This might have been your impression, coming straight from Canada. I visited Cuba a decade ago, having traveled in Latin America for > 1 year. I can't say that Cuba seemed to be worse off than many of these other countries.
Ahh I see how my comment could have been interpreted as meaning "everyone in Cuba lives like that." That's not what I meant. Outside of the few resorts I had access to there were always people begging and the beaches were spotted with shacks in severe disrepair. The stark contrast is what stuck with me.
exactly. The Latin America is filled with countries there people are poor and powerless and oppressed by their government and non-government organizations (criminal and drug cartels, guerrillas, left and right paramilitaries, etc...) As Cuba was an ally of USSR such policies were reasonable back then. The USSR had disappeared 23 years ago though...
>" I've seen worse conditions in both Costa Rica ... "
It depends on your definition of worse. In Cuba there was a general shortage of several basic items (toilet paper, eggs, meat... etc.) were most people (the only exception is the political class) have to face rationing and long lines. As far as I know that is inexistent in Costa Rica.
Inadequate overall wealth to supply basic needs leads to lines and rationing in socialist systems, and just pricing goods out of the reach of non-elites in basically capitalist systems, so the symptoms look a bit difference but the substance is much the same.
Except when it is not. In Venezuela we are facing similar problems and even when people have the money you can't buy what you need, not even if you are on a elite.
It has more to do with the incompetence in economic areas rather than a capacity of making wealth.
