When politicians get bored, they like to act as if they’re doing something important.
Take for instance, Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida. The two useless bureaucrats sent a letter to the Treasury Department on Friday, requesting intelligence on licenses that were obtained by two entertainers, Beyonce and Jay-Z, for a vacation to Cuba.
In the letter, the two lawmakers wrote. . .
“As you know, US law expressly prohibits the licensing of financial transactions for tourist activities in Cuba. . .Cuba’s tourism industry is wholly-state controlled, therefore, US dollars spent on Cuban tourism directly fund the machinery of oppression that brutally represses the Cuban people.”
As we continue to watch helplessly as empty suits in Washington further erode our liberty and our economy, these two dolts are looking to score some partisan points and a little face time by chasing down two wealthy Americans for having the audacity to visit another country.
Sure, they can wave the flag and talk about oppression. But it’s all a load of crap. If oppression was an issue, we wouldn’t do business with the Chinese, we wouldn’t do business with the Saudis, we wouldn’t do business with India. . .hell, it would be hard to business with ourselves.
These politicians are so concerned about oppression in Cuba, but what is their stand on the rapid erosion of our Constitutional rights? Where are these two when we’re talking about drone attacks on US citizens, unlawful searches and seizures that are now done on a daily basis, the unlawful intelligence gathering of citizens’ private financial and medical records?
Look, I get it. Cuba’s history of oppression and human rights violations isn’t particularly stellar. But our words are spoken from inside a fragile glass house. And while these two lawmakers, and others like them, continue to rail against Fidel and naively believe that this ridiculous isolationism nonsense is effective, the good people of Cuba are missing out on the kind of investment that could help raise them out of poverty and allow them to enjoy many of the basic conveniences and luxuries we take for granted today.
As well, it hinders our ability to invest and prosper in Cuba. According to the US International Trade Commission, the Cuba embargo costs US firms as much as $1.2 billion a year. Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought we could use an extra $1.2 billion right now!
Former Congressman Ron Paul had it right on this issue when he said. . .
We talked to the Soviets. We talk to the Chinese. And we opened up trade, and we’re not killing each other now. We fought with the Vietnamese for a long time.
We finally gave up, started talking to them, now we trade with them. I don’t know why the Cuban people should be so intimidating.
I think we’re living in the dark ages when we can’t even talk to the Cuban people. I think it’s not 1962 anymore. And we don’t have to use force and intimidation and overthrow governments.
