Cuba Starts Creating Grassroots Electoral Commissions

[Mika]

Source: Prensa Latina

The general election process in Cuba continues Friday with the creation of over 15,230 constituency electoral commissions throughout the country.
According to sources from the National Electoral Commission, this process will be run until Sunday, July 22, with the election and taking possession of a president, a secretary and three members of the electoral commission.

These commissions will be responsible for a group of tasks included in the Cuban Electoral Law, among them, to preside over assemblies to nominate candidates for municipal delegates.
Once possible candidates have been elected in neighborhood meetings, the constituency commission will publish the aspirants' photos and biographies in public places, as well as the list of voters in each polling station.

This new stage will begin a day after the creation of electoral commissions in 90 districts of 29 municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants in 13 Cuban provinces.
The first round of elections to choose members of the municipal assemblies of the People's Power for a term of two and a half years will be held on October 21 this year.

A week later there will be a second round where candidates fail to get over 50 percent of the votes.

Working link here.


Read more: http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B62538157-5629-40FA-AD50-8DDDA58F7828%7D)&language=EN

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More info on this process;

http://www.poptel.org.uk/cuba-solidarity/democracy.htm

This system in Cuba is based upon universal adult suffrage for all those aged 16 and over. Nobody is excluded from voting, except convicted criminals or those who have left the country. Voter turnouts have usually been in the region of 95% of those eligible .

There are direct elections to municipal, provincial and national assemblies, the latter represent Cuba's parliament.

Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties. No political party, including the Communist Party, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any given candidates.

The Cuban government was reorganized (approved by popular vote) into a variant parliamentary system in 1976.

You can read a short version of the Cuban system here,
http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQDemocracy.html

Or a long and detailed version here,

Democracy in Cuba and the 1997-98 Elections
Arnold August
1999
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0968508405/qid=1053879619/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8821757-1670550?v=glance&s=books

[msongs]

1. umm, cuba is a dictatorship nt

[Mika]

3. Thanks for the good solid information.

:eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

22. Dictatorship? Bush was made Prez by a rightwing Supreme Court

Voters were kept from voting en masse in 2000 and 2004. Massive voter fraud in Florida in 2000 and in Ohio in 2004.

You have the Electoral College, negating direct democratic vote for President. You have no proportional representation. You also have a 2-party monopoly in which both parties represent different factions of the capitalist class. Add to that the fact that the US Constitution is no longer operative, under Bush's dictatorial "unitary executive" system. Plus you have a Congress that is supposed to represent the people, yet it cannot defund the war in Iraq as they were elected to do.

Then you have the gall, or the arrogant ignorance, to say that Cuba is a dictatorship... How dare you?

[Alexander]

37. What if someone says both Cuba and the US are dictatorships?

Because they are.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Mika]

39. "Because"? Well.. that solves it.

Sounds like an argument made by a 3rd grader.

:rofl:

[William769]

2. Saddam held elections also. NT.

[Mika]

4. Well, that clears things up. Castro = Saddam. Cuba = Iraq.

:crazy:

[William769]

5. Well I won't disagree with you.

[Benhurst]

21. Yeah, and Bush was "elected" not once, but twice.

[uberllama42]

6. That's really interesting.

Something worth consideration. It would appear that even though Cuba has the same system of selecting the President as we do (that is, the poeple have no say) their municiple elections are actually worth something.

[Ghost Dog]

10. The President is elected by the National Assembly, I understand,

once in it's turn elected as described in the OP.

Sure, until now they've always, probably for some very good reasons, reelected Fidel Castro.

And, in reply to some apparently ignorant and/or "winger" comments around here: no doubt these local commissions do not generally approve candidates who would like to return Cuba into the hands of exploiters in general or varieties of US Mafia in particular.

[Judi Lynn]

7. As long as right-wing the U.S. forbids ordinary U.S. citizens to go to Cuba, it will be easy

to keep them wallowing in ignorance and hostility to the end of their days. God forbid they should ever be tempted to start questioning their own unchecked, unexamined views.

