Bernie’s Socialist Dream

Socialism did wonders for Cuba, and Bernie wants to do the same for the US.

Havana today.

Screenshot 2016-03-06 at 01.51.19 PM

Havana before Castro.

Screenshot 2016-03-06 at 01.50.58 PM

About Tony Heller

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65 Responses to Bernie’s Socialist Dream

  1. Rod says:

    Firstly, it is a Communist country. Secondly, 50+ years of extreme sanctions by the USA has a lot to do with it as well. I love your site otherwise, when you expose climate frauds.

    • I have family who barely escaped Cuba with their lives, and other family who escaped the Soviet Union. Communists build walls to keep people in.

      • Rod says:

        Of course one can find a picture of any city’s slums to try and make a point.

        • RAH says:

          Then show us a flattering panorama of Havana today or give it up!

        • stephen says:

          Rod…what is your point? i suggest a stroll through Havana or Beijing, speaking your mind…then get back to me.

        • Rod says:

          Just pointed out two facts is all. Sigh. Meanwhile, back in global warming alarmists world…

        • stephen says:

          Yes Rod,sigh, that’s all you meant,sighjust pointing out two facts, sigh, as we did in response,sigh,equivalence is crap you piece of shight.

        • Rod, have you ever been in any Communist country? How old are you? You sound just like dozens of my Progressive neighbors who stood in long lines in Boulder last week and picked Bernie Sanders as their candidate. They have no clue about Communism or Communist “slums”. I know because I talk to them often. I also know that with very few exceptions they will not accept anything that runs contrary to their cherished and “morally superior” Progressive beliefs.

        • AndyG55 says:

          You can google “Havana” images.

          They seem to have a few pastel coloured 2-3 story buildings, some old cathedrals and state buildings, and cars from the 1950/60’s

        • Jason Calley says:

          Hey Colorado! “have you ever been in any Communist country?”

          Does Detroit count?

        • I am being repressed and prevented from posting a proper Marxist reply to Jason’s petit-bourgeois sniping!

          Now we see the violence inherent in the Goddard system!

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxGqcCeV3qk

        • Ernest Bush says:

          You really are delusional if you think those are cherry picked photos. You could aim a camera in any direction in Havana and come up with the same result. There have been many documentaries done on the streets of Havana and other cities that allow you to see the conditions in Cuba. The communist Black Caucus traveled there a few years ago and bragged about the medical system after they were shown the only good hospital in the country. It, of course, is the one used by the Castro robber barons. Not shown were the clinics across the country that are lucky to have concrete floors. Your statements put you on par with those guys. I can only assume you are a communist.

          Sanctions would have been lifted a long time ago had the Castro brothers stopped torturing and murdering political prisoners. My personal feeling is that opening the country up to US capitalism would be the best way to raise the standard of living and undermine the communist government.

      • blogpanama says:

        The Castro brothers just hide behind socialism/communism so they could get stuff from the Soviets. In fact Fidel is the worst administrator on this planet and has an ego the size of Earth. They basically run the island as their private land and on top of that they don’t realize you can’t run a country by using any ideas that come to mind each morning you wake up. Fidel stayed in power because the Soviets, then Chinese and later Chavez gave them money to keep running the place while devising the most stupid of administrative plans.

        I bet if he said he was capitalist he would have manage to find a way to still bankrupt the country.

        Sorry to hear your family had to leave.

    • Steve Case says:

      Communism vs. Socialism – In both the government owns the means of production. That can’t be good. With the billions spent on Global Warming research, the government virtually owns Climate Science. The result is not good.

    • Moors710 says:

      Since most countries have not joined the sanctions, the US sanctions are symbolic at best. The Cubans can get almost anything at world prices. The US sanctions are not to “blame” for the conditions in Cuba.

    • These States promised the Soviet Union not to importune and to respect Cuban law–law that makes a crime not of violence, but of trade and production. They passed and enforced their own steenkin laws, menh. Nobody has interfered.

    • Dale Mullen says:

      Rod. You do know what the acronym USSR (Russia), a communist country stands for, do you not?

