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I just looked them up for posting in answer to someone who was ragging a DU'er about his remark there isn't any homlessness problem in Cuba. I never saw them before a short time ago and wanted to make sure they get seen by as many people as possible, as they are very interesting and I don't want to just let them go after using them only once: Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cuba: Not Perfect But Worth a Look
By Doug Morris
College of Education, Eastern New Mexico University
Positive comments about Cuba must be prefaced with a reservation: "Cuba is not perfect."
"Imperfection" is often used to denounce the ongoing Cuban experiment in people-first politics and economics, as though the un-attainability of "utopia" renders struggle for a more decent society useless. This is a gross misrepresentation of what social struggle for a good society oriented toward the development of fulfilled and flourishing human beings is all about.
The socialist goal, in Cuba and elsewhere, is not utopian perfection, but to understand history humanity and society as complex and interacting processes and relations into which we can intervene as informed and involved agents capable of producing decent societies and more fulfilling lives grounded in substantive forms of equality, freedom, justice and democracy.
Having recently returned from an eighth visit to Cuba researching Cuba's profoundly successful "ethic of care" based education system, I'd like to share perceptions that challenge assumed misperceptions about Cuba in order to reveal something important about our own lives and saving rather than losing the future.
~snip~
Visitors from poor countries note the absence of beggars and homeless; no hungry, emaciated children languishing in gutters; safe streets, low crime, vibrant people; free health care for all, a deep commitment to children as the most important social members — they are the future — and a level of grass-roots political participation and social intelligence unseen in most places.
In my view, Cuba is, in crucial ways, "living in the future," while struggling to overcome serious present problems — the harsh and illegal U.S. blockade that also punishes third countries for Cuba dealings; a conflicted economy; internal paternalism; creeping commercialism and increasing class stratification from insidiously creeping capitalism's presence, etc. Defense includes a battle of ideas that works to maintain people-first socialist commitments and values while Cuba is forced to interface with global capitalism's emphasis on greed, exploitation, individualism, alienation and violence.
~snip~
The World Wildlife Fund designated Cuba the only sustainable society on the planet.
Cubans are proud of their continuing commitments to free health care for all, the best elementary education in the hemisphere — Cuban students score "off the charts" on international tests; equitable distribution of resources; an ecological pathway of development; more teachers and doctors per-capita — and books per household — than anywhere; full, and now meaningful, employment along with free university education for all as long-term projects; collectively controlled, government supported and knowledge-intensive urban organic gardens growing food and medicinals (roughly 10,000 gardens in Havana); successes in gender and racial equality; the expansion of participatory and representative democracy; and an "ethic of care" value system experienced as both a right and duty. http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/14213728614opinionguestcolumns07-14-10.htm
~~~~~
From the Sports Medicine Doctor:
Volunteer Work - Shoulder Arthroscopy in Cuba
Building Bridges with Shoulder Arthroscopy
William B. Stetson, MD
I traveled to Cuba in September 2004 and was so moved by what I found that I wanted to share my experience with my medical community. I went to Cuba for a medical humanitarian trip that started with the SICOT/SIROT Annual International Conference and ended with two arthroscopic shoulder surgery courses. In the midst of all of these projects we had the privilege of discovering a beautiful country and wonderful people.
The people of Cuba have all the basic necessities of life; food, clothing, medical care and housing. There were no homeless people, gangs, graffiti or malnourished people and crime appears to be low. Once you move away from the basic necessities of life we found even the smallest of luxuries, like toilet paper, to be scarce. Most people live with multiple generations of family within a small house since it is virtually impossible to buy a home.
While the countryside is lush and the beaches are beautiful, it is the people of Cuba that are the most amazing jewel of this large island. Given the strained relationship between the USA and Cuba, it would not be unreasonable for the people of Cuba to be angry or unwelcoming towards us. However, from the moment we walked off the plane we encountered nothing but smiles, friendship and open arms. The people were generous, kind, friendly and curious about us and our country.
It seemed that wherever we went the heritage of music could be found. Whenever a group of musicians started playing, the Cubans would blossom and sing and dance with joy in their hearts and a love for life. It was beautiful and inspiring. Every moment was a reminder that we are all the same, we are just people and we all want the same things from life; healthy friends and family, peace, friendship, love, joy and laughter with the hope that we can give our children a better world. Race, gender, nationality and skin color mean nothing. More:
http://www.sportsmedicinedr.com/volunteer/cuba.htm
~~~~~ Learning from Cuba's Footprint
~snip~
Cuba's Footprint
When we look closely at Cuba’s footprint we find it arises from a unique set of circumstances: Socialist ideology (putting people before profits); a comprehensive national security system which ensures essential needs are met; capacity for state regulation; the impact of 50 years US blockade/sanctions; and Cuba’s response to the Special Period when the USSR collapsed in the early 90’s.
I think it important to note that Cuba hasn’t consciously chosen to live within its global footprint, circumstance forced them to adapt rapidly to find ways to survive and meet the challenges of living with a severely restricted resource base on a small island, and to do so without the debilitating poverty and inequity usually associated with other so-called ‘Third World’ nations.