Starting to read your post, it all began to remind me of the things the frequent Cuba traveller from Ottawa, Canada used to discuss here years ago before she got so exasperated with American ignorance on the place she got banned for her direct language. Wingers masquading as Democrats just couldn't stand her.

She told in detail here, and at the old CNN US/Cuba relations board many of us visited, about being in Cuba at election time. I recall her saying the information on all of the candidates is prominently displayed all over the place as INFORMATION, equally available on all candidates to everyone, with NO ONE able to buy more public attention than anyone else, and certain NO ONE ABLE TO SLANDER, OR SMEAR others publicly.

No influence buying, all working toward common goals to make their own government better. Sounds so sinister, doesn't it? :eyes:

[iverglas]

11. thought for a minute that was moi ;)

frequent Cuba traveller from ... Canada

but I was never there during elections (and I'm still here at DU). I did get treated at a Cuban hospital, though! Excellent service - exam by doc, x-ray, tetanus shot -- no charge ...

I do know a bit about the kind of process being talked about, from discussing the process that led to Cuba's all-new family law with Cubans when I was there. All reforms were debated openly and publicly by everyone interested, starting at the block committees. The grassroots-up approach was what produced the desired result in the law -- women's equality, specifically -- and ensured that the reform that followed was legitimate in the eyes of Cubans, and that they adhered to the public policy that resulted as their own, and not as something imposed on them.

The attitude toward government in the US -- where the widespread view is that government is some alien entity squatting on the people and trying only to take what is theirs at every turn -- is in sharp contrast to the attitude in Cuba, where feelings of pride and ownership are far more prevalent.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Good grief! Had no idea you've been there. So glad to hear it.

Knew you are Canadian, didn't know you've been to Cuba. That's something which hasn't come up here, in any thread I've seen so far. Cool.

Good to know you've had first hand experience in there medical system, also, a good close look at it. Thanks for the information, observation.

[iverglas]

17. Five times!

Only the first on an organized tour, and then only because a bunch of us got a last-minute deal and organized our own group. If you can imagine ... $100 for an all-inclusive week (with flight) ... Most of my companions that time were Jewish, so we had a meeting with synagogue officials in Havana one day. Yiddish, the international language; except for the friend I was with, who didn't speak it, so I dug up a little old German and translated for him as best I could. That certainly didn't help with the whole third-language confusion thing when I later picked up Spanish.

Met Margaret Randall a couple of times during her sojourn there. (Not real impressed.) Bicycled around, between Havana and the beaches within 20 miles east. Travelled by local intercity bus (i.e. not tourist bus) to Santiago de Cuba, spent a few nights at the Hotel ... I thought it was Grande, but it seems to be Casa Grande; see some pix here:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Hotel+Santiago+de+Cuba%20Santiago+de+Cuba&w=all

Oldest hotel in North America, I think. Complete with the requisite tropical cockroaches between the sheets, and no hot water, when there was water. Ah, that central plaza ... musicians playing til sun-up outside my window. Gorgeous musicians. ;)

And the museum at the Moncada barracks. Given the tour, and the prepared spiel, by a schoolkid; the museum is associated with a school. Got away without a scolding there, unlike a previous visit to a museum -- I decided to walk back to a room where I'd already been, because my friend had dallied there, and the guide would just have none of that wrong-way wandering around.

Got rousted off the bus in the middle of the night on the way back to Havana. My Spanish was crap, but the soldiers with guns doing the rousting didn't pay any attention to me anyhow. They asked a few questions of the others, made us walk through something, and put us back on the bus. I managed to figure out from my seat-mate that they were inquiring whether anyone was carrying pork products, and making us walk through a footwash, because of fears of spreading a pig disease from one province to another.

Had another run-in with the Cuban military once too. Bicycling east from Havana, I stopped for a drink and looked around and saw the most perfect view of the Havana harbour and skyline. Completely forgetting the (entirely reasonable) instructions not to photograph the harbour, I meandered across the road and over a ditch and started snapping. What I also wasn't noticing - seriously - was that I was wandering toward a military encampment. I got accosted and taken in front of the - again, seriously - colonel with one arm and an eye patch, and questioned. I was in horror of losing my film, which had all the xmas photos from the big day at my friend's house where I was staying in Havana. I produced my letter of introduction from the Canadian lefty lawyer organization, and was eventually given a mild scolding and handed something to sign, which the colonel explained to me was just a "medida"; looking that up didn't enlighten me. But when I saw Ocupación: abogada socialista on the form, I figured I was home free. Me and my film went on our way. (And hm, that same expression was used in my regard years later, by an Iranian embassy operative, with not quite the same approval ...)

