Hotels in Sochi

[Serb]

Prior to WW2 you could literally be sent to a gulag for being seen to be religious and Stalin only reopened the churches during the Nazi invasion as a way to get people to continue to support him when he saw a very real threat of the Nazi invasion being a success. Even after WW2 you could lose your job or be passed over for promotion and certainly be refused party membership for not professing to be an atheist. Post 1991 the Russian government has had to rebuild the national identity of what it means to be Russia, after almost 80 years of communists repeating there is no real national identity and only their status as workers really mattered. The only thing the new regime really had to go on was the old pre-Soviet Tsarist government which always used the Russian Orthodoxed Church as a means to legitimize its rule and its actions. The Putin government (and Medived who was nothing but a Putin crony acting as a seat warmer) has actively tried to promote Orthodoxy as a defining characteristic of what it means to be Russia; obviously Putin isn't religious himself in any meaningful way he is just trying to build nationalism and get his name/regime identified with said nationalism. This is why you have the state funding the construction and reconstruction of old Tsarist era churches, rules restoring church properties seized during the revolution and the civil war period, and, of course, you have the clergy speaking in lock step with the government's orders because they know who pays them. It is a classic Tsarist era move and the government promotes it actively in the state controlled media (which is to say virtually all media in Russia as the second thing Putin did was concentrate control of the media in the hands of the Kremlin; his first move was to go for the money by taking over most of Russia's oil companies by hook or by crook).

Putin's biggest problem? His autocratic regime will have a big problem keeping a lid on things when oil prices decline or oil production declines. He's basically using oil money to paper over major economic problems due to the lack of reforms and the arbitrariness of the Russian legal system (which has lost most of its independence under Putin). Already Putin is losing much of the natural gas exports as both fracking in the EU & China have taken off while even worse competing suppliers (in North Africa and the middle east) are trying to build pipelines to compete against the Soviet era natural gas pipelines supply eastern Europe. That leaves oil as making the vast, vast, vast percentage of Russia's exports so the country is now hyper sensitive, economically, to any drop in oil prices.

This is sad because Russia could be a huge non-oil exporter but Putin, out of fear of anyone having the power to challenge him, has really reigned in both the business community with in Russia while discouraging foreign investment into Russia both of which could really increase the dynamism of the Russian economy if given a solid footing.

Like I said, the Russian people themselves aren't very religious but Putin is using religious identity (even if only great grandma is the only truly religious one in the family) as a way to build Russian nationalism and his own political control. It's very similar to the flag waving and jingoism of Fox News and the Republicans after 9/11. You play this stuff up, you find an "enemy" for people to blame everything on (like gays in Russia right now or Jews in Nazi Germany or how dictatorial Arab regimes always try to blame Israel and/or the US for everything or how the Cuban government blames the US for every one of its failings) so they can focus their popular anger at someone other than the government, and then they don't notice that their pensions got cut, that wages suck, that freedom of speech has decreased, and that the game is rigged for the defacto dictator. This will work for a while but eventually people get tired of hearing the same old excuses.

That was a fun read, but it's actually sad westerners have such kind of bullsh!t about Russia in their heads.

[Dinner]

With Russia, however, living standards have shot up exponentially under Putin. I'm guessing that is the reason for his popularity and not rally around the flag.

Yes, but remember this isn't because businesses really got better (or more efficient) in Russia or because there was more investment by private companies and instead it was because oil prices have enabled Putin to subsidize industry (thus co-opting the loyalty of oligarchs), massively increase tariffs (again to buy the loyalty of oligarchs), and essentially flash out more cash from the state treasury. The only place he's getting that cash from is the defacto national oil monopoly while actual economic development is lagging if not stagnating. The institutions which support free enterprise, like an independent judiciary for dispute resolution, have been weakened making Russia a much less attractive place to invest (see how Putin has killed or taken over most western oil companies which made up the bulk of western investment in Russia). This only lasts as long as Putin can sell oil for a high enough price to keep paying those lavish bribes and as soon as oil prices drop Putin will run out of cash just as fast as Yeltsin did. It's a petro state much like a 1970's Arab absolute monarchy and has the same amount of political freedom.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Oil money or not (and no one slams Norway for the same), it still has been used to improve Russian living standards.

