist intervention can prevent it. I think history has shown that head to head, capitalist ideaology defeats communist ideology everytime.
More than anything I think the embargo gives Castro a focal point to blame US policy for the misery he created. He's used it effectively. I just think it's time to take that tool away from him.
Lastly, we've had that embargo in place for what, 30 years? If getting rid of Castro was it's intent, it failed miserably. I'm for abandoning things that don't work and trying something else.