The Not-So-Good Life under Castro

As President Obama and entourage step foot in Cuba, readers might be interested in a new book out by a former Castro security guard. Jaun Reinaldo Sanchez has written The Double Life of Fidel Castro, in which he details the palaces, yachts, and multitude of servants Mr. Castro enjoys. In a summary of Mr. Sanchez’s book the British Daily Mail writes, “Castro the commie hypocrite who lives like a billionaire: He’s posed as a man of the people. But a new book reveals Cuba’s leader has led a life of pampered hedonism and a fortune as big as the Queen’s.”

And what about Cuba’s ordinary people, asks Francis Menton in his Manhattan Contrarian. Cuba does not publish any usable statistics, but the Guardian gives a good rundown of how life is lived under Castro’s ration system.

Every Cuban family registers with a local supply store, where they can use a libreta or ration book. This typically provides about 10kg (22lb) of rice, 6kg of white sugar, 2kg of brown sugar, 250 millilitres (1 cup) of cooking oil, five eggs and a packet of coffee per person per month, along with 2kg of meat (usually chicken) every 10 days, a bun every day and a bag of salt every three months. Milk is provided for pregnant women and children under seven years of age. The basic libreta products are guaranteed, but they are not enough – so people often have to travel to several places on several different days to make up the shortfall.

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Debbie Young

Debbie, editor-in-chief of Richardcyoung.com, has been associate editor of Dick Young’s investment strategy reports for over three decades. When not in Key West, Debbie spends her free time researching and writing in and about Paris and Burgundy, France, cooking on her AGA Cooker, and practicing yoga.