The US is pretty evil and sanctions on Cuba just affect regular people on the island and keep Florida politicians alive, but Cuba is way eviler. They don't export doctors, they do human trafficking for the enrichment of the communists and their families. Many of my friends were sent to Brazil and Venezuela as doctors, of the 3000 a month dollars the governments of these countries paid them, they only got $200 a month and the gov kept the rest while they were risking their life's in bad neighborhoods and very isolated places in the Amazonas. Does this money go back to help the regular citizen? Nope, it goes to Castro's families and the other new commies that are in power now, there is more poverty, and there are very few hours of electricity in a day right now, there is hunger compared to or worse than Africa and Haiti, there is repression and incarceration of young people who are protesting regularly, including 16-year-old kids and young women. It's that the embargo fault, nope completely, there is no production of anything, communists steal everything for their own enrichment from the government companies. Their media brags about the doctor exports and being a medical potency, yet my mom spent 4 months in pain to see a doctor because all of them have been exported or young ones left the country. There are zero medicines and one person in my family almost died of COVID if they didn't move fast and bribe the hospital director with dollars and suddenly there was medicine. Did they help fight apartheid in Africa? Yep and that was nice but they sent people against their will there, people who were kids and were in the mandatory military service, if you refused to go they did acts of repudiation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_repudiation) with your neighbors and got a job was hard or impossible after you said no. I still know people traumatized from that war.
Source: I was born and raised there my entire life, and just came from there last weekend.
Born and lived there till a few years ago, I always heard of this and never happened, they even worked on a Linux distro since 2009 https://www.nova.cu/. Most good Linux devs i knew left the island and new ones will do too, people graduate and just moonlight in jobs in order to get internet to freelance on Upwork and make some cash to survive or leave the country so this will never happen until they allow private IT people to do it and pay competitive rates.They use Linux on servers in most of the companies and run Postfix/Dovecot for email and Squid cache which the govt and communist party will come and request logs and email comms, not fun had to wipe logs for a friend sending a bad joke to her husband about how the situation was in the island. Communists came threatening that she was collaborating with outside people and her logs were under investigation for months.
I have been working remotely for several years. One trick I do is just disconnect my router from the power source at 5:30. After that I go and bike for 30-45 minutes or go swimming. Some days, kids have not been very quiet and I cannot go outdoors and leave the wife alone after a long day with them. Those days I just play some music and do some silly dances with the kids or cook something new from a recipe website. Anything you love more than coding or requires physical exercise will do the trick, for me cooking produces an effect that feels like coding but without the stress of doing it for work.
I'd add Saint Petersburg, FL to the nice list, may be include in your Tampa post since it is part of the Tampa Bay region, but St Pete is a nice city, very progressive and liberal, lots to do, nice art scene and lots of restaurants. As any place in Florida, the heat may not be for you, the summer months are hard but if you adjust your schedule to early mornings and late afternoons is generally a nice place to live. There is some local startup scene here but i've met lot of remote people on coffee shops around here before COVID-19. There are decent amount of tech meetups as well.
Yep lived there in the early 90's, it was a little rough back then but it was still a cool place to live, I did kind of wrap it up with my generally Tampa area along with Clearwater, I really don't make a distinction between the 3, until you get north to Tarpon Springs or south to Ruskin, it's kind of all the Greater Tampa area.
I was born and lived there until 2016. The problem is both things, there is a huge malfunctioning of the government and the society has became conformist of what they have. But, you cannot discard the US as a pretty bad influence on how things are over there. More so in recent years since Trump. I always say if the US gets out of the way, Cubans will free themselves. When there is nobody to blame, people will question the system. When Obama lifted some restrictions over the island I visited there and saw a huge change on people's mentality and there was an entrepreneurship spirit, down that path things would have changed a lot. Now people are more blocked, more hungry, with less resources and with state media blaming the US, they will not think about anything else than survive. I say all this as somebody that doesn't like communism but neither the system in the US, they are both brutal in different ways imho.
