Reporting How Cubans May Finally Be Able to Own Their Houses, NY Times Frets About 'Gentrification'
Leave it to the New York Times to worry about income disparity and gentrification… in Cuba.
In his August 3 story “Cubans Set for Big Change: Right to Buy Homes,” correspondent Damien Cave reported on how Cubans will finally be able – albeit doubtless with numerous restrictions – to own their own houses come legislative changes expected to be enacted later this year.
“[E]ven with some state control, experts say, property sales could transform Cuba more than any of the economic reforms announced by President Raul Castro’s government,” Cave noted before noting unnamed “experts” who fear that “[t]he opportunities for profits and loans would be far larger than what Cuba’s small businesses offer… potentially creating the disparities of wealth that have accompanied property ownership in places like Eastern Europe and China.”
Cave added that:
Havana in particular may be in for a move back in time, to when it was a more stratified city. “There will be a huge rearrangement,” said Mario Coyula, Havana’s director of urbanism and architecture in the 1970s and ’80s. “Gentrification will happen.”
A photo accompanying the story on page A3 included the caption, "Once the purchase and sale of property is allowed in Cuba, places like Havana, above, may become more class-conscious."
>> The New York Times won't correct itself. Help NewsBusters continue to expose & combat liberal media bias. Donate now and your valued contribution will be doubled! <<
Of course it wasn’t until much later in the article that Cave noted that a recent study by a Washington-based demographer found that “Cuba has a housing deficit of 1.6 million units.” Of course “[t]he government says the number is closer to 500,000” but it’s “still a serious problem.”
Cave noted that “sales might not be enough to fix it [the housing deficit], since there is almost no construction industry, permitting process or materials to build with.”
While it may be obvious to you and me, Cave failed to explicitly draw a line between a half-century of Communism and Cuba’s housing crisis.
- Ken Shepherd's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
As if Damien Cave would ever live in one of "those" areas?!!
Submitted by drsamherman on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 6:09pm.
How many main stream journalists would actually live in areas they purport to help? How many of them will pick up and move to Detroit as they bemoan that city's colossal failure? How many of them will move to Laredo, Texas? How many of them will buy property on the Arizona/Mexico line?
The liberal hypocrisy must be genetically encoded by now, because no other force could explain their wanton dishonesty and cowardice.
"...disparities of wealth..."
Submitted by Rackie on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 7:16pm.
can't have that, can we comrades?
Now that just wouldn't be
Submitted by MrSnuggles on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 10:12pm.
Now that just wouldn't be fair, would it? Can't be having any outbreaks of capitalism!
Experts?
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 9:45pm.
Cave noted before noting unnamed “experts” . Wonder if these experts were "ordained" by the same people that gave Peele the title of EXPERT? I am thinking that maybe I will get in on the action and declare myself an expert on any and everything. How much do they pay these "EXPERTS" to spread their road apples?
Is home ownership really that evil, Cave?
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 12:55pm.
Cave added that: Havana in particular may be in for a move back in time, to when it was a more stratified city.
Havana has been stuck in time, and that time was 1960.
I would ask Cave where he would prefer to live: NYC, or Havana.
Huh?
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 2:34pm.
"[P]otentially creating the disparities of wealth that have accompanied property ownership in places like Eastern Europe and China."
Ahh, this may surprise you, but those "disparities" exist mainly because of the concept of "communal" ownership and the predisposition for party leaders, being so "important," you see, of receiving the most extravagant property as a reward for faithful service to The Party. It takes several generations for a newly formed Capitalist system to negate the inherent "disparities of wealth" in socialistic societies, or Monarchies, or Dictatorships, for that matter.
In Cuba, we have direct evidence of the HUGE disparities of income, HUGH disparities between party officials and the common person, which leads to a HUGH lack of housing, and clothing, and food, and medicine, for the vast majority of the population, yet "some people" are worried about "potential" disparities in income levels which may arise of property is no longer communal in ownership? I guess that's WHY those increasingly hypothetical "some people" decided to ignore the Western countries, Capitalistic societies, and focus exclusively on current and former socialist societies. The rising, and vast, existence of the Middle Class that a Capitalistic society naturally produces tends to destroy their arguments that Capitalism is what creates poverty, is what creates "disparities of wealth." Capitalism doesn't create those "disparities." It does, however, tend to eliminate them altogether for the vast majority of the population. Capitalism is the cure for "disparities of wealth," if only "some people" would admit that.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.