From Yahoo News
It perhaps was not the endorsement President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress were looking for.
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform “a miracle” and a major victory for Obama’s presidency, but couldn’t help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago.
“We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama’s) government,” Castro wrote in an essay published in state media, adding that it would strengthen the president’s hand against lobbyists and “mercenaries.”
But the Cuban leader also used the lengthy piece to criticize the American president for his lack of leadership on climate change and immigration reform, and for his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, among many other things.
And he said it was remarkable that the most powerful country on earth took more than two centuries from its founding to approve something as basic as health benefits for all.
“It is really incredible that 234 years after the Declaration of Independence … the government of that country has approved medical attention for the majority of its citizens, something that Cuba was able to do half a century ago,” Castro wrote.
The longtime Cuban leader — who ceded power to his brother Raul in 2008 — has continued to pronounce his thoughts on world issues though frequent essays, titled “Reflections,” which are published in state newspapers.
Entries (RSS)
You are publishing this in the hope that people will think the Obama administration health care plan has something to do with Communism. Which is bunkum!
However the article does ask a quite good question just why has it taken the US to have something so basic as full Health Care coverage.
Just why does the United states spend over 14% of its GDP on health care (most western countries spend under 10%) and yet have a health care system that for a large percentage of of its working poor and lower middle classes who can’t afford proper coverage (over 50% of the US population) is either non existant or so substandard.
You are right to be worried that Castro who by the way built the best health care service in latin america is praising the President, but not for the reason you imply that somehow his plans are “communist inspired” but for the fact that even a man who has lets face it has no love for the US understands that the US who for years has been shamed world wide for not caring a fig about the health of its working poor (a land that gives decent health care to a small elite) is now moving on.
You are publishing this in the hope that people will think the Obama administration health care plan has something to do with Communism. Which is bunkum!
However the article does ask a quite good question just why has it taken the US so long to have something so fundamental as universal basic Health Care coverage.
Just why does the United states that spends over 14% of its GDP on health care (most western countries spend under 10%) have a health care system that for a large percentage of of its working poor and lower middle classes who can’t afford proper coverage (over 50% of the US population) is either non existant or so substandard.
You are right to be worried that Castro who by the way built the best health care service in latin america is praising the President, but not for the reason you imply that somehow his plans are “communist inspired” but for the fact that even a man who has lets face it has no love for the US understands that the US who for years has been shamed world wide for not caring a fig about the health of its working poor and only gives decent health care to a small elite is now moving on and joining the civilised world.
I guess you think all Americans must be stupid and would fall for this sort of base propaganda – I don’t think you are right – polls show despite this huge campaign being run by “big medicine” that 80% of American’s want all their felow citizens to have basic health care.
What I still did not figure out about the President’s plan is this segment about pre-existing conditions… Is there any stuff in this bill about if there is a limit on what insurance companies can demand if you have a pre-existing illness?
Fidel Castro would always be an icon of history evethough he is against the U.S.~–
Fidel Castro still have some good legacies despite his not so good repuation.`”`