Help An Aging Cuban
Anyone who reads this blog by now knows how deeply disappointed and disgusted I've become with what used to be known as the American dream. In fact it is fast becoming our worst nightmare. I went to sleep one night several weeks ago then awoke in a Nazi-like America. If I was in 1930s Germany at least I could flee to the U.S. as did Cubans beginning several decades ago from Castro's communist calamity. Even today Cubans flee the island in record number from Raul's "perfect socialism." I can't decide who sounds the most pompous these days - Raul or George. The two of them will take their rightful places in history and their descendent's will change their name to hide their family ties like the Hitler family.
But I'm tired of talking about Raul and George. To the devil with the two of them. I want to talk about us - about you and me. You...you're Cubans struggling in Cuba under the yoke of greedy stupidity. Me...I'm living in a nightmare asphalt jungle populated by ignorant savage wolves and sheep without a clue. Our government masters, in each of our cases, puts the squeeze on us for so much of our wealth created with our labor that we are left desperate and wanting. Meanwhile, THEY pursue their delusions of world empire on our backsides. Aren't you tired of it?
Damn if I'm not. Sure I could continue living my life like this because I'm clever, swift of foot for an old guy and wily. I'm always preparing to do so. But wouldn't it be better if we worked together to solve each of our problems?
I'm living in America with most folks here possessing the cognizance of concrete. However, you in Cuba have no delusions about government. It sucks! So you are already open to trying a new governing concept where here these knuckleheads are still trying to make a crooked, rigged system "work." They don't even realize the corruption here where as you know it is the way of life in Cuba. What this means is we have an opportunity for what is known as a synergy.
We can use the knowledge gained from the pains that we have both suffered under and design the new Cuba to eliminate these cancerous policies on society. Here are the steps I recommend for us to transition rapidly to the new Cuba while avoiding the pitfalls that have been pursued by the soon to be collapsing American empire:
1. Recognize what collectivism is and that it ALWAYS FAILS.
The collectivist believes in group right, privileges, responsibilities and punishments as decided by a ruling oligarchy. You must give your time, money and body for use by the group but the oligarchy gets to decide. In collectivist societies democracy eventually ceases to exist as is the present day case with American faux democracy. Collectivism ALWAYS make societies decline providing the opportunistic demogogs with excuses for more collectivist chains on the individual. Today America is a quasi fascist collectivist nation and Cuba a totalitarian communist society. But we are both collectivist nations and you must recognize this or there is no point in going forward.
2. Explain this fact to ten people.
Step number one is a real easy concept to understand especially living in Cuba. So you must use radio bemba and tell ten people about the obvious facts of collectivism. Tell these ten to do likewise. There is no such thing as "perfect socialism" even at the family level - but we do our level best as parents because socialism is the best system to use with raising a family. But it is a fiasco on any higher level.
3. Stop working.
You are being paid nothing so you should not work. Do no more than you absolutely have to until enough Cubans see the light and we reach the critical mass. Talking is more important than working now. Spread the word about the new Cuba blossoming from the brink of the abyss. Your demand for returning to work is complete ownership of your labor, time, body and money.
4. Gain title to your homes but compensate exiles with a bit of land for resettlement
I have no interest in reclaiming the family ranch. I don't want the decrepit building or the land in Havana also stolen from my family by Castro. I already have a lifestyle but it would be nice to transfer it to a free, enlightened Cuba. I'll need less than a 1/4 acre somewhere in Cuba suitable for building a new house with a vegetable garden. You have a million exiles literally dying to do so likewise. Their wish to live in Cuba will bring in billions in investment money to provide construction jobs for hundreds of thousands of Cuban workers. Give the businesses and farms back to the old owners if they still want them. This too will bring in enormous amounts of wealth and create even more jobs.
5. Stabilize a single Cuban currency.
The peso should always be backed by tangible commodities like gold to prevent inflation which secretly robs labor of their just earnings. The international banker cartel should not have any power inside of Cuba and all Cuban national bank holdings liquidated and deposited in the treasury. In real dollar figures this could add up to ten, maybe twenty bucks. But the point is banks should spring up privately in all neighborhoods under a legal framework that punishes fraud including the fraud of inflation. These local banks should be forbidden by law from ever lending out more money than they have on deposit but they each would be free to set their own lending rate.
6. Distribute firearms to able bodied Cuban men and women from the arsenal
This is of vital importance to keep the peace and to defend the nation from external threat. I know Cubans have always been told the U.S. would attack them but they have just been pawns in the bigger game. Cuba and Fidel have been convenient boogie men for the international banker cartel. They were never really going to attack Cuba because Fidel served the bankers' needs in the bigger picture. However, a truly free Cuba under the policy advocated here would become rich very fast, with the highest living standard in the world by far. Our honest money system and individualistic approach would expose the international bankers' fraudulent fiat money scheme for what it is and cause investors worldwide to move into the Cuban peso to protect their wealth from this greedy banker cartel. And therein lies the reason we must be armed. The Cuban citizen army should form volunteer brigades and train regularly though not at the dictates from any central government.
