Some days ago I forwarded the "polling Russians" post to my journalist friend in Moscow. Here's some of her response.
-Alec
>Are most Russians still communists? Is
>that your question? Sure, yes, the answer is yes. Any time I travel to
>these places, almost all of which are decrepit and impoverished, I am
asked
>countless questions about the differences between Americans and
Russians,
>and always whether or not life is better in the states. The villiagers
are
>streaked in mud and sweat, capped in kerchiefs or wearing rotting
jeans.
>They are earnest and curious, but aggressive in their questioning. I
have
>had so many discussions about the merits and failures of their
successive
>regimes, and the failures of our own, I could recite my platforms in my
>sleep. Their words are also pretty much the same each time -- it is
great
>to have freedom of information, but what good is information without
bread.
>Life was better under communism, at least we could count on our jobs.
We
>were paid little, but we were paid on time. The current government has
>botched up economic management big time. For example, the agricultural
>sector is a mess. Ten years ago it was the pride and backbone of much
of
>the country. Wheat and bread were considered national treasures, and
anyone
>who contributed to the harvest was a hero in their own cog-in-the-wheel
>way. Now, the harvest is meaningless. The government has silos of
reserves.
>The grain that is reaped is low quality and so useful only as cattle
feed,
>but poverty has wiped out most of the cattle. This year, a horrid
drought
>has caused almost half of the planned harvest to die unshucked. Men
have
>lost everything. It is horrible to see the dust and hopelessness out
there.
>
>Freedom of information, I should say, doesn't exist as we know it in
the
>states. Newspapers are mostly government subsidized (except for a few
in
>Moscow) and that makes them hopelessly dependent on and bias toward the
>local administration. I.e., no ground-breaking exposes uncovering
>corruption in their town, and that means, half the news that needs to
be
>printed is off limits.
>
>As for corruption, it's widespread. Much, if not most, of this
country's
>wealth has been ripped off by high-level officials, once communist
>bureaucrats and now the inheritors of state monopolies. If they have
not
>exported it to Cyprus or Switzerland, they have reinvested it here in
the
>black markets of drug and sex.
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