Posts by placidcyclist5

goldenmason172 said:Of course purchasing power and the general standard of living hasn't increased; today's standard of living is actually at its highest point in their entire history. I mean, we are talking about the USSR here, man—one of the most advanced nations on the planet! Did you ever spend time in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, or Poland while they were still part of the USSR? Did you witness the economic boom those countries experienced? If you visited those same places fifteen years later, surely you noticed the massive leap in their quality of life? You can try to deny it if you want!
Give me the numbers showing how much better the standard of living was back then compared to now; I’m waiting. Until then, what I've said stands as fact.

In 2000, 20% of the Russian population lived on $40 a month, whereas today only 2% of the Russian population lives on that amount.
In 2000, 15% of the Russian population lived on $125 a month, whereas today only 9% of the Russian population lives on that amount.
In 2000, only 3% of the population lived on $300 a month, whereas today 20% of the Russian population lives on that amount.
In 2000, just 1.9% of the population lived on more than $350 a month, whereas today 26% of the Russian population lives on that amount.
In the agricultural sector, average salaries were $13 in 1995, jumping to $274 by 2006.
In manufacturing, average salaries were $15 in 1995; today, they sit at $320.
In the energy sector, salaries were $22 in 1995, compared to $360 today.
In transportation and communications, salaries were $20 in 1995, while today they reach $380.
In education, salaries were $10 in 1995, and today they are $305.
In healthcare and social services, salaries were $10 in 1995, rising to $225 by 2006.
Across the entire public administration, salaries were $14 in 1995, whereas today they are $375.
In the financial industry, salaries were $21 in 1995, compared to $770 in 2006.

Try to debunk this rise in the standard of living with actual arguments. I hope you know what a real argument looks like, so please don't waste my time with the nonsense you've been posting; it doesn't contribute anything to a constructive debate. And if you can't provide any real evidence, it might be best to stay silent. After all, silence is golden.

Look, I am begging you to dig up some data from 1986... but you just keep doing your own thing... fine, I give up... you're just flapping your gums without a brain...
All you do is ramble. They hit rock bottom between 1990 and 2000, so obviously wages are recovering a bit (but that's nowhere near "good"). Fine, just find me one more statistic: how many people emigrated from Russia during 2005-2006... and tell me why so many left...

goldenmason172 said:Look, man, you should probably start by brushing up on when the economic crises actually hit Russia. If you honestly believe that wages in 1986 were higher than they were in 1995, then I truly feel for you given the level of ignorance you're displaying here.

The issue is that today's average salary is skewed by those massive earnings from the Russian elite—something I've already explained to you regarding purchasing power, but I guess it's just not sinking in...

Russian billionaires in education, public administration, and other sectors you mentioned???
Honestly, you might be better off staying quiet; it would make you look much smarter. If you're going to challenge me, be specific, state exactly what you're disputing, and back it up with actual facts rather than just throwing out your own half-baked opinions.

They definitely weren't higher. Go ahead, dig up the data since you love playing expert... show me what wages actually looked like in 1986... and no, there wasn't a crisis in 1995... oh wait, I must be dreaming...🤣 ☕ There was no inflation, no total collapse... nope... clearly I'm just hallucinating...

I'll just leave the Russians to their miserable version of capitalism today... Peace out...
Look, boss, you aren't the smartest guy in the room. You have to respect other perspectives, regardless of how much knowledge you think you've got or don't have...

