Don't Make'Em Like They Used To

Apparently the Castro brothers are about to actually do in Cuba what Republicans have been whining for decades that they'd like to do in the US, but can't because of them there evil Democrats and Islamo-fascists and campaign contributors: Reduce the size of the state.

A privately owned taxi is driven past Havana's university September 13, 2010. Cuba will let more than 500,000 state employees go by next March and try to move most to non-state jobs in the biggest shift to the private sector since the 1960s, the official Cuban labor federation said on Monday. According to Communist party sources who have seen the detailed plan to "reorganize the labor force," Cuba expects to issue 250,000 new licenses for self-employment by the close of 2011, almost twice the current number, and create 200,000 other non-state jobs. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan (CUBA - Tags: SOCIETY TRANSPORT EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS POLITICS)

A privately owned taxi is driven past Havana's university September 13, 2010. Cuba will let more than 500,000 state employees go by next March and try to move most to non-state jobs in the biggest shift to the private sector since the 1960s, the official Cuban labor federation said on Monday. According to Communist party sources who have seen the detailed plan to "reorganize the labor force," Cuba expects to issue 250,000 new licenses for self-employment by the close of 2011, almost twice the current number, and create 200,000 other non-state jobs. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan (CUBA - Tags: SOCIETY TRANSPORT EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS POLITICS)

Cuba has announced radical plans to lay off huge numbers of state employees, to help revive the communist country's struggling economy.

The Cuban labour federation said more than a million workers would lose their jobs -- half of them by March next year.

Those laid off will be encouraged to become self-employed or join new private enterprises, on which some of the current restrictions will be eased.

Check out that taxi! From other pictures I've seen, it doesn't appear to be a novelty item -- many, maybe even most, of the cars on the road in Cuba seem to be (more or less lovingly maintained) American models from the '40s and '50s. If trade channels are opened up, Cubans may be able to finance an explosion of economic prosperity just by tapping the US classic car collectors' market.

memeorandum thread