WHY IS CUBA SO POOR: Jonathan Adler notes some omissions in a New York Times story: “Nope, despite the gratuitous mention of the free education and health care available in Cuba, no mention of ‘socialism,’ ‘collectivism,’ or ‘Communism,’ as having any effect on Cuba’s economy. Nor is there any mention of Cuba’s notorious (but apparently not notorious enough) ‘Neighborhood Committees for the Defense of the Revolution,’ nor, relatedly, what, the ahem, disincentives might be for failing to ‘show one’s patriotism,’ though the author does acknowledge that at least one Cuban refrigerator-owner doesn’t feel free to speak openly. And, for the uninitiated, Cuba is not actually economically isolated from anywhere but the U.S., it just doesn’t sell much of anything that anyone wants to buy.”