You know, in 1959, Cuba was the most properous Latin American country; they enjoyed a standard of living higher than even some states in the United States.
Now they're down at the bottom, below even Haiti.
In 1959, the cuban peso traded on par with the American dollar. If a worker in Cuba earned 100 pesos, he recieved 100 pesos. Government taxation occured after that.
Now, after five decades of communism, the cuban peso is near worthless against the American dollar, but the wage scales have not been allowed to change. Further any work contract and pay for work must go through the Cuban government or approval and taxation. The worker will only see maybe ten of his now worthless pesos. That's progress.
Havana was once the jewel of the Western Hemisphere. It had a healthy tourist industry and benefited from shipping thanks to it's strategic position. Now, pictures of Havana resemble every other third world dictatorship. That's progress, if your a DUmmie.