Oh, and the police. Bicycling back later that day, I decided to try to avoid going all the way around Havana Harbour; the road had heavy industrial traffic, and a truck had tried to run me down in a roundabout already that day, and it was just extra miles and I was tired. So I decided to take the tunnel ... with the tales of flash floods and drownings running through my head. There was a cat walk that I figured would do me (wasn't about to try to bike through it on the road; it's a very long tunnel, a good mile I'd guess). The catwalk got narrower and narrower, I got covered in grease from pressing against the wall on one side and the bike lost bits and pieces from hitting the railing on the other side ... and there were two cops waiting for me when I emerged. Much finger wagging and scolding. I figured that yo soy canadiense was the answer to all misdeeds and stupidity on my part, but they shot that one down immediately by asking whether I rode my bike through tunnels in Canada. Well, I said, drawing myself up in proper indignation, in Canada, we have bridges. Except that the word I decided to make up to say "bridge", going from the French pont with a bit of adornment, doesn't mean "bridge" at all. Nonetheless, they waved me away.

Tales of an idiot abroad half the time, really. But never ever afraid of anything I did jeopardizing myself or anyone else. People I met were curious and friendly and usually very eager to show off the aspects of their lives that they were proud of ... not that they weren't also a little cynical about how things worked on occasion.

[Mika]

29. Strange. I've been to Cuba many times and have never experienced what you claim.

Completely forgetting the (entirely reasonable) instructions not to photograph the harbour..

There are no instructions to not photograph Havana harbor. I have never, ever, heard such instructions. There are tens of thousands of tourists who visit and photo the harbor every year without any instructions whatsoever.

Strange story indeed.

[iverglas]

30. well, I apologize for my strange story indeed

I guess our experiences are different.

Mine were from about 1976 to 1981 or 82. Perhaps this explains it. Mass tourism was in its infancy, and the tourist experience was a very different one then (and included very few USAmericans) -- particularly in my case, since I stayed with friends much of the time and made other arrangements locally after arrival, and had to arrange my own entry and exit visas etc. And the geopolitical situation was somewhat different perhaps; the explanation we were given was that the harbour was used for military vessels, as I recall. It's hardly as if the rule could be enforced -- I had a view of the entire harbour from the roof of the Deauville Hotel, for instance. I expect that if someone had been hanging around the harbour plainly photographing the comings and goings of vessels, there might have been an interview.

Obviously, what I was doing that was regarded as somewhat odd, in the incident in question, was wandering into a military encampment (tents, in a rural setting) with camera blazing, and nothing to do with the harbour, which was a considerable distance away; that was simply was came immediately to my mind when I found myself being escorted to a tent by a couple of people in khakis.

My brother, an academic with particular expertise in one segment of the Cuban cultural industry, with a Cuban employer, for a year or two a couple of years after that (taking up an opportunity I had been offered earlier but had decided against as it was just the wrong time), and has a slightly different perspective from the tourist's; the economy was just going pear-shaped as a result of the loss of Soviet trade, and the political situation was a little touchy. Neither of us has ever been thought of enemies of the revolution, in any event, I assure you. And you can believe my "claim" or not; I don't really know why you would be disturbed by it (tried to photograph anything in DC lately?), but it doesn't really matter to me.

[rudeboy666]

8. Yeah, even the Soviets had elections.

It just shows you that mere formalities are empty.

What matters is substance.

[BornagainDUer]

32. But the Soviets were dupes of Wall Street. Castro is not.

[robcon]

9. Who's running against Castro?

Oh, that's right, anyone who dared to challenge the ruling party would be in jail for as long as the Varela Project sponsors... 20+ years.

