Evil capitalists call Castro rich!

[BeBMan]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/03/17/castro.forbes.reut/index.html

Of course he says he isn't

[DRoseDARs]

[MarkG]

so i guess Bush owns America, right? The Family has been in control all these years it's almost the same as Castro...

forbes

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oh Mark... we can always count on you for idiotic posts .

Yeah, because having a party in a democracy in charge for a long time (12 years at most!) is the same as being a dictator for 50 years?

Castro is just mad that someone found out that he's a rich stinking bastard.

[pchang]

How well does Castro live compared to other people in the world? other Cubans?

[Kontiki]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was quite wealthy, but the methodology for calculating his wealth seems highly suspect as best. Previously - basing it on a certain percentage of Cuban GDP??? Now - assuming he owns some companies, and then comparitively valuing those companies against other companies that are publically traded??? WTF?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, when you are a totalitarian dictator, you ulitimately own all state run corporations. I mean during the old USSR era, it wasn't like the Communist Party bosses in the Soviet Union were living like the ordinary people.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Well, when you are a totalitarian dictator, you ulitimately own all state run corporations. I mean during the old USSR era, it wasn't like the Communist Party bosses in the Soviet Union were living like the ordinary people.

Using that parameter, I'm sure his net worth would be much higher than $550 million based on their valuation techiniques. Which is why I find the whole thing to be pie-in-the-sky crap.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Then how would you decide his wealth? I'm sure he won't let you look at his bank accounts.

[Kidlicious]

It's like saying power = wealth, and that's true in a way, but then it's not true in a way.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by pchang
How well does Castro live compared to other people in the world? other Cubans?

I don't think he has any Saddam style palaces, but then I doubt he ever has his needs unmet.

[Agathon]

an American magazine of decaying credibility

Fidel lives pretty frugally. Certainly less lavishly that Bush and probably on the level of the New Zealand Prime Minister.

If you'd watched Ollie Stone's film about him (which you can't in the "free" USA) you'd know.

That is a daft way of measuring his wealth though. I bet that there are plenty of Apolytoners who are wealthier than Fidel.

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Then how would you decide his wealth? I'm sure he won't let you look at his bank accounts.

I wouldn't bother - I'd just say it's indeterminable rather than throwing out a crap number that seems to be for little else than getting the hackles up of both Fidel Castro and the west in general.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Agathon
If you'd watched Ollie Stone's film about him (which you can't in the "free" USA) you'd know.

It's on video. I don't know if you can find it at the major chains though.

edit: Actually that might be a different movie that I'm thinking of.

[Asher]

The best part about this is he's considering suing Forbes.