xray

What amazes me was that these Cuban citizens line up for hours for the first official offer of cellphones to them and having to fork over 9 months salary to get one. The average income per month for a Cuban is $18.
Cubans line up for 1st cell phone lines

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | 8:46 AM ET Comments5Recommend7

The Associated Press


Cubans were lining up out the door and down the block at telephone centres in Havana on Monday as cell phone service becomes available to all citizens for the first time.
The cell phone contracts cost about $120 — more than six times the average state salary — and don't include a phone or cards with credit to make and receive calls. Nevertheless, hundreds of Cubans were lining up to buy the service.Many of those waiting to sign up Monday already have cell phones, but most Cubans were prohibited from having them in their own names. The new government of Raul Castro is making a series of changes in Cuba aimed at eliminating some of the more bothersome restrictions on daily life.
Until now, the only people legally allowed to have a cell phone plan were foreigners, Cubans working for foreign companies and top government officials. Thousands more illegally use phones registered to foreign friends or relatives.
The new program could give phones to hundreds of thousands of Cubans, especially those with relatives abroad who send them hard currency. But they will remain out of reach for most on the island because minutes are billed in convertible pesos — a hard currency worth 24 times more than the regular pesos most Cubans receive.
The government controls more than 90 per cent of the economy, and while the communist system ensures that most Cubans have free housing, education and health care and receive ration cards that cover basic food needs, the average monthly state salary is about $18.
In March the government loosened rules on the sale of a wide range of consumer technology items, including PCs, DVD players, car alarms and televisions of all sizes. Those goods previously could be purchased only by foreigners and companies.
© The Canadian Press, 2008

bruce fee

average monthly salary is $18.

they make that in a day at a resort.

some statistics need to be further examined before coming to a conclusion.

i would go as far as saying the average cuban is better off than the average mexican, and mexico is a democracy.

Cynikal.Mindset

every worker at the resort had a cell phone when I was there in february...pretty decent camera phone models too

shlammed

its only mostly the people who do work at resorts that make decent money though

i.e. somone going to school to be an engineer would rather work as a bartender at a resort because they'd make more in tips alone.

lets say a maid cleans a floor of 20 rooms per week

at the end of the week each room leaves her 10 pesos

that's 200 pesos/week

other cubans don't make anywhere near that much.

bruce fee

and doctors and engineers make more than the cleaning ladies over here.

still, a portion of society can afford porches while others are stuck driving civics.

cubans are not that bad off.

the tourist industry in cuba is far larger than anything an employs a good portion of their population.

shlammed

arent they going to legalize real estate sales now too or something along those lines?

i.e. under fidel you can only legally "trade" houses with another family, not sell it.

xray

Trade houses? WTF? But how do they come about in getting a house to live in in the first place without having to buy (let's say if you have a young family starting out in life).

k_r_a_c_k_e_r

iTrader: (3)

^^ ditto.

shlammed

Not sure to tell you the truth.

All I know is that if you wanted to move to another town you had to find a family that wanted to move to your current town and trade houses with them.

bruce fee

yup, and if they find out there was money on the side involved, you're ****ed.

xray

Decent camera phones my ***. This is where all our unwanted and outdated cell phones go lol.

bruce fee

at least they can wear bikinis and have a beer without the fear of moral police coming after them to stone them for being ***** and infidels.

cubans are healthy and don't have the stressful lives we do. some might say health is more important than being able to play quake 7 on your phone with 3000 people online using their phones.

xray

Since you brought up the health issue. Did you know that the Cuban Healthcare System is way better than that of the US. Totally f'd up, I know. You have to watch the documentary, Sicko.

bruce fee

Sicko is not a documentary. It's a Michael Moore film.

There is a difference.

Cynikal.Mindset

Cuba is also opening the property market to foreigners. I will now be able to buy a plot of land down there and live a simple sun filled relaxing life, well for part of the year at least

viper_2_4

Ya, huge difference there...

I hate that guy

bruce fee

I wish Charles Heston shot him when he had the chance.

Cynikal.Mindset

michael Moore makes me laugh cuz he gets Americans all riled up

xray

Looks like it to me...

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cibs

OMG it's on the interweb?? it must be 100% true.


IMO a documentary is something that provides an unbiased look at something and lets you make up your own mind as to your position on the issue. Michael Moore's crap is nothing even close to that. Every film he makes is strongly biased... that's why he makes money... that's how he makes money. If you believe he truly cares for the citizens of the US then you've been scammed just as bad as all the Al Gore lovers.