<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Justin wrote:</DIV> <DIV><BR>> Brad, will you look, just look, at the figures for basic human welfare in Cuba -- literacy, life </DIV> <DIV>> expectancy, educational availsbility, whatever you like -- in Cuba? There is not a country in </DIV> <DIV>> Latin America that come close the last time I looked.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think they actually beat us in some of those categories.  But is it clear that socialism brought those fruits to Cuba?  I always believed it was, but I think I read on this very list a year or so ago that pre-Castro Cuba was already a leader in social indicators like literacy and life expectancy.</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> > Nor do I think the welfare accomplishments of the Cuban revolution -- and yes, it was a real</DIV> <DIV>> revolution -- excuse its human rights deficiencies. </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you think its human rights deficiencies are essential to maintaining socialism, maybe they are excusable.  After all, supposing they were to somehow conflict, my right to dissent doesn't trump a child's right to a decent meal. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>-- Luke</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>