How End-Users Suffer Under Socialism
Economic Systems: If you ever wonder why we so resist socialism, consider the latest news out of that collectivist island paradise known as Cuba.
Central planners announced this week that they were fresh out of money to buy toilet paper — yes, toilet paper — for the island’s 9 million citizens. But not to worry. A nameless official for state-run monopoly Cimex and quoted by Reuters assured that “the corporation has taken all the steps so that at the end of the year there will be an important importation of toilet paper.”
The predicament would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. But toilet tissue is hardly the only item Cuba is lacking. Food itself is in short supply, with red bean and chickpea rations cut by a third, according to the Miami Herald. Special hard-currency-only stores for the elites have mysteriously failed to open after last week’s “inventory,” with no explanation given.
There’s no gas, either. The Associated Press this week reported that state planners ha