Why does the US make it so difficult to visit Cuba?

[tatertop]

Is it because Cuba ain't so bad after all and
the US does not want you to see this for yourself?
Are there any other countries where the US
deters travel to such a degree?

[Vincardog]

1. They do not want you spending money in CUBA. You can visit but

do not spend any money. NO Checks, No Credit Cards. No paper trail. Do not go thru any bank or financial institution. If you want to visit Cuba I repeat do not go to mexico and hop a plane. Do not bring CASH ONLY. Do not tell them you are a US citizen so they do not stamp your passport. Do not do that.

[RockaFowler]

2. It's the anti-Castro group in Miami

I am not for Castro, but come on. The only people we are hurting now are the Cuban people. Castro is not hurt by us not travelling there. There are plenty of people around the world that travel there. But the people that really want to go live in Miami. They want to visit their relatives and now they can only go there once every 3 years. But because there are these Miami-Cubans in Congress (Ileana Banana & Jose Diaz Balart) that want nothing to do with Cuba until Castro has left.

[acmejack]

20. Batistas.

http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/batista.htm

[RagingInMiami]

26. Fascistas

[CottonBear]

3. The US Gov't. doesn't want US citizens to see the real Cuba.

The former Batista (sp?) supporters now living in South Florida hate Castro and it is this group that controls US Cuba policy. They are plotting their return to rape and pillage Cuba and its environment with chain stores, hotel, resorts, casinos and strip malls.

edit: There are many good Cuban-American immigrants who simply wish to visit friends and famiuly back home. :(

[SteppingRazor]

7. If that were the case, the US would WANT us to see it...

as the real Cuba is a real shithole. Having been there myself, I can attest to the poverty and desperation one encounters throughout Havana. And while I didn't visit the countryside, I was told that it was even worse there.

The reason we still have an embargo is because we don't want any money going to the Castro regime. And, it being communist, technically, any money paid into the economy is government money. And thus, Castro's money. It's not literally the case of couse, but it might as well be as far as US lawmakers are concerned.

The biggest losers in this, though, are the US Cubans. Younger Cubans aren't even as conservative as the older ones. They're much more interested in being able to visit their relatives in Cuba and send them care packages than in continuing the embargo. As the older generation dies out, if Democrats move toward lifting the embargo, I think you'll see a lot of Cubans ditch the GOP for the Dems.

[CottonBear]

14. We'll see if the younger Cubans vote Democratic. I hope so.

I took four years of Spanish at a private girls school in TN. My teachers were former upper class (Batista supporting) Cubans. They were the very upper class who lived in the fancy mansions with maids and servants before fleeing the country. They had very little, if no, empathy for the lower class (mostly Afro-Cuban) people of their former country.

[SteppingRazor]

16. Definitely a huge political generaiton gap among Cubans...

I know a lot of them (I'm a South Floridian myself), and the younger Cubans just don't care as much about Castro as the older ones. Like I said, they're much more interested in being able to visit relatives than whether or not Castro gets a piece of their plane ticket.

[CottonBear]

23. That is good to hear! I hope that we can end the embargo soon.

Cuba is no longer a threat to the USA. I hope for the best for the poor and working people of Cuba and I hope that they don;t get totally screwed over by rampant capitalism (no good schools & higher education or national health care) one day in the future.

[RagingInMiami]

31. Cuba was never a threat to the US

[guajira]

35. I too Have Been to Cuba

and it is NOT a shithole!!

Cuba is a beautiful, peaceful country with very nice friendly people. There is poverty but no homeless. Every child is required to go to school and education is free.

One time I was there, I went to the ballet. It was nighttime, but there were groups of schoolkids there in their school uniforms. The cost of the ballet for locals was a few pesos, cheap enough for Cubans to attend. They recognized the dancers and cheered loudly for their favorites.

Everyone I know who goes there returns again and again, as often as they can. I've heard from friends that other countries such as Nicaragua and El Salvador have much more poverty than Cuba. And of course we all know that Haiti is way worse!

Miami "exiles" would have Americans believe that Cuba is the worst place in the world, and unfortunately the US State Dept. and the US media is all too willing to buy into the lies and propaganda.

If Americans could travel to Cuba, the lies would be exposed!

[SteppingRazor]

36. Please see my message #24 below...

wherein I took back the "shithole" reference :hi:

[MadHound]

4. Because forty plus years ago, Castro slapped the US silly

And we haven't been able to get over it yet.

Cuba used to be the vice capital of the Caribbean, gambling, prostitutes, drugs, the whole bit. It was an offshore party place for the well heeled and/or well connected of the US. And it was all controlled by the mob and their puppet Batista.

But Castro came along and tapped into the anger that simmered beneath the surface of the Cuban populaiton, and kicked the Mob, Batista, and the US out of Cuba. And we have never forgiven him for that.

It's stupid, it's silly, but it isn't going to change until Castro dies, and perhaps not even then. And that's really a shame, because a great relationship could be set up if we would stop being such assholes about it, but hey, that's not going to happen.

[HereSince1628]

33. Moreover he seized US business assets. You can be communist or socialist

fight a war with us and we will forgive you, even give you favored nation trading status...but if you seize American assets, we'll never forgive you.

