Good News for US Divers Wanting to Go to Cuba

[nipi]

Americans have been diving in Cuba for years, you know.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

by 2009, if a Democrat is elected President and if Congress remains a Democrat majority, even the 47-year old embargo may go.

I think Castro is going to have to bite the big one first. We had a Democrat controlled House, Senate and President when Jimmy Carter was in and also the first two years of the Clinton Presidency. And it was under Democrat John F Kennedy that the imbargo first went into place.

I don't the embargo will change under Democrat or Republican leadership until Casto is pushing up flowers. I think as soon as it is confirmed that the old boy is dead the Congress won't be able to pass legislation fast enough and again it won't matter who is in charge.

 

[H2Andy]

leah, you're probably right on that one


nipi: yes, we know

 

[mike_s]

That was my first thought.... It was a Democrat President that started the embargo and several others have continued it. (Of course I'd have to check history to see if any of them had all Democrat House and Senate to back them).

I also agree that Castro will have to bite the big one for this to happen. Of course most of us don't think he'll remain in power that much longer, but they said that same thing when Jimmy carter was President also....


So... lets get to the real meat of this.

What will happen when Cuba opens up?

• Car collectors will go down and buy up every old Buick and 57 Chevy.
• The price of Cuban cigars will go down.
• Flights to Cuba from MIA will leave every 15 to 30 minutes
• Florida real-estate condo developers will go down and buy every pice of beachfront property and turn it into a high rise with a parking deck.
• Elián González will be even more confused about where he can live now.
• Those above listed Cuban cigars will no longer be made on the thighs of virgins but mass produced in machines.
• The island will once again have jobs, but all in the service industry at the high rise condos working for the Gringo's (Americans).
• The country will no longer have any culture left after the invasion of Americans and condo developers

 

[H2Andy]

That was my first thought.... It was a Democrat President that started the embargo and several others have continued it.

well... Eisenhower started a "partial" embargo in 1960, and diplomatic relations with Cuba were severed just before Kennedy came to power.

Kennedy then extended the embargo, and imposed the travel restrictions (still in place) after the Cuban Missile Crisis (basically, the law is that US citizens can't spend money in Cuba ... essentially banning travel to the island)

Jimmy Carter let the restrictions on US citizens traveling to Cuba lapse, but then Reagan re-enacted it

Congress has since stiffened the embargo, in 1992 and 1996

the embargo was then somewhat relaxed in 2000, allowing agricultural sales to Cuba (this was signed into law by Clinton)

this new bill would end the travel restrictions, so that US citizens can spend money in Cuba

other parts of the embargo are likely to follow

why? Democrats no longer care about courting the Miami-based Cuban vote

that's my prediction anyway

i think you guys are right that this can't happen while Fidel is still alive, but once he is out of the picture, the consensus on ending the embargo will probably reach critical mass

 

[caymaniac]

Is there any rumor of a 51st State?..........if not.....let's start one!

 

[H2Andy]

at one point, Cuba did about 70% of its business with the US (back in the 1950's)
and for all intent and purposes, was a US dependency. this is partly what led to the 1959 Revolution and the strong anti-U.S.-intervention stance taken by Cuba since

however, Cuba was never in serious contention as a state (as Puerto Rico shows, so long as a Spanish-speaking majority exists, statehood is really a moot point)

however, the possibility of Cuba reverting to a U.S. dependency is almost inevitable if market forces are allowed to prevail.

i'm not sure that's what i'd like to happen, but you're talking about a tiny island smack next to a huge superpower and an economic powerhouse ...

it's hard for internal businesses to compete

 

[drbill]

Well, Castro certainly has his "negatives," but at least he was an avid SCUBA and free diver. Jacques Yves Cousteau was quite impressed by him when they met. Not suggesting I agree with the way he has governed Cuba, but education and health care has improved for the vast majority of residents there (albeit with a "bit" of propaganda, just like here in the States).

I'm looking forward to diving there.

 

[alashas]

Man, I was tempted to hop on a plane for a day from GCM just to see all of the big bad Cubans for myself....I decided to smoke one instead....

alashas
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/

 

[Diver Dennis]

in the news: the hordes of American tourists now flocking to Cuba have driven off Canadian tourists from the island.

On a side note, now that the Canadians are gone, the Quebecois have returned to Cuba. Often confused as French by the Americans, the Quebecois find the Americans aren't such horrible people after all.

"Ve did not know who ve hate most ... de Americans or de Canadians ... guess it vas de Canadians," said Emil Lontarde, head of the Montreal Diver's Association. "After all, anyone who recognizes the French in us can't be all bad, no?"

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