Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I wish to propose a new day in U.S. relations with the country of Cuba. With his recent imposition of new restrictions, the President presented one vision of that relationship-- one that looks backwards and reverts to a failed policy of isolation that has done nothing to improve the lives of the Cuban people and has harmed the American economy. I would like to present an alternative vision--one that looks to the future and at fostering the exchange of ideas and commerce between the two countries. It is often noted that Cuba is less than 100 miles away, but decades behind the United States, in no small part because of the U.S. embargo. Decades of the same, tired, failing economic policies left the Cuban Government in place and only hurt the Cuban people and American farmers and manufacturers. As Cuban-American relations thawed under Presidents Bush and Obama, the Cuban Government decided to try something different. Private entrepreneurs are operating an increasing number of restaurants, taxis, and other tourist-related businesses. Cubans are opening up their homes for visitors to stay in and selling products directly to visiting Americans. In addition, the government's grip on information and communication is necessarily weakening as technology and the Internet inevitably permeate the country. The U.S. has come a long way since the 1990s and hardly resembles the world of the 1960s. Our policies toward Cuba should reflect that change.…”