No More Peas and Potatoes

The economy world wide has suffered over the past year, and the majority of countries have had to cut back on some spending. Cuba, since 1962, has had a ration book that it provides to needy people in order to help them buy essential food items each month. The government has recently considered doing away with these ration books in order to save money and "encourage more productivity". They have already done away with "nearly free lunches" and some state cafeterias. A list of some of the things these books help provide are rice, chicken, beans, and sugar. In November the government took peas and potatoes off the list in order to save a little more money. The Communist Party in Cuba says that these books were once a necessity to the country, but that over time they have become an impediment. President Castro is about to destroy the lives of many of his citizens. He wants to completely eliminate free services and "unnecessary subsidies". I understand that money has become very tight for all the countries, but it has also become tight for the citizens of those countries. I'm sure the citizens have already had to cut back and with the elimination of these services they will have to cut back even more. Some families rely on these books as their sole source of money for food. Without these books they will either go hungry or have to give up other things in their lives (possibly their home or electricity). Although I don't know the whole situation in Cuba, I think that the government should not try to completely eliminate these services, just cut back on them in some way. The country and its citizens would be better off with this option. If you would like to read this article in its entirety, click on this link. www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/11/30/cuba.ration.book.threat/index.html

Also, here is another article about the ration books that states that the government of Cuba believes that the books hinder equality and growth in the nation. If you would like to read this article, click this link www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42430