Cuba Exposed Exposes The Embargo
EMERGENCY!!! I have conformation that things have gotten to the point never before seen in Cuba. People are even fighting over water. The ration books are useless because those stores are completely empty. Only what we bring to them or buy for them when we visit is keeping them alive now. WE MUST EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!!
Call me at 9 pm tonight. I think I have a better way to deal with the Castro boys than the apartheid tourist feeding embargo model. I could be wrong. I just wish someone would give me a reason to make me rethink my position. To be honest I have not heard one bit of logic that would persuade me otherwise. Some of the approaches that embargo supporters have used have been:
1. Export Tariffs are unconstitutional (This objection makes me very happy because it makes me realize that Cubans are taking a look at our U.S. Constitution again. It's a brilliant document but only in its entirety. Being written by legal minds it is never redundant. So you must read it all then discuss amongst yourselves to be certain of its meaning.)
2. Castro would just go elsewhere to buy cheaper stuff if we did place high tariffs on American goods sold to Castro. (To which my answer is "So?")
3. We should just tighten the embargo. (This will not happen in the near term with the Congress that we have but a switch to sensible tariffs if exiles were on board would be possible politically. But continuing the embargo models aids apartheid tourism and not the Cuban people.)
4. We don't give a damn what the world thinks about us because we are right and Castro is wrong. (This is real poor marketing of our motivations and cedes the perceived moral high ground to Castro.)
5. Castro would cheat. (Of course he would. But in the modern electronic, satellite tracking world cheating is getting harder and harder to do. Ask some of the bureaucrats who have been fired in recent years for not being where they were suppose to be - caught and convicted by tracking devices. Whenever we catch him cheating it costs Castro a fine. You know the routine.)
6. Then we'll have to give him credit guaranteed by the U.S. taxpayer. (To which I respond: Who the hell in their right mind gives a crook credit? This is a ridiculous assertion.)
I think there were some other objections but to be honest with you all those were pretty lame and I forgotten them. But feel free to call me tonight at (646) 915-9664 if you have some logical objections that I have not mentioned. Maybe you can change my mind?
Call me at 9 pm tonight. I think I have a better way to deal with the Castro boys than the apartheid tourist feeding embargo model. I could be wrong. I just wish someone would give me a reason to make me rethink my position. To be honest I have not heard one bit of logic that would persuade me otherwise. Some of the approaches that embargo supporters have used have been:
1. Export Tariffs are unconstitutional (This objection makes me very happy because it makes me realize that Cubans are taking a look at our U.S. Constitution again. It's a brilliant document but only in its entirety. Being written by legal minds it is never redundant. So you must read it all then discuss amongst yourselves to be certain of its meaning.)
2. Castro would just go elsewhere to buy cheaper stuff if we did place high tariffs on American goods sold to Castro. (To which my answer is "So?")
3. We should just tighten the embargo. (This will not happen in the near term with the Congress that we have but a switch to sensible tariffs if exiles were on board would be possible politically. But continuing the embargo models aids apartheid tourism and not the Cuban people.)
4. We don't give a damn what the world thinks about us because we are right and Castro is wrong. (This is real poor marketing of our motivations and cedes the perceived moral high ground to Castro.)
5. Castro would cheat. (Of course he would. But in the modern electronic, satellite tracking world cheating is getting harder and harder to do. Ask some of the bureaucrats who have been fired in recent years for not being where they were suppose to be - caught and convicted by tracking devices. Whenever we catch him cheating it costs Castro a fine. You know the routine.)
6. Then we'll have to give him credit guaranteed by the U.S. taxpayer. (To which I respond: Who the hell in their right mind gives a crook credit? This is a ridiculous assertion.)
I think there were some other objections but to be honest with you all those were pretty lame and I forgotten them. But feel free to call me tonight at (646) 915-9664 if you have some logical objections that I have not mentioned. Maybe you can change my mind?
posted by Tomás Estrada-Palma at
8:09 AM
8 Comments:
None of those arguments are my arguments for keeping the embargo, and I've only seen parts of them used by others. The embargo is not a trade issue, it's a foreign policy issue. The Constitution does in fact give the federal government authority to enact and enforce foreign policy.
The reason Cuba is blocked from accessing credit from the World Bank is because of the embargo. Who do you think the largest shareholder in the world bank is? I'll give you a 3 letter hint: USA.
I just don't see how American companies joining the Spanish and Canadian companies that exploit Cubans will help Cubans?
I don't see how the flow of millions of American tourists into Cuba will do anything except give the regime a surge of cash when Cuban tourism is in decline (even by the regime's own calculations).
Until Cuba allows market mechanisms to exist on the island, removing the embargo is simply a capitulation by the US. Lowering a policy of 46 years with gaining a single concession would be the true failure.
I would give a damn about what the world thinks if the world had the power to change the situation in Cuba. But the world does not. Winning a public relations war for the benefit of a public with no authority or desire to see changes in Cuba by dumping the one lever we do have is not, in my opinion, going to do a thing to make the Cuban people more free.