7. Start neighborhood private schools.
The government should always be banned from having contact with the schools. Government should be considered political pedophiles and banned from the school grounds. Parents should be free to choose the course of their children's education. However, I would strongly recommend that after the three R's children should be taught the lessons of the communist fiasco so they will never be repeated again. Also the history of how American collectivism led to fascism and decline.
8. Anyone should be able to start a business.
Business is none of the government's business beyond safety and fraud prevention. However, society needs more jobs than people to assure a rising wage and personal benefits because this will make work more sensible than crime.
9. Seize all foreign owned ventures under Castro capitalism
Wherever possible it will make most sense to simply turn over ownership to the Cuban workers being exploited by the occupiers colluding with the Castro boys. Workers would form a corporate ownership structure to share the responsibilities and the profit from their new privately owned company.
10. Fund the local, provincial & national governments mostly with the land value tax.
The tax is based on the value of the location of privately held land. In the new Cuba the site fee should be zero because that is about the value currently of everything in Cuba and as they say...nothing from nothing is nothing. However, as soon as a piece of land is sold that establishes the market value of that property and the yearly fee paid to the three levels of government would be a percentage of that value as set by the elected legislature. That means the lion's share of tax will be paid by corporations investing in Cuba. Cubans who stayed on their current property could accumulate wealth by expanding and renovating their homes though still not paying the land tax until the property was sold establishing the taxable land value.
These ten steps are just the beginning. You can see that they make sense. The only people who will get exploited under this economic system are the ones who have always been exploited - the parents by their children. But we love them and we wouldn't have it any other way. So spread the word that there is this aging Cuban friend of yours named Tomas. He's a bit freaked out by the barbaric living conditions in America and he needs a place to crash - for the rest of his life. Tell them I'm willing to come to Cuba to help rebuild our country but only under a sensible social framework like I have described. Explain that removing their current masters from power will mean that thousands of exiles will descend bringing millions in the first weeks alone as well as every personal product imaginable. Everyone will be working in a job within one month making pretty decent dough and they get to keep all the money too. Within a year every Cuban household will have a computer with a connection to the Internet. Within five years the island will be completely transformed with brand new infrastructure everywhere.
We can make this thing happen and you would be really helping a fellow Cuban out. Plus, I'm only human. I'd love to rub the New Cuba in the poor declining U.S.'s face. I'd bet you would too? But we would also be the beacon and the model to be adopted by the rest of the world's enslaved people. Wouldn't that be cool? The people of planet earth adopting the Cuban model...
But I'm tired of talking about Raul and George. To the devil with the two of them. I want to talk about us - about you and me. You...you're Cubans struggling in Cuba under the yoke of greedy stupidity. Me...I'm living in a nightmare asphalt jungle populated by ignorant savage wolves and sheep without a clue. Our government masters, in each of our cases, puts the squeeze on us for so much of our wealth created with our labor that we are left desperate and wanting. Meanwhile, THEY pursue their delusions of world empire on our backsides. Aren't you tired of it?
Damn if I'm not. Sure I could continue living my life like this because I'm clever, swift of foot for an old guy and wily. I'm always preparing to do so. But wouldn't it be better if we worked together to solve each of our problems?
I'm living in America with most folks here possessing the cognizance of concrete. However, you in Cuba have no delusions about government. It sucks! So you are already open to trying a new governing concept where here these knuckleheads are still trying to make a crooked, rigged system "work." They don't even realize the corruption here where as you know it is the way of life in Cuba. What this means is we have an opportunity for what is known as a synergy.
We can use the knowledge gained from the pains that we have both suffered under and design the new Cuba to eliminate these cancerous policies on society. Here are the steps I recommend for us to transition rapidly to the new Cuba while avoiding the pitfalls that have been pursued by the soon to be collapsing American empire:
1. Recognize what collectivism is and that it ALWAYS FAILS.
The collectivist believes in group right, privileges, responsibilities and punishments as decided by a ruling oligarchy. You must give your time, money and body for use by the group but the oligarchy gets to decide. In collectivist societies democracy eventually ceases to exist as is the present day case with American faux democracy. Collectivism ALWAYS make societies decline providing the opportunistic demogogs with excuses for more collectivist chains on the individual. Today America is a quasi fascist collectivist nation and Cuba a totalitarian communist society. But we are both collectivist nations and you must recognize this or there is no point in going forward.
2. Explain this fact to ten people.
Step number one is a real easy concept to understand especially living in Cuba. So you must use radio bemba and tell ten people about the obvious facts of collectivism. Tell these ten to do likewise. There is no such thing as "perfect socialism" even at the family level - but we do our level best as parents because socialism is the best system to use with raising a family. But it is a fiasco on any higher level.
3. Stop working.
You are being paid nothing so you should not work. Do no more than you absolutely have to until enough Cubans see the light and we reach the critical mass. Talking is more important than working now. Spread the word about the new Cuba blossoming from the brink of the abyss. Your demand for returning to work is complete ownership of your labor, time, body and money.