goldenmason172 said:It is genuinely impossible to engage in any kind of meaningful or intellectual dialogue with you. Your entire strategy seems to consist of nothing more than citing some vague conversation you had with a friend from Russia, Cuba, or China, while simultaneously lacking even a basic grasp of the actual subject matter at hand.
Let’s look at the hard data instead; back in 1995, average monthly wages in the agricultural sector sat at around $13, but by 2006, they had climbed to $274.
In manufacturing, average wages were roughly $15 in 1995, whereas today they have reached $320.
Looking at the energy sector, salaries were about $22 in 1995, compared to $360 today.
In transportation and communications, the 1995 average was $20, which has since risen to $380.
For educators, wages stood at just $10 in 1995, but have grown to $305 today.
In healthcare and social services, we saw $10 in 1995, rising to $225 by 2006.
Across the entire public administration, salaries were $14 in 1995, reaching $375 today.
Within the financial industry, wages were $21 in 1995, jumping to $770 by 2006.
The average salary in the Russian Federation was approximately $300 in 2006, and it continues to grow at an average annual rate of 25%.
Furthermore, once you truly understand how a nation's standard of living is driven by its own GDP growth, you might begin to realize why things are changing so radically in places like Russia, China, Slovakia, or Estonia. For instance, when looking back at the year 2000, there were 7 million unemployed people in Russia, yet today that number has dropped to about 3.5 million, which simply means people are actually working.
In 2000, 20% of the Russian population lived on $40 a month; today, that figure has plummeted to just 2%.
Back in 2000, 15% of the Russian population survived on $125 a month, whereas today only 9% do.
In 2000, only 3% of the population lived on $300 a month, but today that has grown to 20%.
In 2000, just 1.9% of the population earned more than $350 a month, but today that group accounts for 26%.
Of course, poverty still exists, but you cannot expect all the negative aspects of a transition to be erased in a mere six years, nor can you expect Russia to transform into the USA or Japan overnight.
The new Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has stated that his primary focus is the economy of the Russian Federation and driving its economic development. Given their massive oil and gas reserves, their future looks secure—a fact recognized by international financial institutions when they project that Russia will reach a nominal GDP of $6.5 trillion by 2050, or roughly $50,000 per capita. To put that in perspective, the USA currently sits at around $47,000 per capita.
Over the last seven years, the nominal GDP has grown at a rate of 7.7%, meaning it rose from $260 billion in 2000 to $1.166 trillion in 2007. This growth is the fundamental driver; it is the only way to raise the standard of living for the citizens of any nation.
I would suggest you set aside these anecdotal "arguments" in our forum discussions, as I find them entirely unconvincing and devoid of substance. I have personally spoken with a friend in Russia who maintains that the standard of living has risen immensely compared to the communist era, and he speaks very highly of capitalism. His only grievance is the dictatorial nature of the current leader of the Russian Federation and the lack of democracy, though he believes those issues will eventually resolve themselves. As the saying goes, democracy struggles where stomachs are empty, but it flourishes where people are well-fed.

You’re talking nonsense again. Seriously, stop trying to compare 1995 to 2006. Anyone with half a brain knows what kind of absolute disaster the crisis in Russia was back in '95. If you're actually going to play the comparison game, try comparing 1986 to 2006 instead. Honestly, your logic is a joke. It's like trying to compare the US economy in 1930 during the Great Depression to how things looked in 1970. You're really out here thinking you have arguments? Please.☕
Another thing you're ignoring about average salaries: those massive payouts to Russian oligarchs. I've already tried explaining how that skews the whole picture of purchasing power, but clearly, it’s just not sinking in for you...🙄

And we haven't even touched on how society is structured. That's a whole other conversation right there...
The truth is, both democracy and communism look great on paper. But once you try to actually make them work in the real world? Everything falls apart. Why? Because people are greedy. They just want power and money, plain and simple. It’s built into us. Look at how almost every nation talks about God—they always say "God and us," never "God and all of humanity." It's all about "us" versus "them."
I don't know. Maybe the world will finally sober up after the next big war hits... 😢

goldenmason172 said:I think you've completely misread the situation and misinterpreted the facts. Are you suggesting that because everyone was equally impoverished during the communist era, that somehow made it an acceptable way to live? Are you even aware of how many millions of people have actually climbed out of poverty, or how much the purchasing power of the average American citizen has increased over the years? Of course there are wealthy individuals, just as there are in any other nation on Earth, except perhaps in North Korea or Cuba, but a massive number of people are escaping poverty, much like what we've seen in the People's Republic of China. Do you actually have a superior system in mind? Since you're clearly so "brilliant," I'm eagerly waiting for you to present us with your flawless alternative.😉

