A salute to Saakashvili & Baltics

[Lembitu]

Its very easy to play with numbers. I think that these numbers are correct what you posted here.
Now try to visit some place in Russia wich is neiter Moscow or any bigger city and look how people are living there. After this come to Estonia and visit some god forsaken place in the middke of woods and compare them.
I will agree that rich people in RF are richer then Estonian ones, but whats counts is that how usual people - middle class - lives.

[CitizenRouge]

Originally Posted by Lembitu

Its very easy to play with numbers. I think that these numbers are correct what you posted here.
Now try to visit some place in Russia wich is neiter Moscow or any bigger city and look how people are living there. After this come to Estonia and visit some god forsaken place in the middke of woods and compare them.
I will agree that rich people in RF are richer then Estonian ones, but whats counts is that how usual people - middle class - lives.

The numbers that I brough indicate GDP per capita which by modern economists consider the main indicator of quality of peoples lifes. The source is CIA. If peoples in small Russian cities and towns would have really low income, much lower income than in Estonia,that would have Moscow and big russian cities really rich , much better than Estonia as good as Western Europe and US.

Anyways i wanted to prove that your argument about "drastic difference" is wrong which I did

[Lembitu]

Do you know how they are getting results for state?
They take average results. This means - if for example in Estonia are people getting paid (just an example) lowest wage at 10$ and higest 20$ then average comes out for 15$. Now if we take for example Russia where lowest wage is (agains just example) 5$ and highest one 45$ then you got average 25$. Easy?
As I said in last post your rich people are sure richer then Estonian ones so this makes average higher. Im sorry but my english is not so good to explain this more accurately.
And if you really live in Russia then you should know that your big cities are actually really rich.

[mikeaverko]

wonder if Johnson's Russia List http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson will post the below submission of mine:

Re: November 23rd JRL 9302 # 22

SOME DOUBLE STANDARDS APPEAR MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

Latvian commentator Askolds Rodins refers to Russian "double standards" as he sees it.

Permit me to address the greater double standards that regularly go unchecked at English language mass media outlets. Namely, how Russocentric views are kept under greater watch for good manners in addition to being underrepresented when compared to anti-Russian commentary.

I've personally experienced numerous instances where well meaning Western analysts inform me on how I can and can't present my views. They immediately drop such reasoning when I give examples like that displayed by Mr. Rodins.

In his commentary, Mr. Rodins refers to the democratically elected Putin administration as a "regime." In modern day political usage, "regime" refers to non-democratic states with authoritarian practices. Unlike the current American president's last election experience - Russian President Vladimir Putin won the popular vote in a multi-party process. Russians voted en masse as opposed to either staying home in protest or voting for any other candidate. Putin continues to enjoy higher popularity poll ratings when compared to his peers (notably George Bush and Tony Blair) in the West.

Mr. Rodins describes the Dmitriy Rogozin led Rodina Party as "chauvinist." This strident observation is ironic coming from a Latvian source. On the American public television aired European Journal, there was a feature about how buildings and homes in Latvia are required to fly the Latvian flag, with fines levied if there're any irregularities in the specifications. Russia has nothing close to resembling this kind of a flag waving nationalism. As a comparison, one has to ask just how "chauvinist" is Rodina?

Mr. Rodins' characterization of Russian media is flat out wrong. The more well informed critics of Russian media acknowledge the existing differences among the three all news Russian television networks. Moreover, some of the other Russian television channels (Russians typically receive 16 to 17 channels, with the number gradually rising) provide news coverage where one can find hard hitting journalism critical of the government. Russian radio, print and electronic media are a free for all, where one can find plenty of criticism of Putin, with much of it being unfair.

On the subject of Latvia, Russia, the West and double standards, awhile back, there was a feature at the George Soros funded International Crisis Group web site which advocated Macedonia granting greater rights to the Albanian language used by about 1/3 of that republic's population. The ICG never answered my e-mail querying them on their stand on Russian language rights in Latvia and Estonia.

Hopefully, the day will come when those harboring views like Mr. Rodins' are more readily challenged in English language mass media.

[Lembitu]

Mike maybe you know that situations in Macedonia, Latvia and Estonia are totally different. If not try to search and think what are different there. And about double standarts - yes there are existing ones. There are nothing to do. But if you look for example RF then you can see that they are currently using double standarts too - starting from Chechnia to operation Iraqi Freedom.
Quite usual thing is that all countrys use double standarts. Everyone wants to look better than his neighbours.

[Lembitu]

25.11.05
Russian Federation official Sergei Mironov told that it is time for old time USSR industrial migrants to return for their homeland. "We find that we must ask all of them to come back home - they are our people after all": told Mironov for the newspaper "Kommersant"
Its translation from Estonian news portal article.