Fairweather Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 Obama has said he favors lifting it and supposedly the majority of exiles here do too. Is it time to put one of the last bitters of the Cold War to bed? Quote
mkporwit Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Yes. Seems a little disingenuous that with some autocratic regimes like China or Vietnam we're saying that economic and cultural engagement is the best way to bring change to that system whereas with another we're saying that isolation is the best. Time to accept that the embargo is a relic of a by-gone era. Quote
Stefan Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Yes. Free trade economics will slowly change that little island community into a democracy....slowly... Free trade economics are starting to change small communities in China. Think Russia will abandon it current market conditions? Quote
mkporwit Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 The embargo is keeping Fidel Castro alive and is the source of his powers. Get rid of it and he will melt away like the wicked witch. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 it would be nice to be able to buy Cuban rum and cig's legally, yet alone vacation there :-) Quote
mkporwit Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Cheap cuban sugar could flood the US market, providing a ready source of ethanol and displacing corn syrup as the primary sweetener. Think of the health and environmental benefits. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Cheap cuban sugar could flood the US market, providing a ready source of ethanol and displacing corn syrup as the primary sweetener. Think of the health and environmental benefits. I'd rathe think of booze, cigs, and the beaches. Quote
prole Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Yes. Free trade economics will slowly change that little island community into a democracy....slowly... Free trade economics are starting to change small communities in China. Think Russia will abandon it current market conditions? We get baseball players and cee-gars. They get to work at Planet Hollywood Havana. Quote
kevbone Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Is it time to put one of the last bitters of the Cold War to bed? :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: Quote
murraysovereign Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 it would be nice to be able to buy Cuban rum and cig's legally, yet alone vacation there :-) Not a problem here: we been holidayin' and rummin' and cigarin' all these past 40-some years Heck, we're hoping the embargo stays, else the beaches are gonna get all crowded and noisy. As it stands, it's one of the few places we can go to get away from you Yanks, and we kinda like it that way Quote
Dechristo Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 The embargo is keeping Fidel Castro alive and is the source of his powers. Get rid of it and he will melt away like the wicked witch. I watched a program on Cuba recently where many of the Cubans interviewed spoke of their government blaming everything from electricity outages to a lack of medical treatment on "the embargo". Take away that excuse and the regime loses one of the legs upon which it stands. Quote
Dechristo Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 it would be nice to be able to buy Cuban rum and cig's legally, yet alone vacation there :-) Not a problem here: we been holidayin' and rummin' and cigarin' all these past 40-some years Heck, we're hoping the embargo stays, else the beaches are gonna get all crowded and noisy. As it stands, it's one of the few places we can go to get away from you Yanks, and we kinda like it that way I'd tell you to "go to Hell", but there'd be a plurality of us there as well. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 it would be nice to be able to buy Cuban rum and cig's legally, yet alone vacation there :-) Not a problem here: we been holidayin' and rummin' and cigarin' all these past 40-some years yeah, and with your ridiculous taxation, I am prone to not buy said beverages or smokes while visiting Kanuckistan due to the price. Quote
murraysovereign Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 it would be nice to be able to buy Cuban rum and cig's legally, yet alone vacation there :-) Not a problem here: we been holidayin' and rummin' and cigarin' all these past 40-some years yeah, and with your ridiculous taxation, I am prone to not buy said beverages or smokes while visiting Kanuckistan due to the price. But if you didn't live under such a repressive regime, your government wouldn't make it against the law to go to Cuba (or anywhere else, for that matter), so you could take your vacation there, legally, and smoke your cigar and drink your rum, on the beach, in Cuba, legally. Just like we've been doing for 40-some years, perfectly legally. It's one of the benefits of living in what's called a "free" country: you can travel to any other country you want, any time you want, as long as that country is willing to let you in, without fear of criminal prosecution on your return home. It's strange to you Americans, I know, but you really ought to give it a try - you may come to like it, once you get used to it. Quote
Hugh Conway Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Havana Club is only to impress the chicks; other rums kick it's ass (cept for the 7 Anejo... mmmmmm) Quote
mattp Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 yeah, and with your ridiculous taxation, I am prone to not buy said beverages or smokes while visiting Kanuckistan due to the price. How big of a factor IS the taxation -- and how much does it vary? I have bought Cubans in duty free shops and they are still very expensive. And I believe my brother paid nearly as much for some Cuban smokes in Mexico just as a few weeks ago as you would in downtown Vancouver. (Maybe not quite as much, but they were seriously expensive.) Anyway, you don't have to buy them if they come onto the American market, and I'm sure our taxes will compete with any Canadian tax, but I agree the embargo should end. Quote
Hugh Conway Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 How big of a factor IS the taxation Sales cost and market positioning more than taxation. Havana Club in Chile = $8/ 750. Havana Club in BC = $20 or some such. Quote
rbw1966 Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Its not illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba under certain circumstances. Be that as it may, though, what other country is it illegal for Americans to travel to? Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Havana Club is only to impress the chicks; other rums kick it's ass (cept for the 7 Anejo... mmmmmm) Name a couple - I need to pick up some rum. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 yeah, and with your ridiculous taxation, I am prone to not buy said beverages or smokes while visiting Kanuckistan due to the price. How big of a factor IS the taxation -- and how much does it vary? I have bought Cubans in duty free shops and they are still very expensive. And I believe my brother paid nearly as much for some Cuban smokes in Mexico just as a few weeks ago as you would in downtown Vancouver. (Maybe not quite as much, but they were seriously expensive.) Anyway, you don't have to buy them if they come onto the American market, and I'm sure our taxes will compete with any Canadian tax, but I agree the embargo should end. Apples to apples any liquor sold in the US is significantly more $$ in Canuckistan. Except for duty free of course. Quote
bradleym Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Obama has said he favors lifting it and supposedly the majority of exiles here do too. Is it time to put one of the last bitters of the Cold War to bed? Let's call our new approach to Cuba the Open Door policy--sounds nice and friendly, non? Quote
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