CUBA ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA as the World Recession kills the tourist industry.

* Dictator of Cuba, Raul Castro.


CUBA'S NEW PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO HAVING TROUBLE TO GET PEOPLE TO GROW FOOD

Despite a very hard economic year, and because Cuba must import almost everything including their food that they eat, the government of Cuba is having a very hard time this year with a fall in tourism due to world recession. Raul Castro says there is a lot of land that is not being used to grow food and people in towns and cities are not using it in the surrounding area. Cuba is a tightly controlled society and food rationing is one of the CONTROL methods to monitor and subjegate the population. All means of production in Cuba are 90% controlled by the government. They frown seriously on private enterprise. There have been some exceptions in recent years, but should policy change, you stand the chance of being sent to jail, for being bourgoise. A budding capitalist in a strictly controlled communist society. Most people play it safe.
The idea of growing food on land the state owns is a deterrent, as owning land is the incentive to development. Also profit on the personal level is against the law in Cuba, as all means of productivity is owned by the Government in the Leninist system. Without incentive in land ownership and guarantees, plus the ability to sell food for a profit, without eventually going to jail as a capitalist when the winds of politics change, limits what Cubans are willing to do. Right now the Cuban government is having a hard time paying for imported food, which they very well know in an open and free democratic society that is capitalist, rewarding sweat equity and investment, could otherwise produce enough food to feed everybody in Cuba and even to export. Unfortunately SOCIALISM in the Cuban Leninist model is flawed, as it is designed to enslave the spirit of human enterprise and does not deal with basic emotions of people in a rewarding manner.