Document charts Cuba's path to economic reform

[Bacchus39]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100914/ap_on_bi_ge/cb_cuba_mass_layoffs

Document charts Cuba's path to economic reform

By PAUL HAVEN and ANDREA RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writers Paul Haven And Andrea Rodriguez, Associated Press Writers

HAVANA – An internal Communist Party document envisions a radically revamped Cuban economy, with a new tax code, freshly legalized private cooperatives and a state payroll no longer shackled by the need to support at least a half-million idle or unproductive workers.

The document — obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press — also offers a cold dose of reality for those who think reforming one of the last bastions of Soviet-style communism will be easy: It warns that many of the new businesses will be shuttered within a year.

The 26-page document fleshes out some of the details of sweeping layoffs of 500,000 workers by March 2011 that Cuba announced Monday in the most dramatic reform instituted since President Raul Castro took over from his ailing brother, Fidel, in 2008.

Workers at the ministries of sugar, tourism and agriculture will be let go first — and some layoffs at those entities already began in July, it said. The last in line for cutbacks include the Civil Aviation sector and the Ministry of Social Services — the very agency charged with overseeing the layoffs.

No government sector appears to go untouched, with cuts slated for Cuba's vaunted athletics program — long favored under sports-crazy Fidel Castro since the early days of his 1959 revolution — and even its Health and Education Ministries.

Taken together, the plan represents the largest shift to private enterprise since the early 1990s, when the collapse of the Soviet Union forced cash-strapped Cuba to legalize the U.S. dollar and allow people to open private restaurants and small vegetable stands. Many of those reforms were rolled back once the severe economic crisis eased.

[bherrera]

1. Good to see Cuba move away from Communism

A more sensible approach is to use a socialism as we use in Spain, where private enterprise flourishes and we live very well

[naaman fletcher]

2. One would think,

that this would be an interesting topic of discussion to people who claim to be interested in discussion and sharing information..

[Bacchus39]

3. definitely, but I think its more a slap in the face to many that post here

the "model" has failed.

[bherrera]

8. Common sense told us the communist model is a failure

it has failed in every country where it was tried in the past. Therefore the failure in Cuba has been well known. The problem I see is that some left leaning individuals become extreme in their beliefs, and have an almost religious zeal in their support for communist-type policies. I have observed this behavior in some people here in Spain, who advocate nationalization of all large companies, and things like that. Common sense and simple observation tells us it is better to have a well regulated market, and allow private enterprises to perform within this market. Maybe the Cubans understand this now, and will move away from their religious zeal to support the obsolete marxist model they have.

[Zorro]

4. Post a recent picture of Fidel

That might get them swarming over here -- to coo about how wonderful the aged dictator looks these days, not do discuss the thread topic.

[Mika]

5. Nothing a tax cut won't fix.

Wait a cotton pickin' minute. Taxes will go up? Some people will have to "adjust" to no steady income? And taxes?

Repubs aren't going to like this. What they need is a tax cut. And no government. The US Cuban "Transition Project" will do fine.

Like Haiti, and the other utopian Friedman model....

Somalia.

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[Bacchus39]

6. I have no idea what you are talking about. How you liking Ecuador? n/t

s

[bherrera]

7. Sounds like he is confused

He seems to think Somalia represents the modern world using market economic principles, rather than marxist style communism. I could post instead photographs of Singapore, Chile, and Poland, to give him a small understanding of the reason why the Cuban government now realizes their communist system has to change. This is a good thing they are doing, dismantling that economic dinosaur they created will help the Cuban people.

[Bacchus39]

9. agreed its a good thing. but others who post here don't think so

and in Cuba of all places!!!!