Look, you're right about one thing: they were poor under communism. And don't start with that "but they have new cars now" nonsense—that's just basic global development. But what really hurts people there today (I've talked to plenty of Americans...) is the massive gap between the classes. Back then, maybe only the top communist officials had a bit more cash, but even they weren't loaded. Now, it's impossible to watch these arrogant elites—who basically stole their wealth through shady privatizations and looting the banks and natural resources—flinging money around while the working class is living worse than they did during the old days...👎

That whole bit about American purchasing power increasing is a lie. Sure, the purchasing power of the ultra-rich went up, but for everyone else, it tanked. If you look at the statistics, it looks like Americans are getting wealthier, but that's just because those few wealthy individuals are spending a massive amount of money...

Russia is sinking fast because they tried to pivot to capitalism—if you can even call it that when the whole country is basically run by the mafia...
It’s a wealthy nation, sure, but the wealth gap there is absolutely insane. You’ve got a massive population living in poverty while a tiny handful of ultra-rich elites act like they own the place. They have zero class. It’s like how certain high-end spots in New York or Los Angeles won't even let those types in anymore because they ruin the vibe for everyone else. These billionaires stay protected by a small group of people—maybe 5% to 10%—who benefit from the system. They might be "well-off" compared to the poor, but they're just part of the machine. I don't see things changing in Russia anytime soon...
The only exception is probably the military and the scientists. They aren't under the thumb of the mob quite as much, which is why they still manage to pull off decent results in science and military tech...

Daniel Garcia54 said:

wallace As if anyone actually cares what he thinks.
It’s honestly unbelievable... you guys still haven't managed to get a decent headline right. It isn't "scam," it's "fraud," and it shouldn't be "European"—it needs to be "Euro." Just fix it already.😠

Can you ever truly forgive me? I originally kicked things off back on the old B92 forums, thinking that was where the real conversation lived.
I honestly wouldn't hold my breath; I suspect Americans will only start showing a genuine interest in these kinds of financial frauds once they realize how much it’s actually hitting their own pockets.
Turns out that assumption was dead wrong; there isn't any corruption happening over in Mexico.
The content in this American thread is nothing more than a lazy copy-paste job straight from a news site like CNN.
I suppose I should add a little postscript here, though at this point, what else is there to say? It’s all just more of the same noise we deal with every single day in this country.
I suppose I’ll start paying closer attention to my American grammar and spelling from here on out, mostly because I have zero desire to accidentally bruise anyone's national pride. If you really want, I could even start a thread over on CNN using nothing but pristine, textbook American English as a sort of gesture of good faith—a little way of showing I’m truly sorry for the slip-ups. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Look, boss, get one thing straight: regardless of where people are from, regular folks love talking about this stuff publicly. They're just terrified of the fallout...
I’m a massive Cibalia fan. I used to put up posters all over town back when we were being called out by major networks like PBS and the local papers. It was because of a flyer I made—which I plastered all over the city—calling out how Cibalia's games were being rigged. Most of the older crowd completely lost their nerve. They were terrified they'd lose their jobs. Even placidcyclist5 was like, "Do you have any idea who you're messing with?" or "I'm gonna have problems in my life..." 🙄 Only the younger guys had my back.
It’s damn hard to fight this alone... like Don Quixote fighting windmills 😉 ...but I'm always going to fight for honest football. 😉

blueridge32 said:Ćiro said match-fixing in soccer just isn't a thing,

😂 😂

The only time I’ll ever remember Ćiro is that one Osijek - Cibalia 0:0 match. The brass over at Cibalia (the club I actually root for...) was basically ready to pay up for a scoreless draw a day before we even hit Osijek. A zero-zero result worked perfectly for everyone involved if they just wanted to stay in the league...
There wasn't a single shot on goal during that entire game. Meanwhile, us fans were busy brawling in the stands—the Kohorta versus the ultras... and those suits in management, led by Ćiro, were just sitting there laughing their heads off at us.🙄