<DIV>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.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>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.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Fond regards, jks<BR><BR><B><I>Barkley Rosser <rosserjb@jmu.edu></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2723.2500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> <DIV><FONT size=2>    I don't think you know what you are talking about.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I do (sorry to be pompous about it).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    You are right for the vast majority of nomenklatura,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>especially for those in the provinces.  For those really</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>at the top, it was a very different matter.  You are </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>forgiven for not knowing because what they did and</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>how they did it simply has never been publicly disclosed,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>certainly not fully.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Barkley Rosser</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=andie_nachgeborenen@yahoo.com href="mailto:andie_nachgeborenen@yahoo.com">andie nachgeborenen</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org href="mailto:lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org">lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, June 06, 2003 4:14 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Subject: [lbo-talk] Genocide, Holocaust</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>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<BR><BR><B><I>Barkley Rosser <rosserjb@jmu.edu></I></B> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">They were running around in Zils.<BR>At the top, they were living pretty well.<BR>Anybody want a free plane ride to Sochi?<BR>Barkley Rosser<BR>----- Original Message -----<BR>From: "ChrisD(RJ)" <CHRISD@RUSSIAJOURNAL.COM><BR>To: <LBO-TALK@LBO-TALK.ORG><BR>Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:04 AM<BR>Subject: Subject: [lbo-talk] Genocide, Holocaust<BR><BR><BR>><BR>><BR>> From: Michael Pugliese <DEBSIAN@PACBELL.NET><BR>><BR>> Instead,<BR>> nationalization of the MOP, by a State-Party Apparatus that had congealed<BR>> into a new Ruling Class, with all the economic and social privileges that<BR>> our Rulers grab for themselves and their families.<BR>> ^^^^^<BR>><BR>> To say that the Soviet nomenklatura had anything approaching the economic<BR>> and social priviliges of Western elites is quite mad. They went to special<BR>> shops and could buy Western goods. Th! ey weren't rolling around in<BR>Mercedes.<BR>> ___________________________________<BR>> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk<BR>><BR><BR>___________________________________<BR>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk</BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <P> <HR SIZE=1> Do you Yahoo!?<BR>Free <A href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/tag/*http://calendar.yahoo.com">online calendar</A> with sync to Outlook(TM).</BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE><p><hr SIZE=1> Do you Yahoo!?<br> Free <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/tag/*http://calendar.yahoo.com">online calendar</a> with sync to Outlook(TM).