Here in the United States legions of tourists flock to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to gawk at and take in the quaint ways of the Amish people. They are seemingly fascinated by the Plain People who eschew the trappings of modern life. Prominent symbols of their simple lifestyle are their black, unadorned horse drawn buggies. The Amish came to mind as I spoke with my aunt about Cuba and how Communists and their useful idiots the American Left are oblivious to the destruction their hateful economic ideology leaves in its wake.
So, what is the connection between Lancaster and Havana? I happen to be an aficionado of antique automobiles for a plethora of reasons, many of which are political in nature. Case in point: pre 1970s American cars were conceived, designed, manufactured and marketed before Ralph Nader, the NHTSA, greenies and insurance bean counters forever altered the American automobile industry. Granted, some good has come from these intervening variables, but that is a discussion for another day. The cars that enthusiasts such as myself celebrate and cherish were built at a time when consumer tastes and wanted drove what ended up on the family driveway versus what would pass muster via regulatory fiat. Today the bulk of the creative energy devoted to what ultimately rolls off of the assembly line is directed at meeting regulatory demands rather than the wants of the consumer.
This leads me back to the discussion I had about Cuba. Sickos like Michael Moore have touted the “merits” of the Cuban health care system over ours while Fidel Castro in life chose to be treated by Spanish doctors rather than those from the “worker’s paradise” he created. (In a touch of poetic justice, the Russian jeep towing his remains broke down during his funeral procession) A glaringly obvious failure of communism over capitalism can be seen in the 1950s era American automobiles that continue to ply the streets of Cuba, decades after their American counterparts were discarded in favor of the latest and greatest. It is ironic to me that it was communism that has unintentionally preserved automobiles made in a purely market-driven system. For this, I can say that capitalist-built American automobiles, roadworthy to this day out of necessity and the ingenuity of the Cuban mechanics who maintain them, is the only good that has come from communism.
Just like the tourists who come to see the Amish and their horse and buggies, Americans are now visiting Cuba to admire antique American autos with their chrome and pastel hues. However, the major difference between the Amish and Commie Cuban buggies is this – the Plain People forego modernity because of the religious freedom we still enjoy here in the United States whereas the imprisoned Cuban people, under the thumb of their godless Communist regime, have no choice but to rebuild and utilize those glorious symbols of capitalism’s past.
