The poor people of Cuba are currently experiencing great hardship above what they experience on a day-to-day basis, because of the recent hurricanes.

We, as a nation, should be able to send a little more than $100,000 in aid to the suffering people of this country. What we should do, as caring American citizens wanting to provide for those who have not, is remove the sanctions and allow food, medical supplies, and trade into the country.

Yes, we have had our differences with the Castro government, but the people are the ones who have suffered, not Castro. Opening up travel to Cuba would allow American citizens to explore and enjoy this beautiful country, and supply needed economic aid to their people.

If we can spend billions of dollars every month in a country whose people don't even want us there, we can at least assist the poor people of Cuba, who would love to see American faces. Who knows? If this were to happen, and the people of Cuba experienced what democracy brings, the people may stand up and one day demand a free democratic state.

Keeping the citizens of Cuba poor, isolated, and dependent on their government is no way to free a country. Military means is surely not an option, as we have seen in the failures in Iraq. Release the grudge, let it go, for God's sake.

Michael Powell, Augusta