[ProudDad]

13. Oh, they should have a "democracy" that does this, eh?

http://www.freethefive.org/

[Mika]

16. How many times are you going to ask that type of ridiculous question?

C'mon, robcon. If you would have actually read the article then you would have learned that candidates have not been selected yet.

But..

Here's some of tha candidates who ran for a seat in Mr Castro's district, Santiago de Cuba, in the 2003 elections.

http://www.granma.co.cu/secciones/candidatos/prov-13.htm

JUAN ALMEIDA BOSQUE

Nivel Escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Miembro del Buró Político, Vicepresidente del Consejo de Estado, Comandante de la Revolución. Se incorporó a la lucha revolucionaria desde el 10 de marzo de 1952. Participó en el Asalto al Cuartel Moncada. Formó parte de los expedicionarios del Granma. Fue ascendido a Comandante y en marzo de 1958 organizó el III Frente de Operaciones en la Sierra Maestra. A partir del 1o de Enero de 1959 ha ocupado distintas responsabilidades. En octubre de 1965, al constituirse el Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba, fue designado miembro del mismo y de su Buró Político. En septiembre de 1968 fue designado Delegado del Buró Político para la atención al sector de la construcción y en septiembre de 1970 Delegado del Buró Político en la provincia de Oriente. Es presidente de la Asociación de Combatientes de la Revolución Cubana. Se le otorgó el título de Héroe de la República de Cuba y la Orden "Máximo Gómez" de 1er. grado. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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ADRIÁN FONSECA QUESADA

Nivel Escolar: Medio Superior. Ocupación: Estudiante. En la Enseñanza Primaria y Secundaria alcanzó resultados docentes satisfactorios y ocupó diferentes cargos en la organización pioneril. Presidió la FEEM en Bayamo e integró su Secretariado Nacional. Participó en el XIV Festival Mundial de la Juventud y los Estudiantes. En el SMG obtuvo varios estímulos y condecoraciones. Estuvo al frente del trabajo de la UJC en su compañía y perteneció al Comité UJC de la Brigada. Comenzó sus estudios universitarios en la Universidad de Oriente estudiando Comunicación Social, en 1er. año fue Secretario General de su Comité de Base, integró el Consejo de la FEU en la Universidad, siendo su Vicepresidente, y al comenzar el 2do. año fue Presidente. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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FIDEL CASTRO RUZ

Nivel escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Primer Secretario del CC del PCC. Presidente de los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros. Comandante en Jefe de las FAR. Desde 1945 se integró a las luchas políticas estudiantiles. Concibió y dirigió el asalto al Cuartel Moncada. Fundador del Movimiento 26 de Julio. Organizó la expedición del Granma y dirigió la guerra de liberación que culminó con el Triunfo de la Revolución el 1o de Enero de 1959. Dirigió y participó en la defensa de Playa Girón. Fue Presidente del Movimiento de Países No Alineados. Ha impulsado y dirigido la lucha del pueblo cubano por la consolidación del proceso revolucionario, el avance hacia el socialismo y la unidad de todas las fuerzas revolucionarias. Ha sido electo Diputado a la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular desde la creación de aquella en 1976 y desde entonces ha ocupado por elección los cargos de Presidente del Consejo de Estado y Presidente del Consejo de Ministros. Es el principal impulsor y organizador de la intensa Batalla de Ideas que hoy libramos, dirigiendo las campañas, programas y acciones que desarrolla nuestro pueblo. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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CARLOS ALBERTO CABAL MIRABAL

Nivel Escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Director de Biofísica Médica. En 1971 inició su vida laboral como Jefe del Departamento de Física Electrónica en la Escuela de Física, en este mismo año fue promovido a Subdirector de la escuela y luego a Director. Fue Subdirector de la Unidad Docente de Moa; Decano y fundador de la Facultad de Física Matemática, jefe de grupo de RMN. Desde la fundación del centro de Biofísica Médica en 1993 ha sido su Director. Milita en el PCC desde 1976. Desde 1991 es miembro del Comité Provincial del Partido. Fue Delegado al IV Congreso del PCC y Delegado Directo al V Congreso. Ha participado como ponente y autor en más de 70 eventos científicos a nivel nacional e internacional. Desde 1993 es Diputado a la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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MISAEL ENAMORADO DÁGER