  2. R. Shearer says:

    Reminds me of Detroit, except for the colors.

    • R. Shearer says:

      I should say parts of Detroit, and Chicago, Philly, Baltimore, etc.

      • RAH says:

        Since I drive up through all parts of Detroit on a regular basis I won’t argue. It’s funny to see the trucks hauling the Chrysler trailers which have on the side “Motor City. This what we do.” in big letters while driving on some of the bumpiest roads in the country in that city. There are plenty of places in the Detroit area where the street lights are out also. It is but a shadow of it’s previous self from back when American auto manufactures had the world at their feet. Hell now days not even the Camaro is made in the US. It’s assembled in Canada. Thus the only true muscle car being mass produced in the US today is the Mustang.

  3. stephen says:

    I visited East Berlin on occasion (driving in through the DDR) in the 80’s…I always have thought that all students should have had to visit there-everything was grey-people were afraid to be seen talking with someone from the west. They burned peat for fuel. The walls had soldiers with automatic weapons. Sanctions my ass…

    • RAH says:

      Hell there were still bullet holes and bomb shrapnel damage from WW II on some of the buildings in East Berlin in the mid 80s! I saw such things at other certain places in W Germany and Belgium and Luxembourg, but they were at places intentionally left that way as reminders or memorials.

  4. Moors710 says:

    I travelled to the Soviet Union in 1975 as a teenager. I have spent the rest of my life opposed to socialism. In my opinion Animal Farm by George Orwell is the best book on socialism ever written

  5. Wulf says:

    The Cuban Communists should emulate the Chinese model; to get rich is glorious.

  6. Next to Anthem, and We the Living maybe…

  7. Pathway says:

    Yet, at the Democrat caucus last week in Colorado, the people were lined up around the block to vote for Bernie and this is in a county that has not Democrat in any office.

    • AndyG55 says:

      Now find a good one of Havana today.

    • wert says:

      I think there is a point.

      But more importantly, U.S. has not been very helpful to Cubans, rather it looks as if U.S. has been trying to make Cuba as miserable as possible to live. I don’t think Fidel Castro is nearly as evil as republicans often tend to think. Stubborn, yes, stupid in economy, yes, dictator, yes, but most here in Europe probably regard Castro much better than former East European dictators, like Romanian Ceaucescu, DDR old farts, let alone places like Soviet Union, or Transnistria from contemporary countries. I would gladly take Raoul Castro if I had to choose between him and Vladimir Putin. For real.

      • RAH says:

        It’s always the fault of the US for some. You can have Castro and if you decide you don’t like it and tell someone about it you could end up in cell 8′ x 8′ as a political prisoner. I have to wonder how it is that some people get the idea that it’s the obligation of the United States to make other governments and economies work even when it is not in their nations greatest interests? Castro has sent his soldiers to back communists in Africa and worked hard to help communists all over central and south America. He would control Grenada today had not the US intervened with direct military action. He emptied his prisons of real criminals and sent them here as “refugees” . He allowed the Soviets to use Cuban soil for missiles with the capability of delivering nucs. A provocation that brought us to the brink of nuclear Armageddon. And all of that could all have been avoided if the US been nice to Castro supported his totalitarian regime by trading with it? I don’t think so.

      • Latitude says:

        I don’t think Fidel Castro is nearly as evil….

        Good Lord in heaven…..you don’t have a clue what he’s done

      • darwin says:

        It has nothing to do with the US. Cuba has open relationships with virtually every other country. Blaming the US for communism’s failure is ridiculous.

        What Cuba needs or wants it can get from anywhere else.

  8. mogur2013 says:

    hey

    • mogur2013 says:

      Get a little history, my friend.

      “The Cuban exiles in Miami have acted as if Castro developed in a vacuum and everything was hunky dory in Cuba before the “bad” man Fidel Castro came into power.

      In 1934 Fulgencio Batista took over the Cuban government in what became known as “The Revolt of the Sergeants.” He ruled Cuba with an iron fist, and the full blessing and endorsement of the United States government, who feared a social and economic revolution and saw him as a stabilizing force with respect for American interests. Batista established lasting relationships with organized crime, and under his guardianship Havana became known as “the Latin Las Vegas.” Meyer Lansky and other prominent gangsters were heavily invested in Havana, and politicians from Batista on down took their cut.

