Communism can best be understood by one ice cream shop I visited in Cuba. It was about 4pm, and there was a line to get into the place. One of the state workers who was manning the shop had the job of “controlling the door.” As one person or group would leave, they would allow someone else to enter the shop. After about 30 minutes, we were able to get in and get a table. There was no customer service (as we would know it,) but there was someone who was there to take our order. I requested one item, was told they were out. I requested another item and received the same response. Finally, I asked what was really available (since the menu was not reflecting that .) The answer? “Strawberry ice cream.”
That’s it. Nothing else.
The good news? It was only about 4 cents (USD) for a nice-sized scoop. If you were hungry for strawberry ice cream, you were in luck. If you WANTED to wait in line, deal with a rude server, and eat your strawberry ice cream in a shop with Cuban communist propaganda all over the walls, you were in luck. There was plenty available, and the price was amazing!
If you wanted something different? Now that would be a problem. It’s just not available. And why? Because with the government artificially setting the price of ice cream, it is just not profitable. Instead of selling the ice cream at a price that would be profitable and having margin to expand, to employ more people, to add more tables, and to build the business, it was run like any other bureaucratic agency. The product was made available at an insanely low price that anyone could afford. Even a Cuban on the average income of $26.50/month could “splurge” on a 4 cent ice cream. The employees got paid the same no matter how many customers they served, and there was no initiative because there was no profit in it anyway.
Yes, in communist Cuba ice cream is available, but the government will decide what flavor you are going to eat.
The Gathering at Victory Acres 
Very interesting analogy.
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