Thursday, November 22, 2018
Deep switchover
For a closeup view of the Switchover, try this set of Youtube videos. Under the title 'Different Russia', a lady is simply walking through various places in modern Russia. We see a village, several different stores, dachas, apartments, etc. She points out prices, translates them into dollars, notes the good and bad items.
One WalMart-like store has the same variety of merchandise as an American WalMart, but the shelves are better stocked and the place has a cleaner feel. The grocery store also has the same stuff, much of it labeled in English. Again better stocked and cleaner.
The village, with only 88 people, has one small 'convenience' store, more like a 1950s corner store than a 7-11. Most importantly, the village has a bus stop, with regular bus service to Moscow.
If you wonder why Putin wins elections easily, here's the answer. His administration has preserved the good parts of the Soviet system (medical care, state-owned companies, public transit) while fixing the bad parts (housing, consumer goods).
If you wonder why American politicians can't win elections without cheating, here's the answer. We now have the bad parts of the American system (poor public transit, broken "medical" racket) and we also have empty store shelves and abandoned decaying houses like the old Soviet system.
Switchover.
Labels: switchover
¶ 5:01 AM
