Yes! I have been waiting since 10th grade for the opportunity to use that joke. Thank you, Raul.
Last week it was announced that Raul Castro is not only allowing Cubans to have cell phones, but computers and Internet connections as well. This is so great for them! Now they can suffer through that annoying guy’s ring tone or the MS Blue Screen of Death (Still comes bundled with XP). What does this mean for us, now that we can have instant online access to communist chat buddies 90 miles to the south?
Insight: This is an excellent learning opportunity. How do we know when a policy has failed and it is time to change direction (ours, I mean)? The US embargo against Cuba has raged (what, you don’t think it raged?!) since 7 February 1962. In those just over 46 years what precisely has it accomplished? Is another 46 years necessary? Is Castro is going to fall any second? Oh wait, what?! He stepped down?! If we want others to enjoy the fruits of liberty, the best way to share them is through the gains of trade. Through fair and open commerce ideas are exchanged, and usually the best ones rise to the top. Anyway, back to learn about how to evaluate when a policy is total washout. What is it that makes us persist in the face of reality? Why is it politically untenable to say we tried a policy and it did not work, so we are learning and improving? Or better yet, the laws of the previous generation (or two generations ago) are no longer effective it is time to move on.