Your comment calls out a couple of US presidents by name but does not come close to mention Cuba's regime, let alone any of his leaders, a single time.
Do you believe that the US has most of the responsibility while Cuba's dictatorship has none at all?
I never said the US has more responsibility but has it's share of it. I call by name recent US presidents because they have been both since the 60s the ones that have changed the US policies regarding to Cuba, both in very different directions.
> That's a wild implication you're making there based off of a person's comments.
The parent poster commented on Cuba's current state but never mentioned any active role of Cuba's ruling regime, which single-handedly rules the country with an iron fist for over half a century.
Instead, he commented on a couple of US presidents, including the current acting president which was elected over six decades of continuous rule of Cuba's acting regime.
If we are honestly discussing who is responsible for Cuba's current state, can you try to explain to me without resorting to ad hominem attacks why are the two last ruling US presidents relevant but Cuba's very own regime isn't even worthy of a side reference?
Because I'm pretty sure the Castro brothers were the ones calling the shots for over half a century, including how and where to jail political dissidents.
Not to mention the blame on the current administration for the current situation, when it is well known that US diplomats and dignitaries where routinely targeted with microwave weapons, some of which, have as of so far, suffered permanent brain damage, time will tell if they will fully recover. As well the previous administration killed wet foot / dry foot.
It's pretty customary to break off relations with a country when diplomats are attacked, it goes against the very fabric of diplomatic immunity. Sure everybody tails them, everybody spies on them, but physical attacks are so far outside the norm, that I was actually surprised that it took as long as it did to disconnect the small ties that had been established. I have my issues with the current administration but to chalk one up against their side after US diplomats where attacked is wanting at best.
There is no doubt the US meddles and sometimes (maybe even most times) for the worse, but to attribute Cuban or even Venezuelan strife to primarily the US is an overreach. The US has backed some bad players in response to communism (Pinochet comes to mind), but to attribute the misdeeds of the ones that actually went left, to the US is more of this fantasy-land, we want to try communism again and this time we will get it right thinking.
What someone says, when they say, "if it where not for the US and capitalist influence it would have succeeded" is actually that they are saying: that they are smarter than Engle, Marx, Lenin, Castro, Che, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Stalin and the rest of them; if we just implement their non-dictator, non-western influenced, idea of communism things will be great this time. The problem is, all the above mentioned thought the same thing.
I lived thru communism (had family that lived under it in East Germany, father-in-law was a refuge from Castro), I never realized it would only take a generation to completely forget how bad it was.
Honestly what scares me more is, I always thought Fascism and the Nazis had run their course and there would be no way anyone could make that mistake again. Now watching the apologizes for the failings of communism, I am really not so sure, now I realize if these fringe Nazis find the right voice, appeal the the right social triggers and pull on the correct emotional strings, they could actually become a force to recon with.
You didn't live through communism. A lot of the left rejects Cuban, or Russian (USSR) communism.
You lived through a dictatorship. Very different things.
There are various leftist thoughts that are more libertarian than whatever system we have right now.
The fact that you're equating nazism which isn't even an economic school of thought to communism, which is, means you frankly don't know what you're talking about.
Your experiences are valid, and I would hate to live in USSR or Cuba, but your experiences aren't the end-all of communism.
I know exactly what I am talking about when it comes to communism and Fascism as they have always been, when implemented, a direct path to central planning.
Fascism absolutely has an economic model you could call it socialism lite. The Nazi's slid from full socialist to Fascist (the Chinese did the same thing, they represent somewhere between a socialist and Fascist state now, because communism does not work, as well, the US has had it's slide towards it, Prescott Bush was a known Fascist and wanted the US to trend towards it):
The Nazis where first and foremost national socialist and then softly migrated to Fascist. As far as political spectrum libertarians are to the extreme right, with Anarchist being the end of the spectrum to the right. What the new speak definitions of left/right are trying to do is interject economic, social and emotional issues into the spectrum, because communism cannot be sold in it's original form so now it is being packaged with social issues and plays to emotions. That being said, historically left/right was in systems of and the authorities of governance, the further to the right, the less authority the government had. It historically has not entailed economic models nor social issues like abortion, gay right, etc. You technically could have a far right communist utopia but given the limit of government authority, it would not last long as communism has to be enforced, thus back to central planning, thus back to the left.
