That economic dimension can be illustrated with an amazing factoid: Cuban-Americans, with a population of 2.38 million, earn more than the entire island of Cuba, with 11.3 million people.
That is not because Cuban Americans are a particularly high-earning immigrant group. Quite the contrary. They rank 73rd, well behind immigrant groups like Americans from India or Chinese Americans. Despite ranking 73rd among U.S. ethnic groups, Cuban-American families earn more, in total, than all Cuban families combined because those in the United States earn over eight times as much. That's a stunning difference, and it happened within a single lifetime.
That factoid illuminates a deep and powerful truth. It shows how economic outcomes depend on property rights, the rule of law and other basic features of the American political-economic system. Competitive, capitalist systems don't just produce better outcomes; they produce far better outcomes, far more prosperous lives for ordinary citizens.
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