freedom of the press

[Max Pyziur]

Yoshimasa Tsuji wrote:
>
> I remember having heard this decades ago. An Austrian economist
> in the early 1920's argued for the impossibility of a Socialist
> economy as it lacks the measure with which to calculate the quantity
> of economic goods. Theoretically he was right, but contrary to his
> prediction, the Soviet Union survived much, much longer than he
> had expected. More than that, the standard of living indeed improved
> under socialism (longer life expectancy, improved sewage system, etc.)

All this was gotten not through a benevolant ruling entity (in your words
"Socialist economy"), but rather umitigated oppression and great human cost.
It's therefore foolish to glorify the Soviet Union as having achieved something
truly dignifying to humanity.  And whatever it achieved it really was for a very
short period of time.

> If the oil price goes down again,

Probably within a year if not sooner.

> the  life in Russia will be ruined,
> but let us hope there will be something better by that time. The life
> in Russia is totally unpredictable and uncertain: people are more or less
> forced to play Russian roulette every day.
>   As somebody has said Russia cannot be understood by reason but by
> heart. For those who hate Russians, Russia will remain an enigma for ever.

No enigma.  The central power of the SU performed its work very well, atomising
existence, removing even the barest collective bonds. Once this central power
began to unravel it left behind, especially in Russia, an amorphous mass of
humans who for several generations have not known things such as local
government or the spontaneity of collective action; Russians are without a shred
of ethnic culture (which the other peoples of the SU retained in one form or
another, to lesser or greater degrees) on which to fall back.  Consequently,
Russia, as the successor to the SU, is in a pathetic state rapidly becoming one
of the weakest and most pitiable national societies, rife with corruption and
mediocrity.

> Cheers,
> Tsuji

Max Pyziur                                     BRAMA - Gateway Ukraine
pyz at brama.com                                  http://www.brama.com/

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