4. Gain title to your homes but compensate exiles with a bit of land for resettlement
I have no interest in reclaiming the family ranch. I don't want the decrepit building or the land in Havana also stolen from my family by Castro. I already have a lifestyle but it would be nice to transfer it to a free, enlightened Cuba. I'll need less than a 1/4 acre somewhere in Cuba suitable for building a new house with a vegetable garden. You have a million exiles literally dying to do so likewise. Their wish to live in Cuba will bring in billions in investment money to provide construction jobs for hundreds of thousands of Cuban workers. Give the businesses and farms back to the old owners if they still want them. This too will bring in enormous amounts of wealth and create even more jobs.
5. Stabilize a single Cuban currency.
The peso should always be backed by tangible commodities like gold to prevent inflation which secretly robs labor of their just earnings. The international banker cartel should not have any power inside of Cuba and all Cuban national bank holdings liquidated and deposited in the treasury. In real dollar figures this could add up to ten, maybe twenty bucks. But the point is banks should spring up privately in all neighborhoods under a legal framework that punishes fraud including the fraud of inflation. These local banks should be forbidden by law from ever lending out more money than they have on deposit but they each would be free to set their own lending rate.
6. Distribute firearms to able bodied Cuban men and women from the arsenal
This is of vital importance to keep the peace and to defend the nation from external threat. I know Cubans have always been told the U.S. would attack them but they have just been pawns in the bigger game. Cuba and Fidel have been convenient boogie men for the international banker cartel. They were never really going to attack Cuba because Fidel served the bankers' needs in the bigger picture. However, a truly free Cuba under the policy advocated here would become rich very fast, with the highest living standard in the world by far. Our honest money system and individualistic approach would expose the international bankers' fraudulent fiat money scheme for what it is and cause investors worldwide to move into the Cuban peso to protect their wealth from this greedy banker cartel. And therein lies the reason we must be armed. The Cuban citizen army should form volunteer brigades and train regularly though not at the dictates from any central government.
7. Start neighborhood private schools.
The government should always be banned from having contact with the schools. Government should be considered political pedophiles and banned from the school grounds. Parents should be free to choose the course of their children's education. However, I would strongly recommend that after the three R's children should be taught the lessons of the communist fiasco so they will never be repeated again. Also the history of how American collectivism led to fascism and decline.
8. Anyone should be able to start a business.
Business is none of the government's business beyond safety and fraud prevention. However, society needs more jobs than people to assure a rising wage and personal benefits because this will make work more sensible than crime.
9. Seize all foreign owned ventures under Castro capitalism
Wherever possible it will make most sense to simply turn over ownership to the Cuban workers being exploited by the occupiers colluding with the Castro boys. Workers would form a corporate ownership structure to share the responsibilities and the profit from their new privately owned company.
10. Fund the local, provincial & national governments mostly with the land value tax.
The tax is based on the value of the location of privately held land. In the new Cuba the site fee should be zero because that is about the value currently of everything in Cuba and as they say...nothing from nothing is nothing. However, as soon as a piece of land is sold that establishes the market value of that property and the yearly fee paid to the three levels of government would be a percentage of that value as set by the elected legislature. That means the lion's share of tax will be paid by corporations investing in Cuba. Cubans who stayed on their current property could accumulate wealth by expanding and renovating their homes though still not paying the land tax until the property was sold establishing the taxable land value.
These ten steps are just the beginning. You can see that they make sense. The only people who will get exploited under this economic system are the ones who have always been exploited - the parents by their children. But we love them and we wouldn't have it any other way. So spread the word that there is this aging Cuban friend of yours named Tomas. He's a bit freaked out by the barbaric living conditions in America and he needs a place to crash - for the rest of his life. Tell them I'm willing to come to Cuba to help rebuild our country but only under a sensible social framework like I have described. Explain that removing their current masters from power will mean that thousands of exiles will descend bringing millions in the first weeks alone as well as every personal product imaginable. Everyone will be working in a job within one month making pretty decent dough and they get to keep all the money too. Within a year every Cuban household will have a computer with a connection to the Internet. Within five years the island will be completely transformed with brand new infrastructure everywhere.
We can make this thing happen and you would be really helping a fellow Cuban out. Plus, I'm only human. I'd love to rub the New Cuba in the poor declining U.S.'s face. I'd bet you would too? But we would also be the beacon and the model to be adopted by the rest of the world's enslaved people. Wouldn't that be cool? The people of planet earth adopting the Cuban model...
posted by Tomás Estrada-Palma at
9:36 AM
2 Comments:
There is another George that can make all of our lives happier and better: Henry George, the author of Progreso y Miseria. I applaud your good sense on creating a land value tax nation, and hope that you are soon of good cheer, as your spirit is eternal and always youthful, my friend.
Thanks Joshua. Actually I have the Spanish version of George's work on my blog. "Progesso y Miseria"
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