Cuba Cutting Government Jobs, Hiring Private Sector: Obama Growing Government Jobs, Quashing Private Sector

Raul Castro announced he is cutting thousands of government jobs and is looking to "private enterprise to fill the huge gap."  Meanwhile, POTUS is creating more and more government jobs at higher and higher salaries and destroying the private sector. Did you think you would ever see the day the U.S. lagged behind the Cuban curve?

Raul and Fidel Castro

Not only is Raul cutting the government jobs which employs 95 percent of all Cuban workers, he is cutting multiple THOUSANDS of government jobs. At the same time, Cuba is reducing restrictions on the private sector, while Obama, et al winds up on the mound of the oval office, to throw private enterprise a curve ball, and hopes we can't hit it out of the ballpark.

Cuba's official work force is 5.1 million - meaning nearly 10 percent of all employees could soon be out of a government job. 

The layoffs will start immediately and continue through April 2011, according to a statement from the nearly 3 million-strong Cuban Workers Confederation, which is affiliated with the Communist Party and the only labor union allowed by the government. Eventually the state will only employ people in "indispensable" areas such as farming, construction, industry, law enforcement and education. 

The new face of Cuba understands that he MUST do something for the many unemployed. He has promised to allow "more Cubans to be self-employed." The benevolent Castro brothers believe the people are demanding too much of their government:

Castro has long complained that Cubans expect too much from the government, which pays average monthly salaries of just $20 but also provides free education and health care and heavily subsidizes housing, transportation and basic food. 

Because unemployment is anathema in a communist society, state businesses have been forced to carry many people who do almost nothing. 

Monday's announcement also said Cuba will overhaul its labor structure and salary systems to emphasize productivity so that workers are "paid according to results." 

Brings to mind Jeffrey Goldberg's article in The Atlantic. Goldberg had lunch with Fidel Castro along with a Spanish speaker. Goldberg asked Fidel if he thought the Cuban-model of government was ripe for exporting. According to Goldberg and his translator, Fidel said "the Cuban-model isn't even working for Cuba." Immediately, the AFP said Castro was "joking," and a few days later Fidel said Goldberg was a great journalist, but misunderstood his words - yet Fidel admitted the quote was correct.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook