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Open trade with Cuba

By Staff | May 1, 2009

To the editor,

U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, is right as rain when he champions opening trade with Cuba.

For months I have been disappointed with both political parties. However, Boswell, a middle-of-the-road Democrat, has it right.

Because of Fidel Castro, we have had a terrible relationship with Cuba. Our policies have resolved into a dismal failure. Now, with Castro fading out of the picture, it is time for a change in direction, before the Chinese get ahead of us.

For our own good and for the good of the people of Cuba, we should move forward.

Boswell is old enough to remember Cuba before Castro, when it was a major sugar producer. It would be to our financial benefit for Cubans to get back into business.

The world needs more ethanol to compete with petroleum. Cuba’s cost of processing sugar cane for ethanol would be far less than corn ethanol. Even with a government subsidy and the Cuba trade embargo, our ethanol production is failing.

Our benefits of trade with Cuba would far outweigh the problem of competition.

Our corn ethanol queens would cry, but the plusses are far greater than the problems.