Cuba to the rescue… That’s right: The communist Caribbean country is stepping up to help fight Ebola in Africa. In fact, the actions from Cuba have even generated praise from the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. Fidel Castro announced his nation’s cooperation with the US in a state run news outlet (duh… we are talking about Cuba), saying that action is being taken to ensure “the peace of the world.”
According to the Washington Examiner:
Cuba has already sent 165 doctors and nurses to Sierra Leone and plans to send another 300 to Liberia and Guinea.
Cuba sends doctors. Obama sent soldiers. Strangely, the commies seem to have a better handle on how to fight a virus than the Obama Administration. The dictatorial regimes in Latin America (including Cuba) have even shown the common sense to place travel restrictions on visitors from Ebola-infected regions of Africa (…racists). It’s too bad Team Obama, which seems to have an affinity for Banana-Republic style authoritarianism, isn’t as concerned about preventing a domestic outbreak as the despots, dictators, and tyrants of communist regimes.
Of course, it should be pointed out that the world isn’t exactly clamoring for Cuban healthcare whenever an epidemic breaks out. After all, Thomas Eric Duncan (the man who brought the Ebola virus to the United States) didn’t hop on a plane bound for Cuba during his desperate bid to seek treatment. There’s a reason he made his way to Dallas, and not Fidel’s paradise for workers.
Many experts have feared that if the virus spreads to Latin America, the USA will see another desperate immigration wave spill across the southern border… So, despite the rhetoric of Obamacare proponents, I guess American healthcare is pretty darn good after all.
Which, really, is kinda the point. Do you really think a handful of Cuban doctors will be able to tackle the world’s health risks? We might have our share of problems with American style healthcare, but the quality, accessibility, and industry ethics are unparalleled in the world. More to the point, America is home to the innovation necessary for combating international epidemics.
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The world does not look to Cuba as a solution to their plight. After all, I’m pretty sure the second most popular export from Cuba (after their cigars) are refugees and victims of human rights violations. When a people in impoverished corners of the globe find themselves facing disease, starvation, or war, it is America that they look to for salvation. And, with good reason.
In addition to being a generous people, only the world's leading Super Power has the ability to leverage the people, innovation, and capital necessary to engage in philanthropic solutions. Like it or not, America is a leading force in the world for human rights, peace, and prosperity. It’s probably about time we start acting like it.
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