[djm2]

News Alert
from The Wall Street Journal


President Barack Obama plans to lift a longstanding U.S. ban on family travel and remittances to Cuba, a senior administration official said Friday, in what could be an opening gesture toward more openness with the Castro regime. The move will fulfill a campaign promise and follows more modest action in Congress this year to loosen travel rules.

Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com


Comments and opinions, please.

[Dawg]

interesting indeed. I need to think on this one before I comment further

[test54]

Well I have a boat trip planned this summer in the Keys. If the restrictions are lifted by then I will probably be making a trip south. Happy to see this as the people of Cuba are great and who cares about the Castro brother's, its about the everyday lives of the people of Cuba.

[kathrynhr]

Wirelessly posted

I had the opportunity to visit Cuba with a religious organization back in 1991. As far as I was able to tell, all the embargo did was keep Americans and American investments out of Cuba.



Whatever the goal of the original embargo, it failed. Many ordinary Cubans are in poverty, but the powers that be still live well. Castro is still alive and in power. While Mexico's beaches have become giant strip malls, Cuba's have remained relatively unspoiled.



It isn't possible to return the property that was siezed in the revolution, so what is now being accomplished except that families are still divided...



+1 to Obama. End the embargo and let "la problema de Cuba" fade into history.

[mriff]

End the embargo. It doesn't accomplish anything as far as I'm concerned.

[Dawg]

just lets the communists from this country travel back and forth now and we can get good cigars.

[test54]

dawg if you think that only communists will travel to Cuba then you need to do a little more "research". I do agree, good cigars will now be easy to get here though.

[JSanders]

Kill the embargo, open the island up, let's show the Cubans some of democracies benefits and soon enough that wall will fall as did the other. Meanwhile, let's exploit the land and Cuba's natural resources for all we can and allow some of OUR American capitalists to make some bucks off their natural assets.

Wha? You disagree? You know that is what will happen.

[Dawg]

Originally Posted by test54

dawg if you think that only communists will travel to Cuba then you need to do a little more "research". I do agree, good cigars will now be easy to get here though.

Did I say only communists?

[test54]

dawg - no, your right.

Jsanders, its the "American way".

[JSanders]

Of course it is.

[test54]

If its of interest, I read a book a few years ago called "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins. Very good true story (mainly) of how the US has and still does use its influence to prosper from developing countries.

[mriff]

They have some very good sugarcane land in Cuba. That's where much of the sugar supply for the US came from before the Revolución.

[test54]

and of course Oil. BBC NEWS | Americas | Cuba claims massive oil reserves

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (overwhelmingly stressed)

I personally would love to visit cuba without restrictions

Lift the Ban open up another part of the world

[kathrynhr]

Originally Posted by ezrunner

I personally would love to visit cuba without restrictions

It's definitely the most beautiful place I've every visited. Playa Azul (Varadero) is frequently referred to as the most beautiful beach on Earth. I haven't visited all the world's beaches, but I have been there, and it's unbelievable.

You're on sand as white as talc, and as you look out at the sea you can't even see where the water begins. The sand just starts going from white to blue. And when we swam out into the water, we got hundreds of yards from shore and could look down into the water below us and see the bottom clearly. And unlike most Caribbean beaches, it isn't covered in glorified flea markets:

[akosnitzky]

Originally Posted by mriff

End the embargo. It doesn't accomplish anything as far as I'm concerned.

Well the Elian thing tested the influence that the Cuban-Americans had on the govt. This is a work in process. It wont happen while Castro is alive

[LunkHead]

I wonder if Obama will give Castro a hug and kisses? Perhaps we (the USA) can also subsidize the cost of fuel for those Russian long range bombers....

Kris

[Dawg]

Originally Posted by LunkHead

I wonder if Obama will give Castro a hug and kisses? Perhaps we (the USA) can also subsidize the cost of fuel for those Russian long range bombers....

Kris

Only because he cant Bow down.

[akosnitzky]