Fidel Castro slams U.S. for battle over healthcare

Fidel Castro slams U.S. for battle over healthcare
Reuters
August 19, 2009

HAVANA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro criticized the United States on Wednesday for being willing to spend billions on its high-tech military but finding it difficult to approve healthcare reform that would protect its poor people.

He wrote in a commentary published on a state-run Internet site that huge military budgets are approved easily by the U.S. Congress but U.S. President Barack Obama is struggling to convince federal lawmakers to pass a bill that would "deliver health services to 50 million Americans that don't have them."

"What hope can that society offer the world?" he asked.

Castro pointed out that a free health clinic in Los Angeles recently attracted 8,000 patients, some coming from hundreds of miles away because they said they could not afford to go to a doctor or dentist.

The Cuban government prides itself on providing free healthcare to all Cubans.

"The lobbyists in Congress spend their August working against a simple law that would offer medical assistance to dozens of millions of poor people, the biggest majority of them blacks and Latinos," wrote Castro.

"Even a blockaded country like Cuba has been able to do that," he said, referring to the long-standing U.S. trade embargo against Cuba that the communist-led Cuban government blames for its fragile economy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSB308699

You can read the entire commentary by Fidel Castro "Reflections by Fidel Castro: The Empire and the Robots" at:

http://www.radioguantanamo.cu/englishwebsite/Noticias/Articulos/cuba/reflections_fidel_castro0204345.html

..... although I disagree that the President is "struggling" at anything.

(well, except for his golf game)

system he created for Cuba, despite the adversity of embargos imposed on his country by the USA.

He wrote in a commentary published on a state-run Internet site that huge military budgets are approved easily by the U.S. Congress but U.S. President Barack Obama is struggling to convince federal lawmakers to pass a bill that would "deliver health services to 50 million Americans that don't have them."

I've seen no good evidence that Obama is trying to pass a bill that would cover all of the 50 million uninsured at state expense. If a public option passes, some of the uninsured might have access to affordable (but not free) care. Many most likely will not.

were removed.

I was one of them.

I spent more than 3 years uninsured, due to my pre-exisiting condition. I was denied by several private health insurers. It was that question on the application "In the last 10 years have you been diagnosed with, or been treated for, ..." that always got me.

Then I discovered a state government health program in CA that would take me. It's not as good as what I had before, is still quite expensive (at least double monthly what I used to pay), and gives less coverage. Yet it's something.

I'm now considered 'under-insured', instead of 'uninsured'.

He is a comnie and the only reel contry is Murika!11!11! kuba is just one of thos fake contrys you always hear about frum thes elite professurs tryin to cunfuse you all politcul lyke wit ther fancy schamncy eduamucation!11!!1 plus dey commies so tey dont count!11!1

See I told youu, kuba has helth cur and they are comie then that means healh care is comnuist, see? U dam comie librulz need to git out and go liv in kuba wit your pal castru and ill stay hear wit the rest of us reeeal murikunz!111!11!one1!!1 :sarcasm:

"Better yet, scientists could also design robots capable of governing; that way they could spare the US government and Congress that terrible, contradictory and confusing work.

No doubt they would do it better and cheaper."

He definitely makes a point there. Boehner...blue dogs....better look out! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

nt

he's still alive and kicking? I never bought into the Castro is evil boogeyman thinking small minded neo cons profess to claiming.

And his niece Mariella Castro would say that LGBTs are better off in Cuba than in the US, despite the Latino machismo culture.