      Through Lansky, the mafia knew they had a friend in Cuba. It was here that Lansky gave permission to kill Bugsy Siegel. Many of Batista’s enemies faced the same fate as the ambitious Siegel. Nobody seemed to mention the many brutal human rights abuses that were a regular feature of Batista’s private police force. Batista remained in power until 1944. Batista again staged a coup in 1952 ousting Carlos Prio and becoming dictator of Cuba. After this point, Batista abandoned the Cuban constitution by allowing only staged elections where his victory was guaranteed. Large American corporations grew rich from Cuba’s resources while the people of the country remained poor. Batista did not offer health care or education to his people At the time of his ousting it was estimated that 92% of the country was illiterate. Batista was ousted by Castro and the Cuban Revolution and left the country on January 1 1959.

      Since his assumption of power in 1959 Fidel Castro has evoked both praise and condemnation (at home and internationally). Castro is described by opponents as a dictator while supporters see Castro as a charismatic liberator.
      When Fidel returned to Cuba, he formed a socialist economy, putting the country at odds with the United States in the middle of the cold war. Previously, up to 70% of the Cuban land and farms had been owned by foreigners. He ordered all American-owned businesses and interests confiscated, eventually causing the United States to cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba and impose a trade embargo on January 31, 1961. As a result of the seizure of foreign assets, over one billion dollars was lost by private companies in the United States.

      Outside of Cuba, Castro has been defined by his relationship with the United States and the former Soviet Union, both of whom courted Cuban attentions as part of their own global political game. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 by U.S. backed forces, the Castro-led government has had an openly antagonistic relationship with the U.S., which encouraged a closeness with the Soviet bloc. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 forced Castro to seek alliances regionally to counter U.S. and find like-minded partners in regional nationalist figures such as Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia. Over time he has become a world icon.

      At home, Fidel Castro has overseen the implementation of various economic policies, leading to the rapid centralization of Cuba’s economy, land reform, collectivization and mechanization of agriculture, and the nationalization of leading Cuban industries. The expansion of publicly funded health care and education has been a cornerstone of Castro’s domestic social agenda. Cuba ranks better than many countries, including the United States, among world countries on the United Nations’ List of countries by infant mortality rate, which is claimed by Castro’s supporters as a success of his regime. Castro and his policies are cited by some as being responsible for Cuba’s economic problems, whilst others blame the U.S. embargo. Still others attribute the shortcomings to a mix of these factors.”

      Whether you take history to show that Capitalism or Socialism is to the benefit of the general population, at least do not be swayed by platitudes from either side.

      • AndyG55 says:

        , “and the nationalization of leading Cuban industries”

        Yep, always works soooo well !!!

      • Bryan says:

        What do you think of two popes and the leader of the eastern orthodox church going out of their way to meet Fidel Castro?
        When the white dove settled on his shoulder in his first major speech in Havana many religious people took that as a sign.
        He is one of the very few totally incorruptible world leaders and he is loved by the Cuban People.

        • AndyG55 says:

          “Then show us a flattering panorama of Havana today or give it up!”

          OR ELSE.

          And sorry, but the Pope meets with him! SO WHAT !!

          Everyone knows the current pope is an ultra-left socialist, no surprise he worships Castro.

          And as for the white dove. I know a magician that draws them out of his hat.

        • AndyG55 says:

          Darn, I meant to quote Bryan.. whole post again !

          “and he is loved by the Cuban People.”…………… OR ELSE!!!!

          And sorry, but the Pope meets with him! SO WHAT !!

          Everyone knows the current pope is an ultra-left socialist, no surprise he worships Castro.

          And as for the white dove. I know a magician that draws them out of his hat.

      • Dave1billion says:

        I guess “Get a little history” means cut and paste from a leftist website. Not the best way to showcase your superior grasp of history and economics.

