© all rights reserved 2011
CURRENT GOVERNMENT
Like all governments, Russia has an extensive bureaucracy,
but Russia’s is the most ubiquitous and pervasive in the world.
Over 160 different agencies (federal, regional, and local) keep
records on its citizenry. This began in the 1620’s with serf
registration and exploded with the development of the federal
police OKHRANA in the 1860’s. Information means control and
that is the key to governance in Russia. As mentioned earlier, the
modern version has evolved into the present Soviet-style over a
period of over 200 years, with a radical reform taking place
between 1929-1953, during the rule of Stalin. His style changed
service into a compliant, life-and-death concept. Today, life-and-
death has been replaced with a mandated strict obedience and
disciplinary system which rewards the compliant. This is
essential when only one person has absolute authority over the
entire country and there is no functioning constitution. This
constitution is western and democratic in style and substance, so
it is selectively observed, utilized, and enforced only to serve the
needs of the ruling elite: useless by western standards. So these
government jobs (employing about 5% of the overall population,
less than the 12-15% minimum in the West) are plum in a country
where more than 90% live in poverty, and most of them are
handed down, nepotism-style, to help ensure continuity. The
minor role of the government, besides keeping track of the poor,
is tax collection. Throughout Russia’s history, no one/no entity
has ever paid real taxes because the people have always
hated/distrusted the government---so of course, very few
people/entities today pay taxes. By law today, not paying taxes is
considered criminal, so the adjective criminal takes on a whole
new and very broad meaning. So instead people pay bribes,
which have the advantage of not needing to be recorded and thus
not considered criminal in any context. The most vital job of
bureaucrats is to collect and distribute bribes which involve the
government; these bribes amount to about 40% of the nation’s
economy. About one third of this money comes from
international firms doing business in Russia and two thirds comes
from internal sources. Al Capone, a much-revered man in
Russia, surely is looking down at this with great admiration. To
expand the definition of this government function, it provides a
legal connection between domestic businesses, over 90% of
which are owned by criminals (expanded, non-tax-paying
definition), and their international customers. Here we are
describing the exporting of raw materials, mainly. As well, 40% of
the nation’s economy comes from bribes being circulated
domestically, between Russians, and not involving the
government, officially. This is why if a 100% government-funded
bridge should cost 1 million rubles and take 1 year to build, it will
actually cost 10 million rubles and take 10 years to build. Or, if a
Church cost 800 million to build, the actual cost was only 80
million, etc., always because most money for construction keeps
getting siphoned off to pay bribes to the related government
officials indirectly. Overall, the proportionate model is thus: if the
but Russia’s is the most ubiquitous and pervasive in the world.
Over 160 different agencies (federal, regional, and local) keep
records on its citizenry. This began in the 1620’s with serf
registration and exploded with the development of the federal
police OKHRANA in the 1860’s. Information means control and
that is the key to governance in Russia. As mentioned earlier, the
modern version has evolved into the present Soviet-style over a
period of over 200 years, with a radical reform taking place
between 1929-1953, during the rule of Stalin. His style changed
service into a compliant, life-and-death concept. Today, life-and-
death has been replaced with a mandated strict obedience and
disciplinary system which rewards the compliant. This is
essential when only one person has absolute authority over the
entire country and there is no functioning constitution. This
constitution is western and democratic in style and substance, so
it is selectively observed, utilized, and enforced only to serve the
needs of the ruling elite: useless by western standards. So these
government jobs (employing about 5% of the overall population,
less than the 12-15% minimum in the West) are plum in a country
where more than 90% live in poverty, and most of them are
handed down, nepotism-style, to help ensure continuity. The
minor role of the government, besides keeping track of the poor,
is tax collection. Throughout Russia’s history, no one/no entity
has ever paid real taxes because the people have always
hated/distrusted the government---so of course, very few
people/entities today pay taxes. By law today, not paying taxes is
considered criminal, so the adjective criminal takes on a whole
new and very broad meaning. So instead people pay bribes,
which have the advantage of not needing to be recorded and thus
not considered criminal in any context. The most vital job of
bureaucrats is to collect and distribute bribes which involve the
government; these bribes amount to about 40% of the nation’s
economy. About one third of this money comes from
international firms doing business in Russia and two thirds comes
from internal sources. Al Capone, a much-revered man in