Nivel Escolar: Superior. Ocupación: Primer Secretario del Partido en la provincia. De 1977 a 1981 trabajó como Ingeniero y Jefe de Mantenimiento de la Empresa de Automatización del MINAZ, del municipio de Palma Soriano. Luego laboró como inversionista del Central Tunas 1. De 1985 a 1988 se desempeñó como Jefe del Departamento de Industria del Partido Provincial de Las Tunas y fue Director de la Empresa Estructuras Metálicas. Desde 1992 a 1994 ocupó el cargo de Primer Secretario del Partido del municipio de Las Tunas. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de su trabajo fue promovido a Miembro del Buró Provincial. En el IV Congreso del Partido fue electo miembro de su Comité Central. Fue elegido como Primer Secretario del Partido de la Provincia de Las Tunas desde 1995 al 2001. En el V Congreso fue elegido Miembro del Buró Político. Desde octubre del 2001 se desempeña como Primer Secretario del Partido en la provincia de Santiago de Cuba. Es actualmente Diputado a la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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JULIO CHRISTIAN JIMÉNEZ MOLINA

Nivel escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Vicepresidente Primero del INDER. Desarrolló su etapa estudiantil con excelentes resultados hasta alcanzar el título de Lic. en Ciencias Políticas, destacándose por su participación activa en el deporte, especialmente en baloncesto, donde ha participado en eventos nacionales e internacionales durante toda esa etapa. Integró el Equipo Nacional de Baloncesto hasta ocupar distintas responsabilidades en la Dirección Nacional del INDER, otras instituciones y escuelas pertenecientes al deporte hasta agosto del 1997, que es designado Vicepresidente Primero del INDER. Fue militante de la UJC e ingresó al PCC en 1978. Ha cumplido diferentes misiones gubernamentales por lo que fue seleccionado en el 2000, Cuadro Destacado del Estado. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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LUIS ENRIQUE IBÁÑEZ ARRANZ

Nivel Escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Presidente de la Asamblea Municipal. Fue dirigente de la UJC a todos los niveles y dirigente del PCC hasta 1992 que es promovido a Primer Secretario en el municipio de Julio Antonio Mella. En 1996 fue designado Vicepresidente del CAM hasta el 2001. Posteriormente, fue elegido Presidente de la Asamblea Municipal del municipio de Santiago de Cuba. Participó como Delegado al IV Congreso de la UJC e invitado al IV Congreso del PCC. Es el Vicepresidente del Consejo de Defensa del municipio de Santiago. Por su trayectoria revolucionaria y los méritos acumulados ha recibido varias condecoraciones y reconocimientos. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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MADELÍN MÉNDEZ GUÍA

Nivel Escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Presidenta del Consejo Popular Los Olmos. Durante la etapa de estudiante obtuvo buenos resultados académicos. Comenzó su actividad laboral en la Escuela Tecnológica "Antonio Maceo Grajales", pasó posteriormente a la Secundaria Básica "Luis M. Pozo" y luego a la Secundaria Básica "Orlando Carvajal". En el año 1995 pasó la Escuela Provincial de las Milicias. Con posterioridad cursó la Escuela Nacional de Jefas de Colectivo de Secundaria Básica. Desde 1995 al 2002, ha ocupado el cargo de Delegada y Presidenta del Consejo Popular Los Olmos. Es Diputada al Parlamento Cubano. Por sus resultados ha obtenido la condición de trabajadora Ejemplar y la Medalla de la Educación Cubana. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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VIRGEN ALFONSO RODRÍGUEZ

