redbiter repeats a half-truth from pre-1959. Cuba's broad economic indicators did indeed appear to reflect a successful economy. But this does not take into account the *distribution* of that wealth - Cuba was hugely inequitable prior to the Revolution. Health care was an urban, upper-class phenomenon. Most rural workers were highly seasonal, with an atrocious quality of life. Racial discrimination was the norm. Opportunities for non-white, non-capital Cubans were extremely limited. The country was the caribbean brothel for the U.S., with gringos running the economy, expatriating profits and empoverishing the country. Cuba today certainly has its problems, but it is sovereign and is held in high esteem by the rest of the world, where Cuba's selfless contributions have not gone unnoticed.