[Serb]

Yes, but remember this isn't because businesses really got better (or more efficient) in Russia or because there was more investment by private companies and instead it was because oil prices have enabled Putin to subsidize industry (thus co-opting the loyalty of oligarchs), massively increase tariffs (again to buy the loyalty of oligarchs), and essentially flash out more cash from the state treasury. The only place he's getting that cash from is the defacto national oil monopoly while actual economic development is lagging if not stagnating. The institutions which support free enterprise, like an independent judiciary for dispute resolution, have been weakened making Russia a much less attractive place to invest (see how Putin has killed or taken over most western oil companies which made up the bulk of western investment in China). This only lasts as long as Putin can sell oil for a high enough price to keep paying those lavish bribes and as soon as oil prices drop Putin will run out of cash just as fast as Yeltsin did. It's a petro state much like a 1970's Arab absolute monarchy and has the same amount of political freedom.

You really have no idea what are you talking about. You have to live here in 90s to understand what Russia was before Putin and what it is now.

[Dinner]

Oil money or not (and no one slams Norway for the same), it still has been used to improve Russian living standards.

Without a doubt Norway is a petro state which is also papering over it lavish spending via petro bucks. Now, unlike Russia, Norway is investing for the long term and its companies, even the state owned ones of which Norway has many, are very well run by independent commissions so that they are free of political interference of any individual administration. The Nordic cultural trait against corruption and bribe taking also helps to improve the situation. Russia is like any other petro state but without the institutional and cultural prohibitions of a place like Norway and worse the petro dollars are being split among a much larger population meaning much less per person. That said, it is enough so that large very real increases in the standard of living can be realized albeit those started from a relatively low post-Soviet level.

[Dinner]

You really have no idea what are you talking about. You have to live here in 90s to understand what Russia was before Putin and what it is now.

OK, tell me what is different and where I went wrong. I am genuinely interested in hearing your opinion.

[Serb]

Without a doubt Norway is a petro state which is also papering over it lavish spending via petro bucks. Now, unlike Russia, Norway is investing for the long term and its companies, even the state owned ones of which Norway has many, are very well run by independent commissions so that they are free of political interference of any individual administration. The Nordic cultural trait against corruption and bribe taking also helps to improve the situation. Russia is like any other petro state but without the institutional and cultural prohibitions of a place like Norway and worse the petro dollars are being split among a much larger population meaning much less per person. That said, it is enough so that large very real increases in the standard of living can be realized albeit those started from a relatively low post-Soviet level.

I guess I'm gonna puke

[Dinner]

http://www.amazon.com/Petrostate-Putin-Power-New-Russia/dp/0195398637

That is a book I bought some time ago and which influenced much of my opinion on modern Russian economics. The other big influence is my subscription to The Economist Magazine which is an excellent British publication about economists, trade, and politics.

[Serb]

OK, tell me what is different and where I went wrong. I am genuinely interested in hearing your opinion.

Forget it. I don't want to waste my time. I'm not in the mood for a long posts. And that can't be answered briefly. You just repeat stamps and cliches pulled out from someone's ass. Basically everything what you are saying - "Oil prices is the answer". Which is a totall bull**** that has nothing common with reality. State controlled media, political interference in bussiness, lack of institutions to support free enterprise, blah-blah-blah. In your mind Russia is not a country, but an Empire of Evil, no more, no less. Oh, and how could I forget - we hate gays as much as Hitler hated jews! The whole country is after them.
Just f*cking great! You people are sick. Really.
You have no idea how "free" our media was under Eltsin. You don't care that Eltsin used tanks in 20th century against an elected parliament in the middle of European capital, that he rigged the presidential elections of 1996 - he is a f*cking democrat. That under Eltsin there was chaos and corruption everywhere. Bandits on the streets. That there were so many various taxes that honest bussines was simply not possible here, cause an enterprener had to pay taxes which exceeded its profit and Putin changed everything, introduced flat 13% tax rate and tax codex after which the budget flourished with money and bussines started to drift away from criminal. You have no idea what country Eltsin left to Putin. It was on the brink of desintegration, some Russian regions has already refused to pay taxes into the federal budget, when Putin came in. You whine about Wester oil companies? Have you read the contracts signed under Eltsin? They were not even colonial, much worse. All the profits went to the western companies 90 or 95%. And surelly Eltsin and his gang weren't corrupt when they have signed those deals with the western companies. Yeah, right they were enlightened bussines-geniuses. Then another Eltsin's precious gift - war on Caucasus, etc, etc. Eltsin (let him burn in hell) has left a total mess instead of country, a mess which was rapidly falling into the abbys. And with all his failures and mistakes, Putin has cleaned that mess and chaos.

