Cuban leader applauds US health-care reform bill

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

HAVANA (AP) - Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform "a miracle" and a major victory for Obama's presidency, but couldn't help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago.

"We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama's) government," Castro wrote in an essay published in state media, adding that it would strengthen the president's hand against lobbyists and "mercenaries."

"It is really incredible that 234 years after the Declaration of Independence ... the government of that country has approved medical attention for the majority of its citizens, something that Cuba was able to do half a century ago," Castro wrote.

In Thursday's essay, Castro called Obama a "fanatic believer in capitalist imperialism" but also praised him as "unquestionably intelligent."

"I hope that the stupid things he sometimes says about Cuba don't cloud over that intelligence," he said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9ELOMH80&show_article=

[JimandChristy 1,689]

He has a point, America has finally come into the 20th Century.

Edited March 26, 2010 by JimandChristy

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Does that mean we can expect a decent American cigar in the near future?

Edited March 26, 2010 by ##########

[JimandChristy 1,689]

Does that mean we can expect a decent American cigar in the near future?

Are all the countries in Western Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia that enacted Universal Health care in the 20th Century, Communist?

Edited March 26, 2010 by JimandChristy

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Does that mean we can expect a decent American cigar in the near future?

Let's not bring back cigars. Or blue dresses for that matter.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Are all the countries in Western Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia that enacted Universal Health care in the 20th Century, Communist?

For the most part, yes.

[JimandChristy 1,689]

For the most part, yes.

You serious?

Trust me, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Belgium, Holland etc etc are not at most Communist. No wonder you righties get so paranoid about anything that involves government.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

For the most part, yes.

You just discredited yourself. Universal health care is older than any experiment with Communism. It was first enacted under Otto Bismarck in Germany in the 1880's and in Britain in 1911. The Soviet Revolution which started this whole Communist disaster didn't take place until 1917.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

You just discredited yourself. Universal health care is older than any experiment with Communism. It was first enacted under Otto Bismarck in Germany in the 1880's and in Britain in 1911. The Soviet Revolution which started this whole Communist disaster didn't take place until 1917.

You mean Britain has been doing this for 100 years, and hasn't got it right yet?

[JimandChristy 1,689]

You just discredited yourself. Universal health care is older than any experiment with Communism. It was first enacted under Otto Bismarck in Germany in the 1880's and in Britain in 1911. The Soviet Revolution which started this whole Communist disaster didn't take place until 1917.

True and from my homeland country point of view it was amazing we enacted universal health care in 1948 coming out of the trauma of the Second World War. It's amazing it has taken the USA over 60 yrs to do something similar.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You mean Britain has been doing this for 100 years, and hasn't got it right yet?

Well, they've got it more right than we do.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[JimandChristy 1,689]

Again to me, it really is the paranoia that goes with some righties in this country that anything involving Government will mean were on the road path to Communism. It's complete ignorance, I think a lot of these righties need to take a trip to Western Europe etc to see that these countries are not Communist. Look at how people run their day to day lives and they'll see they have just as much "Freedom" than the USA.

Even the righties (Conservatives) in my own homeland country (UK) see the NHS as a great thing.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Oh, why didn't you just tell us that Castro was in favor of it before? Maybe Obama should have used that as a selling point, I mean we certainly want to please Fidel, don't we?