The left is defined by reliance in government and the desire for centrally planned governments, the right is towards the limitation or abolition of government. The Republic is a little to the right, Democracy is further right than that, confederation is further right than that and finally no law is the extremity of the right.
We can certainly state that I lived thru communism, the fact that they all became dictatorship speaks more to the flaw of the system than it does that it did not get a fair shake.
I would also certainly say I know what I am talking about given that I am well studied in geopolitical affairs, worked in the field and have extensive experience with the horrors of communism. The fact that you did not know that the Nazis where socialist and slid towards a Fascist economy means you frankly don't know what you are talking about or further that libertarians are extremely right and cannot be left as per their desires to limit government, as per historic and classically defined political pendulum analysis. As well, you most likely have had no experience with a real communist government as most people that even have peripheral experience with communism are wary of government overreach and would not look for a reason to argue or advocate for it. You would realize it's not something to get right.
Your theory of we will do it better than Marx or Lenin puts millions of peoples lives in the balance. It's not going to work this time, central planning always leads to totalitarianism. That is what caused it, not the CIA not KSK not MI6, while they have had their meddlings they did not set up death camps, gulags or oppress dissidents for the communist (every communist regime that has come into existence mind you). It will not bring equality for the oppressed and will bring nothing but suffering for the majority under it's rule. The leaders of the movement, disillusioned with it not working out, will develop a final solution to fix it, which generally means getting rid of some people. This is the way it went down every time, and even before the US started meddling in their affairs.
As further reading I would point you to the chronology of US and USSR spying. As you will note, the USSR had an established agency, propaganda network and sources before the US, and where actively meddling in US affairs, many agencies where formed in light of this new reality, the USSR had a active policy of world wide spread of communism, because Lenin believed in Marx as a profit and Marx was emphatic on the fact that for communism to succeed it would have to be a world wide revolution, Lenin is the text book example he implemented Marxist vision to a T, and honestly out of all of them he was probably the best example but it was the communist according to their core doctrine, that said the capitalist has to go. They painted a mark on people not the other way around. When the capitalist went and it still did not work, someone else had to go, in the case of the UUSR, it was the intellectuals then portions of the Bolsheviks, then the artists. the US response was to contain that spread after the fact, somewhere along the way, that commission changed and the CIA decided it was going to get into nation building, but that does not excuse communism for it's spectacular failings:
> I know exactly what I am talking about when it comes to communism and Fascism as they have always been, when implemented, a direct path to central planning.
Right so you're specifically talking about your flavor of communism you went through. Which is exactly missing the point of what I said. Please tell me what part of this is centrally planned, or has a strong state: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-communism
> The Nazis where first and foremost national socialist and then softly migrated to Fascist.
Yes, they were nationalist. AKA fascist. But we already knew that didn't we.
> with Anarchist being the end of the spectrum to the right.
You're actually trying to use the political spectrum to discuss politics? You understand there are nuances involved, right? I'm tired of people falling for the political compass meme thinking they've understood politics in a 2 or 3 dimensional grid.
> The left is defined by reliance in government
Okay what? Where was this definition?
> and the desire for centrally planned governments,
You're literally making stuff up now.
> We can certainly state that I lived thru communism, the fact that they all became dictatorship speaks more to the flaw of the system than it does that it did not get a fair shake.
You lived through ONE flavor of communism that was authoritarian. Not every flavor of communism is authoritarian or centrally planned.
> I am well studied in geopolitical affairs
Yet you use a political compass to describe politics.
> worked in the field and have extensive experience with the horrors of communism
Yes the horrors of communism. Specifically your flavor of communism.
> The fact that you did not know that the Nazis where socialist and slid towards a Fascist economy means you frankly don't know what you are talking about or further that libertarians are extremely right and cannot be left as per their desires to limit government, as per historic and classically defined political pendulum analysis.
