Comments on: Is Fidel Castro The Latest Victim Of Socialized Medicine ? http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/ Life. Liberty. Property. Defending individual freedom and liberty, one post at a time. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:04:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: VRB http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10684 VRB Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:44:38 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10684 Did I have a comment that got eaten? Did I have a comment that got eaten?

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10677 Adam Selene Sun, 04 Feb 2007 03:03:42 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10677 James, you are so deep in your ideology that you have lost touch with the actual real world. James, you are so deep in your ideology that you have lost touch with the actual real world.

]]> By: Brad Warbiany http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10673 Brad Warbiany Sat, 03 Feb 2007 21:32:22 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10673 James, you've got that backwards. In a country with property rights and the rule of law, the rich get richer and the poor get richer. James, you’ve got that backwards. In a country with property rights and the rule of law, the rich get richer and the poor get richer.

]]> By: James http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10670 James Sat, 03 Feb 2007 20:25:33 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10670 “VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone.” this is an oxymoron, for example venezuela liberalised its markets in the late 1980s and watched the poverty rate increase from 50% to 80%! hence the election of socialist hugo chavez! basically the free market is built on competition... we compete until someone loses, hence the free market sees the rich get richer and shrink in number and the poor get poorer and grow in number. trickle down economics has failed EVERYWHERE - latin america, the united states, europe - the american empire is dying, neoliberalism has failed, now it invades countries like iraq enforcing these ideals on them as a last refuge before the global tide of rejection to free market rampant capitalism washes over them too. “VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone.” this is an oxymoron, for example venezuela liberalised its markets in the late 1980s and watched the poverty rate increase from 50% to 80%! hence the election of socialist hugo chavez!

basically the free market is built on competition… we compete until someone loses, hence the free market sees the rich get richer and shrink in number and the poor get poorer and grow in number. trickle down economics has failed EVERYWHERE – latin america, the united states, europe – the american empire is dying, neoliberalism has failed, now it invades countries like iraq enforcing these ideals on them as a last refuge before the global tide of rejection to free market rampant capitalism washes over them too.

]]> By: VRB http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10221 VRB Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:14:37 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-10221 Was I making an argument for Castro's government? "VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone." Has this been true for the lowest caste in India? Was I making an argument for Castro’s government?

“VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone.”
Has this been true for the lowest caste in India?

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9935 Adam Selene Tue, 30 Jan 2007 04:19:20 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9935 *sighs* yes, in 1959 there were all sorts of problems holding a group of people in economic peonage. That does not mean that the only solution for them was Castro's revolution. Nor does it mean that Castro's revolution was the best outcome of the ones that were possible. We have this tendency to view the past as inevitable and immutable. That leads us to view the "good" or "bad" outcome as either best or worst. Unfortunately, I see some very minor improvements economically, that were more than offset by the new Communist plantation system, being touted as a good outcome, even as the best possible outcome. *sighs* yes, in 1959 there were all sorts of problems holding a group of people in economic peonage. That does not mean that the only solution for them was Castro’s revolution. Nor does it mean that Castro’s revolution was the best outcome of the ones that were possible. We have this tendency to view the past as inevitable and immutable. That leads us to view the “good” or “bad” outcome as either best or worst.

Unfortunately, I see some very minor improvements economically, that were more than offset by the new Communist plantation system, being touted as a good outcome, even as the best possible outcome.

]]> By: VRB http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9920 VRB Tue, 30 Jan 2007 03:57:57 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9920 In Cuba, tradition substituted for the Jim Crow laws here. If Batista's government had succeeded in Cuba, it was not like the US, nor was their economic system. The one thing that the Civil War and the industrial revolution did do was to break up the plantation. The plantation system was alive and well in Cuba. In Cuba, tradition substituted for the Jim Crow laws here. If Batista’s government had succeeded in Cuba, it was not like the US, nor was their economic system. The one thing that the Civil War and the industrial revolution did do was to break up the plantation. The plantation system was alive and well in Cuba.

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9439 Adam Selene Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:19:09 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9439 free markets are the equalizer. Jim Crow laws, for example, were passed because markets were providing blacks in the south with opportunities that some whites didn't want them to have. free markets are the equalizer. Jim Crow laws, for example, were passed because markets were providing blacks in the south with opportunities that some whites didn’t want them to have.

]]> By: VRB http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9331 VRB Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:36:09 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9331 Adam, A lot of people waited a long time for what you say to be right. I wasn't implying who would have been ruling Cuba better. I just know that colorism and racism play a more important role, than most people would like to believe no matter how free markets are. Adam,
A lot of people waited a long time for what you say to be right. I wasn’t implying who would have been ruling Cuba better. I just know that colorism and racism play a more important role, than most people would like to believe no matter how free markets are.