p.s. Oh, and FY for you "Russian clutural trait", nazi. And have a nice day.

[MrFun]

Actually, it seems that the Russian government hates gay people as much as the Nazis hated gay people.

[Kidlicious]

Forget it. I don't want to waste my time. I'm not in the mood for a long posts. And that can't be answered briefly. You just repeat stamps and cliches pulled out from someone's ass. Basically everything what you are saying - "Oil prices is the answer". Which is a totall bull**** that has nothing common with reality. State controlled media, political interference in bussiness, lack of institutions to support free enterprise, blah-blah-blah. In your mind Russia is not a country, but an Empire of Evil, no more, no less. Oh, and how could I forget - we hate gays as much as Hitler hated jews! The whole country is after them.
Just f*cking great! You people are sick. Really.
You have no idea how "free" our media was under Eltsin. You don't care that Eltsin used tanks in 20th century against an elected parliament in the middle of European capital, that he rigged the presidential elections of 1996 - he is a f*cking democrat. That under Eltsin there was chaos and corruption everywhere. Bandits on the streets. That there were so many various taxes that honest bussines was simply not possible here, cause an enterprener had to pay taxes which exceeded its profit and Putin changed everything, introduced flat 13% tax rate and tax codex after which the budget flourished with money and bussines started to drift away from criminal. You have no idea what country Eltsin left to Putin. It was on the brink of desintegration, some Russian regions has already refused to pay taxes into the federal budget, when Putin came in. You whine about Wester oil companies? Have you read the contracts signed under Eltsin? They were not even colonial, much worse. All the profits went to the western companies 90 or 95%. And surelly Eltsin and his gang weren't corrupt when they have signed those deals with the western companies. Yeah, right they were enlightened bussines-geniuses. Then another Eltsin's precious gift - war on Caucasus, etc, etc. Eltsin (let him burn in hell) has left a total mess instead of country, a mess which was rapidly falling into the abbys. And with all his failures and mistakes, Putin has cleaned that mess and chaos.

p.s. Oh, and FY for you "Russian clutural trait", nazi. And have a nice day.

...

[Kidlicious]

So you just follow whatever dumb **** the local herd believes in?

No. I was never as bad as Oerdin. I said, I didn't know. Oerdin thinks he knows. See the difference?

[Serb]

Actually, it seems that the Russian government hates gay people as much as the Nazis hated gay people.

Actually, it seems any gay activist lacks logic entirely. You do know that nazis killed gays, don't you? Do you wanna say the Russian government has the same policy of extermination wrt gays?
Tell me, honestly, are you that stupid?

Why do you gays think you are so special? On one hand you wanna the same treatment and attitude as any other people, one other hand you want your parades, gay Olympics, etc to show how special you are. You make so much noise out of anything, really. So, you are gay - fine! Who cares? It's your life do whatever you want, but no, you always want more - your diabolic parades, special "educational" programs for children, etc. Why can't you be like any other people, you know, normal. Behave and live like others without waving your "I'm a proud gay" banner everywhere at every opportunity?

[Egbert]

So, you are gay - fine! Who cares? It's your life do whatever you want, but no, you always want more - your diabolic parades, special "educational" programs for children, etc. Why can't you be like any other people, you know, normal. Behave and live like others without waving your "I'm a proud gay" banner everywhere at every opportunity?

[Kidlicious]

MrFun has enough to be ashamed about for not being funny. Just let him wave his banner.