Nivel Escolar: Universitario. Ocupación: Secretaria General FMC Provincial. Ingresó en el ISP "Frank País", de Santiago de Cuba, donde obtuvo los sellos de Oro y de Plata, fue dirigente de la UJC en el Comité de Base y de la FEU a nivel de aula. Participó como Delegada al XIV Festival de la Juventud y los Estudiantes y a su regreso fue promovida a Directora Municipal de Cultura en ese territorio. Se trasladó al municipio Songo-La Maya como Metodóloga de Español-Literatura desde 1991-1994. Al finalizar este año fue promovida a Cuadro de la FMC, donde se desempeña actualmente como Secretaria General de la provincia. Pasó la Escuela Provincial del PCC en el año 2002. Ha sido condecorada con el Sello Educadora Ejemplar, Medalla por 5 años de trabajo ininterrumpido como cuadro de la FMC y Medalla 30 Aniversario de los CDR. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba

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LARIS CORRALES ROBERT

Nivel Escolar: Superior. Ocupación: Primer Secretario del PCC Municipal. De 1981 a 1983 cumple misión internacionalista en la República Popular de Nicaragua. Laboró como maestro en la escuela "José Martí Pérez". En 1984 fue promovido a Director de la Escuela Primaria "Rubén Díaz", labor que realizó hasta 1987, en que pasó a ocupar el cargo de Metodólogo Inspector de la Dirección Municipal de Educación en Palma Soriano. En 1993 fue promovido a trabajar como cuadro profesional del Partido, desempeñándose como Instructor y luego como Miembro Profesional del Buró de Palma Soriano. En 1997 fue promovido a Primer Secretario hasta octubre del 2001. que pasó con igual función al Comité Municipal en Santiago de Cuba, es miembro no Profesional del Buró Ejecutivo del Comité Provincial. Fue Delegado al V Congreso del Partido. Municipio: Santiago de Cuba.

[ProudDad]

12. Thanks for Posting this Mika

It's nice to see what's happening in the Civilized world...

One gets so demoralized watching the antics of the employees of our capitalist masters...

I've been to Cuba and one of the most important things I noticed was their Bottom-Up Democracy. They really DO decentralize most of the day to day decisions.

Our RW friends here on DU have no conception of what a grassroots democracy CAN look like since they've never seen one. They think that Castro micro-manages every aspect of every Cuban's life and throws them into jail if they look cross-eyed at his poster on the Malecon... Ignorant consumers of the right-wing MSM of the U.S. of fuckin' A...

Thanks again: :hi:

[piedmont]

15. So why aren't the Cuban people on DU to defend their beloved system?

Ah, yes-- because internet access is so tightly controlled that mainly only foreign tourists get to use it.

[iverglas]

18. and Cubans wonder ...

why are so many USAmericans hanging out on internet discussion boards in the middle of the afternoon?

Ah yes ... because an awful lot of them can't find jobs, some of them because they have disabilities for which they are unable to obtain effective treatment because they can't afford health care ...

I'll bet there are a lot of Cubans who would rather hang out on internet discussion boards than have jobs and health care.

Certainly it's possible to have both. Why, just look at Canada. But it's just kinda odd for someone in a hugely wealthy country where millions have no jobs or health care, or homes, to be poking sticks at anywhere else at all.

I wonder why you don't just go to Cuba and ask your question there. I mean, why don't more USAmericans go to Cuba to tell them the errors of their ways?

Ah yes. You're not allowed to.

[Mika]

19. Extremely limited bandwidth for Cuba makes browsing too expensive.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/tech/main592416.shtml

E-net is the largest of a handful of Internet providers in Cuba

-

E-net customers who do not have the dollar phone service can keep accessing the Internet with the ordinary phone service with special cards sold at Etecsa offices, the letter says.

---

I have browsed DU from Cuba.

The problem is that private internet accounts are prohibitively expensive - that's mainly because of the lack of bandwidth due to the US extra territorial sanctions on Cuba that disallow any IP from doing biz in the US that does biz in Cuba. That cuts out most all IPs.

Cuba would have to connect to the Caribbean backbone of the internet via the owners - Cisco. The US sanctions prevent Cuba from purchasing a connection to the Caribbean trunk (the only access to fiber optic connection in the Caribbean) because it is owned by Cisco. Cuba's main connection is via satellite uplink (expensive).

Cubans would have more access if the US sanctions didn't exist.

[iverglas]

20. ta

I usually figure there is a rational explanation for something and take a minute to find out what it is ... just lazy this time!