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9311 Adam Selene Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:27:01 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9311 It's nonsense to assume that Batista would have stayed in power forever. Or even much longer. Life in Cuba now is no better than under Batista. Castro and his thugs run a police state, with death squads and political prisons. So, the Cubans got to replace a tyrant with .............. another tyrant. VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone. It is simplistic to portray Cuba in 1959 as an either/or situation and it would have been bad if Batista stayed in power, but not bad with Castro. Or better with Castro. It’s nonsense to assume that Batista would have stayed in power forever. Or even much longer. Life in Cuba now is no better than under Batista. Castro and his thugs run a police state, with death squads and political prisons. So, the Cubans got to replace a tyrant with ………….. another tyrant.

VRB, when people in a free market get wealthy, the market increases the wealth of everyone.

It is simplistic to portray Cuba in 1959 as an either/or situation and it would have been bad if Batista stayed in power, but not bad with Castro. Or better with Castro.

]]> By: mick http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9153 mick Sun, 28 Jan 2007 08:26:28 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9153 <i>The real question is how much better off Cubans would have been without Castro and a Communist revolution. It’s quite likely that they would have been much better off had their history proceeded other than it did.</i> That's nonsense, Adam. Batista was running a police state complete with Death Squads, and on the point, to all intents and purposes, of selling Havana to Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. Life in Cuba may not be perfect now, but it must be paradise compared to what it would have been like if Batista had remained in power. The real question is how much better off Cubans would have been without Castro and a Communist revolution. It’s quite likely that they would have been much better off had their history proceeded other than it did.

That’s nonsense, Adam. Batista was running a police state complete with Death Squads, and on the point, to all intents and purposes, of selling Havana to Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. Life in Cuba may not be perfect now, but it must be paradise compared to what it would have been like if Batista had remained in power.

]]> By: VRB http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9004 VRB Sun, 28 Jan 2007 02:33:25 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-9004 The Cubans that would have been better off are here in the US. The Cubans that would have been better off are here in the US.

]]> By: Adam Selene http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8964 Adam Selene Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:50:46 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8964 Jesse wrote: <blockquote>but let’s not be so dogmatic that we can’t admit that the Revolution [in Cuba] improved a lot of people’s lives in a lot of ways.</blockquote> Oh please. This is like arguing that other dictators were good because of some single aspect they improved. For example, Mussolini's Fascists really did get the Italian train system to work significantly better than before they were in power. That doesn't change all of the truly disastrous outcomes and decisions made by them, nor that they were authoritarians who made the the entire lot of the Italians (and the Ethiopians, Albanians and Greeks) much worse. The real question is how much better off Cubans would have been without Castro and a Communist revolution. It's quite likely that they would have been much better off had their history proceeded other than it did. Jesse wrote:

but let’s not be so dogmatic that we can’t admit that the Revolution [in Cuba] improved a lot of people’s lives in a lot of ways.

Oh please. This is like arguing that other dictators were good because of some single aspect they improved. For example, Mussolini’s Fascists really did get the Italian train system to work significantly better than before they were in power. That doesn’t change all of the truly disastrous outcomes and decisions made by them, nor that they were authoritarians who made the the entire lot of the Italians (and the Ethiopians, Albanians and Greeks) much worse.

The real question is how much better off Cubans would have been without Castro and a Communist revolution. It’s quite likely that they would have been much better off had their history proceeded other than it did.

]]> By: James http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8956 James Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:11:28 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8956 STUFF IT - THIS IS WHAT I REALLY THINK: "GD" YOUR IGNORANCE OF THE DYNAMICS OF EUROPEAN WELFARE STATES AND HEALTH SERVICE IS EMBARASSING FRANKLY, YOU HAVE NO LEGITIMACY TO COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC UNTIL YOU FULLY INVESTIGATE THE PRODUCT OF POST-WWII SOCIAL REFORM! NEVER ASSUME A WHIM OR A WISH MAKES YOU FULLY INFORMED - YOU ARE NOT, AND HISTORY WILL JUDGE YOU WRONG! STUFF IT – THIS IS WHAT I REALLY THINK: “GD” YOUR IGNORANCE OF THE DYNAMICS OF EUROPEAN WELFARE STATES AND HEALTH SERVICE IS EMBARASSING FRANKLY, YOU HAVE NO LEGITIMACY TO COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC UNTIL YOU FULLY INVESTIGATE THE PRODUCT OF POST-WWII SOCIAL REFORM! NEVER ASSUME A WHIM OR A WISH MAKES YOU FULLY INFORMED – YOU ARE NOT, AND HISTORY WILL JUDGE YOU WRONG!

]]> By: James http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8951 James Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:02:17 +0000 http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/17/is-fidel-castro-the-latest-victim-of-socialized-medicine/#comment-8951 how great is the right-wing - how many iraqi's have you killed today? how great is the right-wing – how many iraqi’s have you killed today?

]]>