Uh huh. What part of the nazi economy was worker owned and operated? Do you just pick up on the name of something and say "ah yes they called themselves socialist therefore who am I to question them?"
> peripheral experience with communism are wary of government overreach and would not look for a reason to argue or advocate for it.
Except you're wrong here and plenty of people who have lived through USSR are still advocates of communism, just not stalinism :)
> central planning always leads to totalitarianism.
You're the only one bringing this one up mate.
> not the CIA not KSK not MI6,
Yeah they didn't do anything to destabilize countries, no sir. Wonder if the situation was as bad as you're talking about, why did they get involved?
> death camps, gulags or oppress dissidents for the communist
> As further reading I would point you to the chronology of US and USSR spying. As you will note, the USSR had an established agency, propaganda network and sources before the US, and where actively meddling in US affairs, many agencies where formed in light of this new reality, the USSR had a active policy of world wide spread of communism, because Lenin believed in Marx as a profit and Marx was emphatic on the fact that for communism to succeed it would have to be a world wide revolution, Lenin is the text book example he implemented Marxist vision to a T, and honestly out of all of them he was probably the best example but it was the communist according to their core doctrine, that said the capitalist has to go. They painted a mark on people not the other way around. When the capitalist went and it still did not work, someone else had to go, in the case of the UUSR, it was the intellectuals then portions of the Bolsheviks, then the artists. the US response was to contain that spread after the fact, somewhere along the way, that commission changed and the CIA decided it was going to get into nation building, but that does not excuse communism for it's spectacular failings:
This is the wildest justification of the redscare that I've read. You're acting like Marx somehow invented communism or that his version is the only version out there.
I'm sorry you lived through an authoritarian state, it sucks, I know because I lived through one as well. But if you take your head out of the dirt and actually go understand that not all of the left want a strong central government, maybe then we can have a better conversation.
And I too am sorry that you suffered thru whatever your government put you thru, I mean that sincerely. Just so we are clear, and for the record I was not painting all of the left with the same brush, just Communism. I have no issue with Democratic Socialism, should the people choose it, though I am completely fine with the traditional capitalism, we had before Kennedy was assassinated and we started the slide towards fascism.
Communism and Democratic Socialism are different beasts but that is also where the danger lies, many communist see socialism as the palatable step to their end goal. It's not a red-scare, history is littered with the dead proof and human wreckage of the failings of communism. You would be hard pressed to convince me to give communism no matter how it is dressed up a try again, there are just too many failings and bodies along the way, many of which I have seen with my own eyes, to risk "getting it right, this time".
This is exactly what was happening in Iran after JCPOA. Restrictions were lifting and people were demanding more from the system.
Trump has effectively shut that down and has made millions of enemies and millions of future enemies from Iran. You can't just choke an economy and expect the state to get better. If anything you're just making it worse.
I lived in Ecuador, all these people will have retirement and healthcare thru the IES(https://www.iess.gob.ec/), equivalent to the US Social Security. It's not a perfect system but neither is US retirement if you don't have 401k or some kind of private retirement plan, the healthcare could be slow sometimes and you spend 30 mins to an hour to see the doctor but it works.
Very true, I'm a frequent person to Kava/Kratom bars where I live and there are several of them with lots of regular clients so non-alcoholic beverages seem to be a good market.
I was without those until 2012 when I left Cuba. I did have a computer there, an old one with Linux, Emacs, and no desktop environment where I did freelance work and got online once per week to upload the work. I lived in South America until 2016 and still was semi-disconnected due to the prices of mobile data. Here in the US has been hard for me to get disconnected and mostly do it when I travel to Cuba for 15 days or a month to visit the fam. These are great days, feels weird the first 3 days but then you forget these devices exist and start talking to people, dancing, swimming, being immersed in the community and talking about topics one normally doesn't. It's a really rewarding thing and always makes me think that we are very disconnected from our true nature.
Source: I was born and raised there my entire life, and just came from there last weekend.