For 40 years or so, with the exception of a five-year gap in the late 70s/early 80s, American citizens haven’t been allowed to travel to Cuba. It’s not bad enough that the government takes our money and spends it with abandon. They have to make up rules that govern our choices, too. And if we don’t play along? We get fined.
Apparently the Cuba travel ban holds an average penalty of $7500. For going on vacation. Who in their right mind thinks that this is a good idea? Even if you don’t want people to travel to someplace you don’t like, you’re expecting to engender the support of the people with threats like this?
Now I realize that the current government didn’t put the ban in place. But our president has every intention of trying to keep it. He’s even threatened to veto the decision to end the ban if it should come across his desk.
At least there are finally some light bulbs coming on somewhere in Washington, as today the senate has voted to stop funding the program. I know, that sounds backwards. Remember we’re talking about the government of the United States here. Everything is backwards.
See, the current plan requires funding to make sure no one travels to Cuba. So the senate votes to stop providing funding, which in turn ends the program, because they don’t have any money to make it work! Only in Washington.