Cuba’s footprint history also needs to be taken into account. Following the revolution in 1959, Cuba’s quality of life was steadily improving until the impact of the 1970’s fuel crisis when there was a sudden dip, but by the late ‘80’s was heading towards a 2-earth footprint when the USSR collapsed and we see the big crash of the initial years of the special period, followed by long road to recovery resulting in attaining close to a one earth footprint by 2007.
So how does Cuba do it?
The key factors I have identified and will briefly explore in this presentation are
• Security for essential needs: heath, food, housing, education
• De-centralisation of essential services
• Transport solutions – surviving with limited fuel supplies
• Simple lifestyle, frugality
• Dual currency and consumption restraints
• “Energy Revolution” and
• Generosity of Spirit - from the government sharing resources with poor nations (40,000 Cuban doctors & health workers in the third world), down to individuals helping out their neighbours.
Security of essential needs:
Health Security • Free national health care system with a focus on preventative medicine, pharmaceuticals are subsidised and prices capped. Cuba enjoys one of the worlds Highest doctor to population ratio and Ist-World levels of life expectancy & infant mortality rates
Food Security • all Cubans receive monthly rations for staple foods, fresh produce markets provide organic fruit and vegetables, food prices are capped, and Cuba is now considered a global leader in urban food production (NB Cuba still depends on food imports)
Housing • Cuba boasts 85% home ownership • Rent is capped @ 10% of income • Realty speculation is illegal –it’s interesting to see a country with no real estate agents—houses can be swapped/exchanged but not sold for profit • while housing is crowded, there’s no homelessness in Cuba and one frequently finds 3-4 generations living in a house
Education • Education is free for all Cubans, from pre-school to tertiary, with over 97% literacy. Cuba has produced more scientists than any other Latin American nation. More:
http://permaculture.com.au/online/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:learning-from-cubas-footprint&catid=27:articles&Itemid=55
~~~~~ The Costs of the Embargo
The 47-year-old blockade now costs the United States far more than it costs Cuba.
By Margot Pepper
On January 1, Cuba celebrated the 50th anniversary of the revolution against the U.S.-backed Batista regime. For 47 of those years, Cuba has suffered under what U.S. officials call an “embargo” against the Caribbean nation. Cubans’ name for the embargo—el bloqueo (the blockade)—is arguably more apt, given that the U.S. policy also aims to restrict other countries from engaging in business with Cuba.
What’s surprising is that while the blockade continues to take a considerable toll on the Cuban people, it costs the United States far more, and the gap is widening. Given the economic meltdown, it is only fitting that a growing chorus of diverse voices is calling for an end to the costly vendetta.
The original justification for the embargo was Cuba’s expropriation of “some $1.8 billion worth of U.S.-owned property,” according to the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. In turn, Cubans argue that early in the century, the United States had seized control of 70% of Cuban land and three-quarters of Cuba’s primary industry. By the 1950s, as a result of U.S. colonialism and preceding Spanish rule, five out of six Cubans lived in shacks or were homeless, 80% of Havana suffered from hunger and unemployment, and two out of three Cuban children didn’t attend school. Cubans say such conditions left them no recourse but to expel the Yanquis, just as the Yankees had expelled the British in 1776.
Today, U.S. public opinion is turning against the embargo. A majority—52%—wants the embargo to be lifted, with 67% favoring an immediate end to the travel restrictions, according to the Cuba Policy Foundation (CPF), a nonprofit run by a former U.S. ambassador. Recent polls have even shown that a majority of Miami Cubans now support lifting the embargo.
~snip~
Regardless of all these obstacles, the socialist island has managed to provide its inhabitants with what the United States, one of the most affluent countries in the world, so far has not: free top-notch health care, free university and graduate school education, and subsidized food and utilities. Meanwhile, 36.2 million people go hungry in the United States and 47 million lack health coverage. Indeed, Cuba compares favorably to the United States on a number of basic social factors: •Housing: There is virtually no homelessness in Cuba. Thanks to the 1960 Urban Reform law, 85% of Cubans own their own homes and pay no property taxes or interest on their mortgages. Mortgage payments can’t exceed 10% of the combined household income.
•Employment: Cuba’s unemployment rate is only 1.8% according to CIA data, compared with 7.6% (and rising) in the United States. One factor contributing to Cuba’s low unemployment is undoubtedly the 350,000 jobs that have been recently created by the burgeoning sustainable urban agriculture program, one of the most successful in the world, according to U.S.-based economist Sinan Koont.
•Literacy: The adult literacy rate in Cuba (99.8%) is higher than the United States’ rate (97%), according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
•Infant mortality: Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate (4.7 per 1000 live births) than the United States’ (6.0).
•Prisons: Cuba even does better on prisons. Its rate of incarceration—estimated at around 487 per 100,000 by the UNDP—is among the highest in the world, yet it is considerably lower than the U.S. rate of 738 per 100,000. Now that the number of political prisoners Cuba locks up is in decline, according to a February Associated Press news release, there is even less justification for the blockade. More:
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/0309pepper.html
I hope there is something within them which will be helpful to you.
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