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Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Joe Corsiglia, President Trump, Henry Heimuller, VP Pence, Pat Robertson, Debi Corsiglia’s dog, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Standard Disclaimer.
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A large Apartment In Russia
Russia’s president Putin is speculated to be the richest men in the world. Putin a once KGB agent has inserted himself in many companies throughout the world, properties, banks, world governments and so on and so forth. His network of spooks which enable him to continue his control of vast riches is so complex no one knows for sure how many and where they are. Putin lives the life of luxury, owning at least 20 estates, luxury yachts, airplane, jets, helicopters, cars and anything else he wants which those with billions have. Unlike President Donald Trump Putin does not brag about his wealth. Putin has made his wealth off the backs of the workers of his country, draining Russia’s wealth from its people to his pockets. While Trump screwed his workers out of their promised wages, or sued them for contract work he claimed they never done. Russia is one of the poorest countries in Europe, only the Ukraine and Serbia are poorer because they have been at war. Life expectancy in Russia is about ten years less than that of people in the United States. Murders in Russia are 3x more than in the US, even with the strict gun laws Russia has, murder is quite frequent. Many murders are carried out by the Kremlin itself, especially against those who speak out against the government. Journalists who actually report the truth have a short life. Russia is a better place to live than in African regimes and for example Venezuela, but in developed nations the average Russian live in the lower class or below the poverty line. That is why 19% of the Russian people want to leave Russia forever. The sad truth many will never have enough money to leave. How things are different in Russia compared to the US. In America people expect to save and buy a home its just the way it has always been, we have an interest rate like 4-5% and a 30 year mortgage. In Russia the interest rate is 15% and 15 year mortgage. While buying a home has been the norm for Americans forever it has only been an option for Russians for about 10 years and is still out of reach for most Russians. In America the typical home is a single family dwelling, with a yard, fence or with property. In Russia the typical home is an apartment with several generations living in the cramped quarters. In America we count the house with the number of bedrooms in Russia if it says 2 rooms that is what it is a total of 2 rooms. A average Russian has about 2-3 good sweaters, 2-3 decent pairs of pants, and a couple of shirts, tops, dresses. A fairly small selection of clothing and particular care for what they have is explained by the high prices on clothing in comparison to their income. An average Russian consumer equivalent to our average retail stores will have to pay between $35-60 for a sweater and $40-100 for a pair of jeans and $50-150 for a pair of shoes. With seasonal sales and clearance, clothing takes out a decent chunk of an average Russian’s budget. A typical American closet consists of about 10 pairs of pants, 5-10 sweaters, 10 tops/shirts, 5 dresses, 3 coats and 5-10 pairs of shoes – usually made possible by end-of-season sales, holiday sales and, sometimes, clearance. While you may pay the same amount of money for clothing in America as you would in Russia, you are spending a much smaller portion of your income, considering the incomes compared to both countries. Now do the Russian people love their dictator? Yes and no at the same time. Knowing of their government’s shortcomings, Russians are part of a different kind of society which makes their society work differently than our own. Churchill once described the USSR as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Even two decades after the Soviet collapse, Russians remain a mystery to foreigners. In our modern world people can’t understand why they continue to support their president, the authoritarian Vladimir Putin, who’s destroyed democracy along with his political opponents, and is trying to destroy all democracies all over the world. And Putin has directed an explosion of corruption and threatened to direct nuclear missiles at Western Europe. Do the Russian people uphold these actions? Since Russia’s is the world’s largest country by territory, a place that’s so unruly and difficult to govern that its all-pervasive corruption provides an easy way for the leaders around the country to exert power by simply doing a couple things. They brainwash people by giving them a feeling that they have a stake in the system as if the people are getting something from the government like thr government is taking care of you, we know its tough but we must stand tall against the US. And as it has been in Russia by intimidating people because it lets the authorities prosecute almost anyone. Making people afraid of something worse than their meager life as it is and of the horrible stories of prison and many people witness friends, neighbors, family members which are never seen again. All mental torture and it has worked for generations in Russia. Where we would see corruption and curbs on individual freedom as a threat to our society’s viability, many Russians see Putin’s presidency and its shortcomings as necessary for providing at least some measure of stability against all the thugs which are everywhere in Russia. Putin has tried to put on a front to the world that Russia is a modern country, economically strong but in all aspects Russia is Russia, a country whose leaders steal all the wealth from its people, keep the people down trodden, instills control by fear, and kills anyone who speaks out against the government. Tammy
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