There you go again with the tourist Henry. That was one of the arguments I forgot. I do not favor apartheid tourism by Americans. So until the day comes when somehow we disagree on that question we should argue that point. But since we agree could we get back to the separate question: Wouldn't it be better to start taxing tourists food and other things higher that Raul needs and allow things for the Cuban people in tax free?
I'm not following your logic at all. You say you want to lower the embargo but then tax the exports? And then only certain exports? First of all I'm against tariffs. I think trade, when it's conducted should be free trade. If we slap and export tariff on goods bound for Cuba, Cuba will simply buy the goods from other countries for less because they don't tax their exports. Secondly, what enforcement mechanism would you have. If you sell Castro 1,000 sides of beef that are supposed to go to the people how do you ensure they go to the people and not the tourists or party officials? You can't. Because we don't control the other end of the supply chain, the very regime we despise and can't trust does.
And there's no separating the tourism question from the trade question. The only reason the courts have upheld the travel restrictions is because they are part of an overall foreign policy that calls for economic sanctions. Once you remove those sanctions that travel restrictions lose their legal reason for being and would then become an infringement on movement of the people.
Sorry Tomas, not buying it.
Henry you don't expect Courts to act fast like a one hour tv drama? The fact is travel restrictions are unconstitutional. Find me the power in the Constitution given to the federal government. So in this respect you are correct. But the way I look at it the Constitution was not violated in a day. It will take more than a day to orderly return things to Constitutionality. We'll get to that much later. Challengers to this will require several years in the Courts.
How do we know where products go? They have tiny satellite tracking devices that will give you that info. It gets harder each day for Castro to hide these kind of things. When Cubans are not eating that 1000 lbs. of beef it will be a giant clue. As long as Castro does not allow us to verify the use of the product he pays the high tariff including for food and medicine. Sorry you don't like tariffs. You need to get working on amending the U.S. Constitution because that was the way the federal government was meant to be funded. Not income (slave labor) tax.
As for my logic you stated it correctly - lower the embargo one product at a time (they'd have to apply for each new product). Then charge more for certain products depending on their verifiable use. But this won't change anything in reality. Remember - they are broke and have no cash. Cash is mandatory for this policy. So all this policy change will actually do is make us look better while proving to the rest of the world that Cuba IS broke and embargo or not - they can't buy shit more than they are all ready buying.
Your objection about Castro buying from other countries - what's your point? How can we control that? I don't care if they buys lower priced, lower tariffed products elsewhere. That WOULD require a blockade.
I sorry you are not buying it Henry. I have addressed your concerns logically. But the reality is Cubans are starving now from recent reports so this whole question should soon be moot. Starving people always revolt because they have nothing left to lose. I've been told that things have never been this bad as now.
So we may both be wasting our breath. But I feel better for having tried to get more into the hands of regular Cubans. I think in the near future they will appreciate my efforts on their behalf to fill their stomach - even if unsuccessful. If they think my plan would have been worth a try to relieve their want they will not be happy with those who blocked it.
The courts have ruled in countless cases that the Federal Government is in fact charged with the responsibility enforcing a foreign policy as dictated by the chief executive. And they have also ruled that the travel restrictions to Cuba are a legitimate arm of a legitimate foreign policy. You can't say it's unconstitutional when the judicial branch has already disagreed with you countless times.
And the real teeth of the embargo is not in their inability to buy American goods. You and I know that they can buy American goods through third countries or buy foreign goods.
The teeth of the embargo is that the US market is closed to Cuban industry, namely tourism.
My point about Cuba buying from other countries is that your solution simply legitimizes the regime by removing sanctions leads to the lifting of the travel restrictions and does not in fact open the Cuban market to American companies because you slap an export tariff on American exports to Cuba.
Why are Cubans starving? It's certainly not because the U.S. is blocking food from getting to Cuba. Maybe Cubans should take it up with their government.
I'm afraid you've bought into the propaganda that the miserable conditions in Cuba are a result of the U.S. and its policies and not fidel castro and his.
But I've never said I blame the U.S. for Cuba's problems so it should not be part of a genuine logical argument to dab that tar and blow those feathers my way. We should stick to facts. Lets by pass the black robed tyrants that have been interpreting the Constitution for you. I believe YOU are smart enough Henry to easily understand the U.S. Constitution. Go to it and find me where the federal government got the power to dictate where free Americans could travel or how they spent their money. I'd be very curious to read it.
As for imports I'd suggest very high import tariffs.
By the way Henry the first step under this policy shift would be to sharply increase food and medicine tariffs unless verifiable use was for the Cuban people. Then we'd see what else Raul wanted and what for. Then adjust the tariff accordingly.
In a nut shell we tell the regime there is good news and bad news. The good news is we have ended the embargo. The bad news is there will be high tariffs for ALL products not destined for the Cuban people.
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