I apologize.
Your characterization here is pretty close to right. However, just because you have published proves little. I have read large quantities of garbage by "Sovietologists." I suggest however, that we take this offlist as I am now way over my quota. Doug is forgiving me because he knows that I shall soon be disappearing from this list again. Just too damned busy and getting too arrogant for my britches, or whatever.
My private email is rosserjb at jmu.edu. I welcome more restrained private discussions. You may also see some of my recent papers on income distribution in Russia and other countries on my website. Even though the very top of the nomenklatura lived extremely well, and in some ways that indeed even the top bourgies of the West did not, there is no question that income (and certainly wealth) distribution was far more equal in the old USSR than it is today in any of the post- Soviet states, or certainly than in the US, although not necessarily much more so than in some of the Scandinavian countries, at least for income.
So there. happier now? Barkley Rosser PS: "jks" is not very informative as to your actual identity, and has nothing to do with your name label on your messages, although perhaps you are hiding from your employer. No problem, if so, but if you communicate privately, do please let me know who you actually are.
And I really will shut up now for today on this list. http://cob.jmu.edu/rosserjb
----- Original Message -----
From: andie nachgeborenen
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:59 PM
Subject: Re: Subject: [lbo-talk] Genocide, Holocaust
I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. I was a Michigan-trained Sovietologist who, once upon a time, published a fair amount on the political sociology of the USSR. Don't fucking condescend to me, you jerk. I don't need your "forgiveness," amd you know here you can stick it. Maybe you might bother to learn something about the old FSU and about the American upper classes.
As you admit, I am right for the "vast majority" of the nomenklatura -- 99% of them. As for the handful at the top, the score of Politburo members who mattered, the dozen generals and the few captains of industry who counted, they lived a bit better -- more like senior partners at my firm than like mid-level associates. They did not live like the big bourgeoisie, who have wealth that is apparently beyong your imaginings.
Fond regards, jks
Barkley Rosser <rosserjb at jmu.edu> wrote:
I don't think you know what you are talking about.
I do (sorry to be pompous about it).
You are right for the vast majority of nomenklatura,
especially for those in the provinces. For those really
at the top, it was a very different matter. You are
forgiven for not knowing because what they did and
how they did it simply has never been publicly disclosed,
certainly not fully.
Barkley Rosser
----- Original Message -----
From: andie nachgeborenen
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: Subject: [lbo-talk] Genocide, Holocaust
The Soviet nomenklatura lived like the American upper middle classes -- sort of like me, equivalent of a nice house in the burbs or an OK apt in the city, a dacha in the country, a couple cars, a housekeeper (I don't have the dacha or the housekeeper myself, but I suppose I could afford them in principle.) Therewas nothing like the disparity of wealth or luxury between ordinary workers and the American super rich, some of whom I knew from college. jks
Barkley Rosser <rosserjb at jmu.edu> wrote:
They were running around in Zils.
At the top, they were living pretty well.
Anybody want a free plane ride to Sochi?
Barkley Rosser
----- Original Message -----
From: "ChrisD(RJ)"
To:
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:04 AM
Subject: Subject: [lbo-talk] Genocide, Holocaust
>
>
> From: Michael Pugliese
>
> Instead,
> nationalization of the MOP, by a State-Party Apparatus that had congealed
> into a new Ruling Class, with all the economic and social privileges that
> our Rulers grab for themselves and their families.
> ^^^^^
>
> To say that the Soviet nomenklatura had anything approaching the economic
> and social priviliges of Western elites is quite mad. They went to special
> shops and could buy Western goods. Th! ! ey weren't rolling around in
Mercedes.
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
___________________________________
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <../attachments/20030606/f9d132ad/attachment.htm>