As Cubans struggle to earn freedom, Americans struggle to keep it

Thousands of protesters have flooded Havana’s streets waving American flags and demanding liberty and democracy in Cuba. For 60 years, the Communist Party of Cuba has oppressed the Cuban people, greatly restricting their freedoms and human rights. As the freest and most democratic nation in the world, the United States must stand with the Cuban people against this communist regime. Yet how are we, as a nation, supposed to be seen as defenders of free markets, individual rights, and self-government when all these principles are under attack by the radical Left here in America?

Too often, the Left’s rhetoric calls for tighter government control over our economy. The Castro regime’s adoption of a Soviet-style government and its total control over industry and distribution has crippled the Cuban economy. Cuba’s economy shrunk nearly 11% in the last year, leading to food shortages and overpriced goods in government-run stores.

This is not an example of communism gone wrong, but rather a design of the system. Outlawing competitive markets and seizing control of industry are central tenets of both communism and its cousin, socialism. This broken system has resulted in a string of famines, killing 70 million people worldwide in the 20th century alone.