Chronicle of Cuba’s Ruin Foretold

Little has changed since a leftist writer described the disaster on the island in 1970

By Mary Anastasia O’Grady. Excerpts:

"The basic creature comforts she (Alma Guillermoprieto) had taken for granted in New York, where she lived before departing to teach dance in Havana in 1970, were hard to come by"

"Cuban blackouts and brownouts date back decades. Even when fuel was readily available, a decrepit electrical grid caused regular power outages and daily life was consumed by the search for necessities."

"the ruling elite’s corrupt military conglomerate (Gaesa) controls the hard currency that comes into the country."

"Even the government isn’t allowed to audit those accounts."

"Fidel Castro had seized private property, instituted price controls, ended judicial certainty and imprisoned, executed or exiled the island’s most valuable human capital."

"The confiscation of farms, haciendas and ranches triggered an immediate contraction of the food supply. By 1960 there was a meat shortage"

"Per capita consumption of meat in 1958 was 112 pounds per year. The collectivization of the cattle industry created such disruption that not even a meager ration of 0.75 pounds of meat per week (39 pounds per year) could be met. This also applied to dairy products such as milk, butter, and cheese.”"

"in Castro’s utopia some pigs were more equal than others. Foreign guests of the regime enjoyed a privileged diet of fruits, vegetables and cheeses while in the school cafeteria she and her students met with “starch, grease and gruel.”"

"In June 2005 the national electricity system (SEN) was working at half capacity and blackouts lasted from 7 to 12 hours daily"