Cuba: I Promised to Get Back to You After the Two Day Trip to Cuba with Observations and Wanted to Do So.

Statement

I promised to get back to you after the two day trip to Cuba with observations and wanted to do so.

Three things stood out for me.

One, the central business district of Havana is a monument to the power of government. It's a reminder to all of us of the ways in which government can impact people's lives for good or bad and how important it is that we all be engaged in the political process. What were once magnificent buildings are in decay as a consequence of bad government. It's a reminder of the importance of private property rights. People just don't take care of "everybody's stuff" the way they do their own. People don't wash rental cars for a reason, and if you magnify this phenomenon across a city and country, the decay that one observes in Havana is the logical consequence. It's also a place where people earn on average $10 a month. In short, the 11 million people that make up Cuba are in a world of hurt because of communism, dictatorial rule, and all that goes with it.

Two, the place is a monument to the power of the American economy. The ruin of Havana is a consequence of communism...but it has been amplified with the embargo. At times, we forget how significant our economy is relative to so many other economies around the world, and seeing what I saw made me think about this. We are blessed and at times don't properly appreciate the importance of preserving the rule of law, private property rights, and a free market system in the American economy.

Finally, it was a reminder of the ingenuity, perseverance, and will built into the human spirit. While every one of us would take strong exception with the government of Cuba, its people (like those held captive by a whole host of bad governments around the world) are wonderful. I saw it in a cab driver I rode with who had managed to somehow keep his 1955 American-made car up-and-going over the last 60 years. These people have endured bad government and worked around it wherever they could...and indeed shown real ingenuity in doing so.

In fact, I wrote an op-ed for The Post and Courier almost twenty years ago on this subject - before the newspaper was even online! So, while I wanted to share the link with you, looks like I'll have to go old school and type it up for you below.

Oh, and if you read through to the end, I did send some aspirin...

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