        I guess “It’s Batista’s fault!” is just “It’s Bush’s fault!” taken to its logical conclusion. It’s nice to know that the Democrat’s will have still have Bush to blame for another 40 years or so.

        Once the Soviet Union stopped supporting Cuba via the looting of Eastern Europe the reality of Castro’s Socialist Paradise was revealed for the fraud that it is. And don’t forget that Chavez’s socialism has done the same thing for Venezuela’s economy that Castro’s did for Cuba’s.

        We also know that there were Peron’s and Pinochet’s in Latin America that were also terrible leaders. But neither Batista nor the behavior of other dictators provide any excuse for the last 55 years of mismanagement and repression in Cuba.

  9. Rod says:

    OK, thought this was a climate fraud site, didn’t expect to be called a piece of shit etc., for simply pointing out a couple facts. So, see you later, off to sites that aren’t so unforgiving about anything they don’t like because apparently your faith is not strong at all.

    • RAH says:

      Rod
      This blog, or any blog, is what the host wants or allows it to be. And BTW politics gets discussed on many blogs having to do with climate change because the claim of catastrophic anthropologic climate change/global warming is every bit as much about politics as it is about science. Name the truly conservative US politicians that are proponents of CAGW. Now name the truly progressive US politicians that are not proponents of GAGW. The forces are aligned on the subject along party/ideological lines and in fact if not for government funding there would be no CAGW scare. It would be a non issue.

    • AndyG55 says:

      Up above, Rah asked..

      “Then show us a flattering panorama of Havana today or give it up!”

      We are waiting.

    • AndyG55 says:

      Gotta love leftist cry-babies. 🙂

      Eat some calcium, and grow a spine. !!

    • rachase says:

      It is most unfortunate that some cannot engage in civilized discourse. The use of pejoratives destroys what useful argument an individual might have to offer, and is most offensive. I share your offense.

      • Yes, it is unfortunate. I would much prefer for Rod to stick around and explain his “but Cuba is a Communist country”—if that’s what he meant and whatever it was supposed to mean. I would also like him to defend his thesis that the United States caused the failure of Cuba’s socialism.

        On the other hand, you frequently don’t know who the people are commenting on blogs. I once saw a woman whose family members were killed by the Nazis tell a mild Hitler apologist to fuck off. It was coarse and impolite but I agreed with her. I apply the same standard to Commies.

        So I happen to be of two minds when it comes to tolerating this oh-so-sophisticated Castro defense. I get more than my fill of it in the People’s Republic of Boulder. We have scores of such Che-loving idiots around here.

      • stephen says:

        I apologise to all for my excremental word play in referring to Rod…I grow weary of those who chose to ignore the 100 million dead (and that does not include National Socialism),so,in a moment of weakness I called the poor pajama boy a bad name.
        Funny that Rod never responded to my invitation to walk through Beijing or Havana speaking freely…indeed, he has not responded to any comments directly re: Communism/socialism.

        • By the way, Stephen, there were other people present decades ago when that mild-mannered Hitler defender was told to fuck off and they all agreed loudly with the “impolite” lady. They were typical mainstream Western European leftists. I asked them why it is acceptable to defend Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Brezhnev, Ceau?escu, Honecker or Castro. They told me it was different and we had a long “disagreement” about it.

          I didn’t tell them to fuck off but I often think I should have.

      • Rod says:

        Thanks for that. I’ll try once more: Cuba is a communist country, not a socialist country. Yes, our sanctions have affected their economy. That’s it. How some have spun that into me being a pro-commie, bla, bla, bla is weird. You want a glamour shot of Havana? Use the internet. You want me to walk the streets of Communist capitols? Buy me a ticket and I’ll report back. Meanwhile, get ready for the news reports how Winter 2016 was the hottest ever! Get ready for blowback if you dare question the ongoing false narrative of AGW. It’s funny how willing some of you are to throw a fellow non-AGW believer under the bus. Viva la revolution!

