LH: knowing of your affinity for anything Cuban, a headline from this morning's newspaper caught my eye: ELDERLY CUBANS FIND THEIR GOLDEN YEARS TARNISHED. The article is reprinted from the Chicago Tribune, so it may be available in your area.

Your comment above relating that one of the happiest weeks of your life was spent in Cuba, and words to the effect that though we would consider the folks paupers, they certainly had everything they needed, and then some, would lead me to believe that you spent little time with Cuba's retired population.

There is a mandatory retirment age in Cuba. For men, it is 60, and for women 55 (no discrimination there, right?)

Anyway, the article reports on the life after retiremnt of one Aaron Espinosa, a retired bus driver who lives alone. His situation is offered as an exmaple of the plight of the retirees in Cuba. The article states that although his rent and electricity are subsidized and cheap, Espinosa's ration card gives him only enough food for about two weeks a month. Sometimes he survives on just a meal or two meals a day; other times he gardens and does painting for neighbors to pay for medicine, extra food or clothing. Although the government offers free medical care, many medicines are sold only for dollars and are priced out of a retiree's reach.

If one were to believe the information in the article, it would be hard to agree that "they certainly had everything they needed, and then some."

Again, I realize you many not have been exposed to retirees when you were in Cuba, and your statement may relate only to those who still work.

DougR