I am not that familiar with Florida but I have seen enough of the failed condo developments and retirement and low cost housing developments that never got any farther than roads with no houses and condos with no people and swimming pools turning green to know that lack of that kind of development hasn't hurt Cuba. Being stuck in time sometimes is a good thing. Ecologically it's been an environmental bonanza. When the embargo is finally lifted we can only hope the Cuban crocodile looks like a wonder to be saved and not a pair of shoes or a handbag.
Since I spent most of the '60s in Puerto Rico, the comparison between the islands will be interesting when I visit Cuba in December. My former husband was the manager of housing developments back then which were jokingly called 'instant slums' by the guys with the $$ from Texas. When they would fly down for business meetings, they would send word ahead if they were bringing wives or girl friends which gave the local guys a 'heads up.' In those early post revolutionary days, Puerto Rico was turned into the playground that formerly belonged to Cuba.(notice husband is now former husband and has been for many years. ) I will say one advantage that Puerto Rico enjoys due to being a commonwealth of the US is that there is a strong middle class on the island. It was developed by 'operation bootstrap' which gave big tax advantages to companies establishing employment on the island. It may have been the beginning of out sourcing however in Puerto Rico it was employment for US citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment