Fidel Castro finally died at the age of 90. Of course the left wingnuts around the world are applauding his legacy, his leadership, and most of all, his love for the working class. For many elitists on the left, Castro was a great man.

His biggest accomplishment was overthrowing a government in Cuba that had created one of the largest middle-class economies in the Western Hemisphere. Before Castro, tourism was a huge industry and average citizens were able to open their own businesses and become very comfortable if not rich. Literacy was high, healthcare was available to all and food was plentiful. People were able to buy their own homes, cars and take vacations. Putting food on their table was not a concern for most. To be sure that were still poor people in Cuba but there are everywhere. Then Castro came along with his communist ideals and if you listen to the left wing, especially the rich and elite on the left side of the aisle, Cuba became a workers paradise under Castro.
Let's ignore the rampant corruption in government circles. Let's ignore the fact that now the average Cuban lives in abject poverty and everything is given to them by the government. Remember when Cuba's great leader said that he was going to give every Cuban household a rice cooker? All the people were overjoyed. Really, they got so excited over a rice cooker? Too bad they didn't have any rice to cook.

How is that a better situation than what they used to live in? You look at the cars around Cuba, they are 50, 60, and 70 years old. Very few of them run and most of them have been parted out to keep the others running. Yes, the political elite have everything they want but the average Cuban citizen does not.
You can also ignore, as the left wing does, the jailing and killing of anyone who disagrees with Castro. Dissidents are not tolerated and their families are terrorized if those who speak out against Castro go into hiding. There is not a free press there. Freedom of speech is not tolerated and the only reason many of the average Cuban citizens put on a happy face is because they are afraid of being jailed or killed. They have to toe the dictator's line.

Of course we have heard about the health care system in Cuba and how it is so great that health care is free for everyone. What people like Michael Moore do not tell you, remember he made a movie touting Castro's health care system, is that there are really three healthcare systems in Cuba.

First of all there is excellent health care available in Cuba; just not for the average Cuban citizen. The first system caters to foreigners. There is excellent health care available to those who show up for what many call "medical tourism". Many of the procedures available to the foreigners are what we would call vanity procedures; breast enhancement, Botox treatments, Lypo-suction, and plastic surgery. Foreigners pay in hard currency which the regime needs desperately.

The second system also gives access to above-average healthcare providers to the political elite. Those in power, along with their families, and the cultural elite have access to the same system that the foreigners do. The medical care is above average and in some cases top-notch. But the availability of those doctors, nurses, and medical equipment and facilities is limited. The average Cuban does not have access to those facilities.

Then there is the system that is available to everybody else that is a Cuban citizen. It is wretched. If you must go to a clinic or hospital that is available to the average Cuban citizen, the facilities are crumbling, medical equipment is outdated and in most cases does not work. Conditions are unsanitary to say the least and patients must bring their own bedsheets, blankets, soap, food, even light bulbs. Medicine is very scarce and most people must purchase aspirin or antibiotics on the black market, often giving up two weeks worth of pay to get just a couple of pills.

But of course the left wing ignores the facts, ignores the real details, because they want to believe in the ideal of communism, that everyone is equal, that everyone has access to great medical care, greater living conditions, and there is a chicken in every pot. Nowhere in the history of the world has this ever worked on a large scale. But the left wing will never give up on it so this week as they remember Fidel Castro, they will lie to you, either knowingly or unknowingly, about how great things were in Cuba and how terrible it was before Castro. Sadly, many of you will not take the time to do the research, it is plentiful and it's available, to find out that Castro was a horrible person who was a tyrant when it came to ruling Cuba.