In his first three years of dictatorship Castro and his sidekick Che [Guevara] managed to kill, imprison, and maim a greater percentage of their population than Stalin did in his first six years.  Che proudly signed his communications "Stalin II".  Cuba's prisons are still full of the Castro regime’s victims.  Castro outlived 10 U.S. presidents?  Maybe because he never faced any kind of a real election.

If he was so popular with the Cubans why not demonstrate this with a free election?  We all to frequently find Cubans afloat in makeshift boats, braving shark infested waters just to get away.  Guess universal healthcare doen't keep them at home does it?  Why do these people take such chances?  Lemme see; I can die at sea or be free!  Worse yet is to not make it and be recaptured by Cuban authorities; better to die at sea.  This should tell you something about life in Castro's slum.  Perhaps you should read Armando Valladares book "Against All Hope" published in 1984. 

George Musk
Londonderry, NH