Here's a piece of uncommon common sense from Congress, which may be on its way to lifting the the Bush administration's limits on travel by Cuban Americans to visit family on the island:
A Senate panel Wednesday approved a $44.8 billion fiscal 2009 spending bill, which includes a controversial provision to expand family travel to Cuba. The bill was approved 9–0 by the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations subcommittee. It also would increase funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Durbin said the bill restores the rights of families to visit relatives in Cuba to pre-2004 levels, allowing a trip once a year rather than once every three years, an unlimited stay rather than a 14-day stay, and a spending limit of $170 per day rather than $50 per day. Subcommittee ranking Republican Sam Brownback , R-Kan., said this provision was “very sensitive” and needed additional consideration. He said he would bring it up again before the full committee markup Thursday.
This would not amount to a lifting of the whole Cuba embargo, such as it is, or even an opening of Cuba to American tourists. There should be no changes there until the Cuban government really reforms itself. Instead, the measure would restore some humanitarian sanity by helping break the barriers between Cubans who have been able to leave the country and loved ones they left behind.
Sure, the dictatorship would benefit somewhat financially by lifting the travel limits — the regime runs all the stores and gets a healthy cut when U.S. dollars are converted to Cuban pesos.
But that is far outweighed by the humanitarian benefits for Cubans and their families. The splitting up of Cuban families is all the fault of the Castro dictatorship; American policy should be to lessen, not deepen, their pain.
Recent Comments