        • stephen says:

          USSR-Union of Soviet Socialist Republic…Cuba’s daddy. That’s it? Are you as mendacious with yourself as you are with others? Again: what get’s intelligent people exercised is the knee-jerk need to “balance” the dialogue when socialism (Soviet,Chinese,Cuban-but never National) is denigrated. The USA must be shown to also be imperfect, and thus no one from the USA may critisize another system…especially a socialist one. The offense is that it really happened…over 100 million dead-not including the Nazis. Many are still suffering or in the prisons that they call countries. I have seen it. I have seen the living and the dead…find another equivalence…this one is crap. Sanctions my ass.

        • Nobody threw you under the bus, Rod. It’s good you can see through the AGW fraud but you don’t seem to know much when talking about Cuba, Socialism and Communism.

          “Cuba is a communist country, not a socialist country.”

          No, it is not, and it’s clear you don’t understand the distinction.

          Second, Marxist socialism with state-owned enterprises failed in all countries where it was implemented. The National Socialist version with nominally private enterprises under the control of Party overseers works only marginally better as shown by the Third Reich and current China.

          Third, Cuba has been trading not only with the former Soviet Block countries but wit Asia and Western European countries. If you are trying to make a point that ordinary Cubans couldn’t easily get OEM parts for American cars left behind after the revolution, well, so be it, but their real problem is not the trade embargo but the fact they can’t afford it. That’s why I asked if you have ever been to any of these wretched places. If you would have experienced it in person, you would have an instinctive understanding and I wouldn’t have to be explaining these simple economic facts to you. Fidel and Raul Castro, and the leadership of their party have any and all American luxury goods they desire, embargo or not. Cuba is not any different from Central and Eastern European Soviet Block countries. There was no Cuba-style American embargo there but the same socialist deprivation of the common people.

          Fourth, while hands on experience is always good, I know quite a few people who have never been to the Soviet Union, for example, but understand very well how their system worked. You know how to use reason and sources of information when it comes to global warming. There is no reason why you should remain ignorant about Cuba or other socialist countries. The Goddard readership doesn’t have to finance your fact-finding tour. Use the internet and report back. 🙂

          And last but not least: While I think you are slightly confused I have no idea where you stand on the divide between big government command economies versus free market systems. You can tell us if you want. I haven’t quite called you a Commie but I admit I sometimes use it as a convenient shortcut. The American leftists called themselves at different times Progressives, Socialists, Communists, Marxists, Liberals, Peaceniks, Maoists, Anti-Anti-Communists, New Left, and then Progressives again, even though it seems Bernie has made the Socialist moniker fashionable again. It’s hard to keep up with their ever-evolving Newspeak and their muddying of the English language. The Commie shortcut simplifies things for me even though Lenin would hotly disagree. 😉

        • catweazle666 says:

          Rod says: ” I’ll try once more: Cuba is a communist country, not a socialist country”

          You really don’t have the first bloody clue, do you?

    • catweazle666 says:

      Rod says: “didn’t expect to be called a piece of shit etc., for simply pointing out a couple facts.”

      Clearly, you wouldn’t recognise a fact if it scuttled under your bridge, leapt up, and sank its manga into your snout.

  10. rachase says:

    The outpouring of support for Sanders and his message of socialism is one of the starker indications of America’s failed educational system. And what Hillary has to offer is only a small step away from Sanders. History is the infallible example of the future, and it is littered with the debris of failed national experiments in socialism. But modern education has no time fo history as it deals with its Progressive curriculum of absolute equality for all (except, of course, for those in the elite class who govern the “equalized” masses).

  11. Jason Calley says:

    When I was four my uncle did the old trick where he appeared to remove and then reattach the last knuckle of his thumb. I was entranced at first, but of course I quickly discovered how it was done. If I had grown older and never figured out the trick, I would probably be a ripe candidate for supporting socialism.

  12. Jason Calley says:

    For anyone who wonders why so many Americans are willing to vote for Bernie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGEx0gRI3AY

  13. I would defer to those that lived it. A friend of mine’s parents ‘will never go back, until that man is dead.’

  14. BUT CW…..free ski tickets for all forever…..brilliant marketing…is that how he won CO primary?
    And NH & VT & ME !

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