If Diaz-Canel Suggests the Money Should go to the Poor . . .

    They marched, they protested, in Cuba, of all places. "We want freedom," they chanted. "We are no longer afraid."

   Was the protesting incited by right-wingers from the U.S.? Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said it was legitimate to have some dissatisfactions, but that they should also recognize when they are being manipulated. The strong right-wing groups in the U.S. clearly would like Cuba's government to fall, and, no, it shouldn't surprise us if their efforts contributed to inciting the protesting in Cuba Sunday.

   Diaz-Canel is correct about one thing: U.S. sanctions against Cuba are contributing to the economic failure in Cuba. 

    President Biden has been dodging the need to set a course of action in Cuba. He has not had a defined policy. Sunday's protests push him towards having to come up with a policy. Now, he must decide what the U.S. will do in Cuba and what our relations will be.

   Let it be suggested that our top concern should be the people and their well-being. Whether Cuba drops socialism for capitalism is not as important as whether the people prosper under whatever system is in place. But, we should not let go of the question of where the money is going. If it is being taken by the ruling class, and not making it into the pockets of the poor, that should be a concern. 

   "They want to change a system -- or a regime, they call it -- to impose what type of government and what type of regime in Cuba?" Diaz-Canel asks. "The privatization of public services. The kind that give more possibility to the rich minority and not the majority."

   Then, Mr. Diaz-Canel, if that is a concern -- and, yes, it should be -- then can we determine where the money is going now? How much of the money is funneled to government officials, or to others? If you set up a system that is suppose to benefit the poor, don't do it in hypocrisy. Make sure the money does indeed go to the poor. 

   Let the U.S., though, be more concerned about the people than about politics. The welfare of the people should drive the emergence of U.S. policy in the aftermath of the protests. If tourism was a large part of their economy, but has declined, perhaps we should help restore it. Cuba is home to great historical cultural sites, to lush landscape in such places as Parque Nacional Vinales. It boasts Peninsula de Zapata, where we have one of the largest wetlands in the Caribbean. You have Criadero de Cocodrilos, which is a crocodile farm of distinction. Castillo del Morro is one of the best-preserved Spanish fortresses of the 17th Century and known for its beauty. You also have the flower gardens at Parque Josone. Help steer visitors to such places that offer the history of Earnest Hemingway.

   Oh, the beaches will continue to be a major attraction. But, if we could somehow direct traffic more to these other sites, that would be good.

   And, when the tourist goes, how does the money reach the average Cuban? Can we ensure that hotel cooks and laundry workers is at the maximum? The ticket-takers at the crocodile farm should be getting the money, as opposed to it being funneled off somewhere else. That is what socialism is all about, isn't it, Mr. Diaz-Canel? Where is the money going now? We must wonder if it ends up lining pockets of those who are rich in Cuba. Talk is one thing, but if Diaz-Canel insists he wants the money to go to the poor, we should insist it goes to the poor.