February 29, 2008

Norm!

Letter to the editor of the Arizona Republic:

Cuba still deserves tough sanctions
Feb. 29, 2008 12:00 AM

Regarding Mary Sanchez's column on Monday, "With Castro out of way, time is ripe to end sanctions":

Apparently Sanchez and many of the current presidential candidates do not understand that the genesis for the sanctions was that Fidel Castro nationalized more than $2 billion in American assets in 1960 with no compensation.

Once Cuba pays that money back, with interest, and then shows meaningful democratic change, it will be time to talk about the easing of sanctions. - Norm Healy,Prescott

There's still some people out there with their heads screwed on straight. For the record I don't think Cuba will ever pay for the expropriations much less interest, but the Cuban government should acknowledge the debt and attempt to settle it like any debtor would. That's what China and Vietnam did under similar circumstances BEFORE the U.S. began wide-open trade with those countries.

Posted by Henry Louis Gomez at February 29, 2008 08:06 AM

Comments

I'll be honest here - I am more concerned with businesses expropriated from the Cuban people. Of course, this isn't say that other examples of theft shouldn't be dealt with as well but, lets deal with those against the Cuban people first.

Posted by: CubaWatch [TypeKey Profile Page] at February 29, 2008 10:02 AM

Paid debt or not, I morally object to any trade with governments of repression. That said I wouldn't trade with any of them.

Somehow I think I am a minority.

Posted by: La Ventanita [TypeKey Profile Page] at February 29, 2008 10:04 AM

AB,

The reason why American assets are pertinent to the debate is that their seizure is the genesis of the current policy. America can not feel secure in investing in Cuba until the government there acknowledges the rules of international trade.

Venti,

As a free market advocate I think trade an investment CAN have a liberalizing effect if Cuba were to liberalize its economy. The reason why the regime has refused to liberalize its economy is precisely because they don't want such trade to undermine the so-called Revolution and its so-called accomplishments.


Posted by: Henry "Conductor" Gomez [TypeKey Profile Page] at February 29, 2008 10:30 AM


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