By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator
Dallas, TX – Should the United States lift the 40-year trade embargo on Cuba? Many unsuccessful pleas have been made over the past decade. Now, even some political allies of President Bush are saying, "Enough." I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.
Cuba is hardly the market size of China. The small communist island is barely the size of Illinois. Population: 12 million people. However, U.S. farmers and business leaders see Cuba as a "tremendous market." Those were the words by a rice farmer from Bay City, Texas, as told to the Dallas Morning News. The paper reports Texas-Cuba Trade Alliance is a new coalition of Texas farmers arriving in Cuba today. The alliance estimates nearly $60 million in business can be made by removing the embargo.
Let's take a look at who's on both side of the debate. You might be surprised to learn many human rights groups are calling for an end of the embargo. Unlike China, where blatent human rights violations were overlooked in the name of money, groups like Human Rights Watch believe the embargo on Cuba has failed. The organization said that it not only impedes democratic change, but causes indiscriminate hardship on the Cuban people. For years, the European Union has strongly opposed the embargo. And currently Canada, Spain and Venezuela are the largest exporters to Cuba.
On the other side, many Cuban immigrants who have felt the wrath of Castro's dictatorship want the U.S. to have nothing to do with their homeland. President Bush agrees. He points to Castro's unwillingness to adopt economic changes like those made in China. China is still a communist country and although free enterprise might be blooming, I would like to point out, at any time the government, at its whim, can confiscate profits.
If I were a farmer or rancher I would just suggest to Bush, if the embargo gets lifted maybe you could lower our subsidies. That would surely help our economy. For KERA Marketplace Midday, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 p.m. To contact Maxine Shapiro, please send emails to mshapiro@kera.org.