Cuba Has Free Health Care

Yes. It is true. Cuba has "free" government sponsored heath care. But they are running our of toilet paper.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba, in the grip of a serious economic crisis, is running short of toilet paper and may not get sufficient supplies until the end of the year, officials with state-run companies said on Friday.

Officials said they were lowering the prices of 24 basic goods to help Cubans get through the difficulties provoked in part by the global financial crisis and three destructive hurricanes that struck the island last year.

Cuba's financial reserves have been depleted by increased spending for imports and reduced export income, which has forced the communist-led government to take extraordinary measures to keep the economy afloat.

Look at the bright side. Cuba is reducing its carbon foot print.

Pinochet

I have pretty much avoided commenting on the death of Pinochet. However, there is a discussion going on over at Jane Galt where the question of Pinochet vs leftist utopias came up. Here is what I replied to a comment by Michael Sullivan

When is Fidel going to abdicate power in favor of a democratically elected government?

Chile is the fastest growing economy in Latin America. Cubans should be so lucky.

Pinochet also privatized social security putting it on a sound financial basis. How is that coming along in North Korea?

Sometimes you do have to break a few eggs. The question is: will there be any omlets at the end or just egg shells?

Pinochet gets props because his rightist revolution actually delivered a better life for the people. The examples of South Korea and Taiwan are also illustrative. Both pretty much rightist dictatorships in the early days. Now economically prosperous democracies.

I can't think of any leftist governments that took power by force that have left the country economically better off and gave way eventually to self rule.

First "The Road to Serfdom" explains why leftys can't do economics. Since the return to self rule in all rightist or leftist revolutions or coups is predicated on economic improvement and only the right delivers on economics you know how it is going to wind up.

By their fruits....

BTW the study of economics and the aftermath of the Vietnam War turned me into a Libertarian (I was local party Scty/Treas for 3 years). 9/11 turned me into a Republican. In the 60s was a Communist in favor of the world wide revolution which would have made me a Trot.

You see the communistst/socialists had a wonderful marketing plan. "If you eliminate profit we will all be richer" they told me. It not only sounded good it made some logical sense. It doesn't work that way. Which I learned from reading economics. My work as an engineer which is a relentlessly economic oriented field also helped.

Pinochet killed 3,000 and made Chile richer. Castro has killed 10X as many and made Cuba poorer. In an imperfect world which would I back?

Hard question.

H/T Instapundit