Republican Priorities: “Emergency! Americans Are Traveling to Cuba! Stop Them!”
Hmmm…something about a debt crisis or something…some sort of global financial meltdown if we don’t hurry up and do something right now…[yawn] Whatever.
Right now the most burning issue is: Americans are traveling to Cuba. Cuban-Americans are able to visit family members in Cuba whom they haven’t seen in decades. NOOO!!!
This is unacceptable! Un-American!
Rep. David Rivera (R—Dildo) has introduced legislation to crack down on travel to Cuba. The U.S. government had a stranglehold on travel to Cuba until Obama started loosening the restrictions. OK, let me get this straight: The party of “limited government” wants to have more government bureaucrats restricting travel, trade and commerce between America and Cuba. And these travel and commerce restrictions have been lifted by our Big Government Socialist Nanny State president.
In addition to Dildo Rivera, another representative — Mario Diaz-Balart — is pushing for a narrower version of the same bill, which would only apply to Cuban-Americans. He’s gravely concerned about “people who go there ten or fifteen times a year. It's become a business, and a very lucrative business…”
Oh! The agony! People traveling freely? A lucrative business? NOOO!!!
It’s mostly the elderly Cuban-Americans — and there seem to be jillions of them — who are still living in the 1950s and longing for the good old days of Freedom under Castro’s rightwing predecessor. One of these people said:
“Fidel shot my uncle and my cousins after the Bay of Pigs. The only way I would go back to Cuba is if Castro is gone. No other exceptions.”
So don’t go. What’s the problem?!?
Labels: Cuba travel restrictions, Cuban-Americans, Mario Diaz-Balart, Rep. David Rivera, Travel to Cuba
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:20 PM
15 Comments:
Are we talking about finally prosecuting the Cuban Americans whom for years have been illegally traveling there and sending millions annually who have never gotten prosecuted because they are "anti-communist" and solid Republicans?
Hmmmmmmmmmm?
Erik
To Erik...yep the same Cuban Americans who had a major boulevard renamed, Ronald Reagan Blvd.
What's with all this anti-Cuba stuff? Heck, people travel to China. They travel to Venezuela. Why not to Cuba? It would open up lots of wonderful capitalistic money-making opportunities for lots of people. Isn't that what the GOP is all about? Opening up money-making opportunities?
Erik, I wasn't aware of that, but it doesn't surprise me.
Yes, there's a bunch of diehard Cuban-American dinosaurs in Florida who insist our trade embargo, travel restrictions and other "big nation picks on pipsqueak" policies must continue to the End Times, or once the Castro brothers finally croak, whichever comes first. (And at the rate things are going, you might as well flip a coin.) The rest of the world pretty much moved on a long time ago, and most countries' governments think ours is daft where Cuba is concerned. But what do they know?
The dinosaurs obviously want to continue the policy because it has worked so well. A half century and Castro's still alive and his brother is in power, but hey, nothing's perfect.
Snave, the angle you mention is the greatest hope there is for an eventual policy change. Chances are, though, only a Republican administration will be able to do it.
Democrats are still worried about being tagged as soft on communism.
Sheesh, the previous comment is mine. I'm having trouble adapting to the keyboard on a new laptop, so it got posted prematurely.
SW
It is True. 60 minutes went to the Miami airport to film the Cuban Americans - loaded with merchandise and bags full of cash who laughed when asked were they worried this was illegal.
Fact` is they are a upperclass latino group that vote solid Republicans. Try to win a statewide GOP Office without them.
Erik
How blithely you deny the obvious reason they wish to travel to Cuba, to see Chavez in the flesh and receive anti-American mind control rays, the closer the proximity, the stronger they are.
I found my old passport the other day. It was issued in the early 90's and the list of countries to which US citizens are barred from traveling seems kind of strange.
While Libya makes a degree of sense these days, the prohibition against traveling to the USSR seemed a bit odd, even for 1992, when the document was issued.
It's all hot air. SOMEONE has to go buy Rush's cigars.
DaveDubya scores the Best Laugh of the Day.
Erik, bags full of cash sounds like more than family aid. I'm thinking ultimate tax shelter.
Dave Dubya: Thanks I always wondered all these years how Rush Limbaugh can brag about smoking Cubans in spite of the fact they are illegal. You can get them in Canada but......
SW: you may be right but bags of cash is the only real currency there, you can't wire funds to Cuba like you can Mexico
Erik
Erik: Nah, not THOSE Cuban Americans.
jadedj: As the old proverb goes, "Name something after Ronald Reagan and you can get away with anything."
Snave: The Republicans' "free enterprise" soundbites will always get trumped by their hatred of swarthy communists.
SW: I keep thinking these aging anti-Castro Cubans will start dying of old age, but it doesn't seem to be happening. It's absurd that a gang of aging wealthy anti-communist zealots can have such a tight stranglehold on America's foreign policy. This is one of the things (one of many) that makes the U.S. the world's laughingstock.
Randal: It's too late. Those anti-American mind control rays have already taken hold. How do you think Barack Hussein Osama got elected?
Thomas: You have to understand Republican "logic." The USSR was a barbaric police state that didn't allow its citizens to travel. We Americans had to show how appalled we were, by not allowing Americans to travel to the USSR. See? It makes perfect sense :)
Dave: LOL.
Couldn't have been said any better. Amen. ( I was just web browsing and found your site. I love it)
So true !! (I just came across your blog... I love it!)
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