[politicaholic]

5. I think there's a direct flight from Toronto...

I personally like going there because there aren't any Americans, the food is great, the music is great, the beaches are fantastic, the people are very nice, and there aren't any Americans.

[tatertop]

8. They should hire you as a PR person.

Now I definitely want to go.

[RagingInMiami]

18. Mexico and the Bahamas also have direct flights

[stanwyck]

30. You can also fly into Cuba

from the Caymans.

[Kansas Wyatt]

6. BFEE & a failed invasion that they jammed up JFK's ass.

If the BFEE cannot get their greedy paws on Cuba, then they are not allowed to exist.

[Cleita]

9. They don't want Castro to get rich on American dollars.

The US has always deterred travel to the countries they were pissed off with at the time they issued your passport. My passports always had restrictions to some country or the other during the cold war.

[jakefrep]

10. You can thank Little Havana for that...

Talk about tyranny of the minority. The rest of us (and Cubans) suffer because a small number of anti-Castro fuckwads in South Florida have our politicians by the short n' curlies.

I WANT MY CUBAN CIGARS DAMMIT!!!

[Disturbed]

22. What is the "official" reason?

Hmmm?

[elehhhhna]

11. OMG Look aty this for 94 EU/night, MEALS INCLUDED!

http://cuba-hotelguide.com/hotels/mtzbcs.htm?GCU

Click on the pictures! Cripes lets' go>

[elehhhhna]

12. Then there's Cuba, Missori on Orbitz for 56. US LOL

http://www.orbitz.com/App/ViewHotelSearchResults?OSC=DxyugCadaV!527873736!183181602!7001!-1&&retrieveParams=true&z=64b2&r=3

[SteppingRazor]

13. Aw, man... if you're gonna go, don't stay at an all-inclusive resort...

you'll never leave the hotel. Get a nice hotel in Old Havana. I recommend the Hotel Florida. Only about 50 Euros/night, IIRC, and a really nice place. If you're going to experience Cuba, you should actually get out and visit the place. If you're just gonna stay at an all-inclusive resort, why not just go to Club Med?

[elehhhhna]

17. DUde I know--you're absolutely right,

I was just amazed at the prices! The diving's got to be good there--it's close to the Caymans--and it's a really short flight.

I wanna go.

[Divernan]

34. Diving in Cuban waters not as good as at Cozumel, I'm told.

Met a Mexican couple from Merida who tried diving in Cuba but said it could not compare to Cozumel, where they return every year. Also, I knew a couple of US divers who arranged a trip to Cuba through some outfit in Canada - paid for everything ahead of time so they would not be using credit cards (which the US tracks) in Cuba. So they get to Havana and take a taxi across the island to the dive resort, with all their gear. They arrive and are told, so sorry,Senor(s); we have no record of your payment/reservation. However, you are welcome to stay and dive if you pay us $400 each. Their taxi driver had hung around - perhaps this is a common occurrence. They were going to head back to Havana, and he told them it would be too dangerous to stay there overnight and he took them to his "cousin's" place in the middle of the countryside, where they paid for overnight lodging and food. Next day they caught a plane to Mexico. If the US govt. had learned of their trip, they were subject to thousands of dollars of fines and criminal prosecution in federal court. One of them could have lost his professional license. And if you are the victim of a crime in Cuba - like having your passport or money stolen, you have no legal recourse because you are not legally there & have no legal standing. There's no US embassy. Even worse, should you be accused of committing a crime, you are in deep shit.

So, much as I enjoy the music, and would love to see the island, and old Havana, I'll have to wait until we get a Dem in the White House to change the travel policy.

[RagingInMiami]

19. You been to Cuba, SR?

[SteppingRazor]

24. Yeah, my first vacation after moving to Florida in 2000...

Me and another writer with my paper flew in. At the time, before Bush tightened sanctions in 2002, it was still real easy to get there just by saying "I'm press." From what I understand, it's more difficult now, but you could still take a plane to Veracruz or the Bahamas, and then take another to the island.

I said the place is a shithole up above, but that's really not fair. Compared to a lot of the Caribbean -- Haiti and Jamaica both immediately spring to mind -- the place is actually real nice.

[RagingInMiami]

21. Never Mind

I just read you did. I plan on going in 2006. Are you planning on going there again soon?

[SteppingRazor]

27. Meh, I seen it already you know?

I mean, if I did go back, I'd probably go to the opposite side of the island -- Santiago, or something. But I try to visit new places every time I vacation. Think I might hit Europe next time. Trying to save up. Maybe do someplace in Latin America -- Costa Rica, maybe. Or maybe Venezuela. I hear Caracas is sweet.

[RagingInMiami]

28. Cartagena, Colombia is awesome

[RagingInMiami]

15. The Miami Cubans

A powerful voting bloc, insist on it.

Because as I've been hearing almost everyday for the last 37 years of my life, this will make Castro fall.

[RockaFowler]

25. I've been wondering how this will hurt Castro

This hurts the people of Cuba. They are the only ones who suffer.

[RagingInMiami]

29. The Miami Cubans will tell you

That if we lift the embargo to help the people, Castro will steal all the money anyway, so the people will continue to be poor.

[Initech]

32. I would love to see Cuba before the corporate whores get their way

Except the mere act of FLYING to Cuba would be tricky.

[malaise]

37. It's real easy from Jamaica

US visitors go every week.