@obiwanobiwan: "If they're so spectacular, why do people flee from those places to other shores, particularly from Cuba to here?"
There are all kinds of problems with this loaded question.
First of all, as Putin has pointed out, the only reason Cubans wishing to move to America have to make such a dangerous journey is that the USA won't let them come in via the normal routes, but once they arrive, it lets them stay. This, in turn, attracts huge, distorted media attention because of the dangerous nature of their journey.
The USA attracts immigrants from all over the world. Despite the proximity of the two countries, Cubans make up less than 1% of all immigrants coming to the USA, according to the Department of Homeland Security (2009 figures). There are many more Koreans, many more Brazilians, many more Chinese illegals attempting to enter the USA than Cubans.
Let me ask you a question. Thousands of people try to get into the USA from Mexico each year, most of them without a visa. From this, do you conclude that Mexico is a hellish regime, and that the US government should be working to overthrow the Mexian government?
According to the Urban Institute (a Washington D.C. based NGO) there are 75,000 Canadian illegal immigrants currently living in the USA. Do you agree this demonstrates that Canada is a third world hell hole?
A second point, which Draugner makes very well, is the US blockade. The USA has been blockading Cuba for decades, throttling Cuba's economy, restricting Cuba's ability to sell the goods it produces, and restricting access to a wide range of goods (including those needed as inputs for Cuban producers). How much better off would Cubans be if the blockade wasn't there? We can't say for sure, but we can be certain that the blockade directly hurts the living standards of ordinary Cubans, while also damaging Cuba's industrial output.
(By the way kudos to Draugnar for putting this across so clearly. It's nice to see an American who understands the injustice of the Cuban blockade)
I'll tell you a little story which I think illustrates how awful the USA's policy towards Cuba is. A number of years ago (during the Bush administration) I wrote to the US Embassy in London, politely complaining in my British way, about the injustice of the blockade. I received a reply . To quote the US Embassy's reply:
"The United States is committed to maintaining the current blockade until Cuba establishes a free and open economy."
There was no mention of democracy. There was no mention of human rights. The official US position, as per their Embassy's letter to me, was that the USA has the right to tell another country how to run its economy, and to use its military to blockade that country if they don't run their economy in accordance with US demands.
Does that seem just, fair and good to you?