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. Not lazy just too busy bashing us USAmericans for what our government doesn't provide in the way of

social services. Do you feel superior now? Nice! :eyes: Be careful, what a government gives, it can also take away. I wouldn't be so smug if I were you.

[iverglas]

34. oh, go away

Be careful, what a government gives, it can also take away.

The government doesn't give me a damned thing. We elect our government to do what we want it to do, with the money we give it to do it with. You should try it sometime. You might be surprised to find that "the government" isn't really a big green alien that magically appeared from nowhere and started giving you things and taking them away.

Meanwhile, go have a word with somebody bashing the Cuban people, like maybe the one I was replying to; if you actually find gratuitous uninformed insult offensive, that's where you'll be finding it.

[rcdean]

23. Thank you for this very excellent explanation.

Makes perfect sense.

[Judi Lynn]

36. Tell that to DU'ers who keep in touch with their Cuban friends by phone, snail mail, and e-mail.

That'll give them food for thought, for sure.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rcdean]

24. Excellent!

The Castro haters in America claim Cuba is a failed nation. And by our national policies we try to make it come true.

I am very glad to see the Cuban government doing this. The absence of democratic elections has been a serious black mark against Castro. His legacy will be that of a great man if he can bring Democracy to Cuba, as well as a degree of freedom of expression (thought he has understandable problems with the latter due to the deadly schemes of the rabid US anti-Castroites and our CIA).

It will be many years before the truth of the good that has been done in Cuba can make its way past the hate filters into the US media.

[David__77]

25. I wonder how ideology intersects the electoral process.

I know there are multi-candidate elections. I know that there is a certain political space within which to operate. Candidates need not even informally be accepted by the Communist Party, but at the same time those openly opposed to the basic constitutional order wouldn't be permitted to run. But that still allows a fairly broad range of views, from "orthodox Marxist-Leninist," to liberal anti-imperialist to technocratic "apolitical" a la China. I wonder who garners what support and on the basis of what platform. Or does it boil down to personality at that level of election?

[Mika]

28. In order to run, one must be nominated. Then one must be elected..

.. by at least a 50%+1 margin in order to win that seat.

Those openly opposed to the basic constitutional order wouldn't be elected, because Cuban overwhelmingly support their democratic system of government (a parliamentary system).


Check the links, and get the book posted in the OP IF you are really interested.

[Vidar]

26. Thanks for posting, Mika.

[BornagainDUer]

33. Democratic Socialism. Imagine a place like Cuba under siege and yet still

trying to further the democratic process. If the US had an enemy as big as Cuba has, let's say an Alien invasion, you can bet Bush would jump on the chance to do away with elections. Of course informally he already has by corrupting the electoral process at every turn.

It sounds like Democratic Socialism to me.

[Judi Lynn]

35. Cuba-related posting activity! Montana Dem. Congressman Baucus has bill to ease embargo, travel.....

International Trade Commission says lifting finance rules could double U.S. trade to Cuba

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3:05 p.m. July 20, 2007

HAVANA – America's trade with communist-run Cuba could double if U.S. financing rules on direct agricultural sales to the island were lifted, the U.S. International Trade Commission said in a report released this week.
“All agricultural commodity sectors would likely benefit from the lifting of the financing restriction,” said the 180-page report released Thursday in Washington.

Under an exception to the 45-year-old U.S. embargo on Cuba, American producers can sell food and agricultural products to the Caribbean nation on a cash basis. A separate exception allows sales of U.S. medicines and medical supplies to the island.

But American farm producers complain the transactions were slowed beginning in 2005 by new U.S. rules requiring them to receive payment from Havana before shipping their goods.

The report was requested by the Senate Finance Committee, the ITC said, which is chaired by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. Baucus has introduced legislation that would lift most of the financing restrictions on U.S. agriculture exports and eliminate limits on travel.

“Common sense tells us that barring agricultural producers from doing business with the largest market in the Caribbean is hurting American interests,” Baucus said in a written statement. “It's clearly time for Congress to curb the overzealous trade embargo on Cuba.”
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070720-1505-cuba-us-trade.html

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[Mika]

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