Russia, surely is looking down at this with great admiration. To
expand the definition of this government function, it provides a
legal connection between domestic businesses, over 90% of
which are owned by criminals (expanded, non-tax-paying
definition), and their international customers. Here we are
describing the exporting of raw materials, mainly. As well, 40% of
the nation’s economy comes from bribes being circulated
domestically, between Russians, and not involving the
government, officially. This is why if a 100% government-funded
bridge should cost 1 million rubles and take 1 year to build, it will
actually cost 10 million rubles and take 10 years to build. Or, if a
Church cost 800 million to build, the actual cost was only 80
million, etc., always because most money for construction keeps
getting siphoned off to pay bribes to the related government
officials indirectly. Overall, the proportionate model is thus: if the
total amount of bribery is 1 trillion U.S. Dollars, the overall economy is about
1.3 trillion Dollars. The 300 billion difference is represented by legitimate,
accountable activity like impoverished consumer spending /tax-paying,
government spending directly on health/welfare made directly on the
impoverished, armed forces personnel , exporting of raw materials and
weapons, etc. The are no laws, no ethics, and there is very little morality but a
great deal of honor in this highly refined hunter-gatherer, truly survival-of-the-
fittest system. Of course, it’s just the opposite of the western adage about
there being no honor among thieves. Russia is a different place. Of course,
voting is not necessary in such an environment because it is meaningless. In
relating the current time to Soviet history, it all goes back to that period
between 1929-1955 when much was needed to be done and there was no
money to do it. Labor camps evolved into cities and the populations used theft
and barter to survive along with miniscule salaries. Locales stole from regions,
which stole from the federal government. It is an asset-rich country with a
socialist-evolved survival- of- the-fittest leadership whose survival absolutely
must depend on a constantly-weakened and impoverished citizenry, as in the
past. Instead of turns of rubles from consumer spending by the entire
population, the Russian economy depends on turns from bribery made by less
than 10 % of the population. It is important to note here that REAL criminals
(the orphans of wars) drove the labor camps, and their descendants run the
cities and businesses that evolved from them in the same fashion, with the
same mentality. This makes the words crime, criminal, and criminality very
hard to define in Russia. Russia molds government, business, and crime
together and makes them indistinguishable very often because of bribery. The
further away from Moscow, the less government and the more criminality. It
has reached a point in Siberia where Moscow has decided to fund it less and
less…the attitude has become: fund yourselves and borrow from China…
Finally, a few words on Russia’s Government regarding how it is viewed
domestically and internationally. Russia internationally often speaks regarding
world issues in the context of it’s membership in the United Nations and other
organizations which have legitimate legal structures that are universally
recognized. Russia has absolutely no use for such structures when it speaks,
and when the world listens, it should realize that to Russians, the only
important context is their own lawless existence. Two recent examples of this
are the non-tax paying criminal Khodorkovsky and the extortionist attorney
Magnitsky. Russians don’t respect external laws or protocols, they respect
power and influence gained by force. The basics of The RIGHT to fortress-
build, Screw the poor, Russia’s size/greatness, and Aw, the hell with everything
predetermine every word spoken to the international press, especially spoken
by Putin and Lavrov. It’s their history, their evolution. Russian leadership is, in
many ways, compatible with that of Kim Jong Il in North Korea, whose tiny,
impoverished country can’t change or evolve faster than many future
generations of slow progress will allow. This is why they love/loved Assad in
Syria, Ghadaffi in Libya, Chavez in Venezuela/Castro in Cuba (particularly,
since these two have used a veil of Socialism to achieve power, just like Stalin),
and the religious leadership in Iran (Church-controlled absolutism= absolute
power). Even though The Russian Federation is much smaller and weaker
than its Soviet predecessor, it still wants to wield power and influence beyond
its borders without accepting that, statistically, it has no strength in any area
except nuclear power. Government in Russia only serves the needs of
whoever is currently in power, and adapts to suit such needs.
1.3 trillion Dollars. The 300 billion difference is represented by legitimate,
accountable activity like impoverished consumer spending /tax-paying,
government spending directly on health/welfare made directly on the
impoverished, armed forces personnel , exporting of raw materials and
weapons, etc. The are no laws, no ethics, and there is very little morality but a
great deal of honor in this highly refined hunter-gatherer, truly survival-of-the-
fittest system. Of course, it’s just the opposite of the western adage about
there being no honor among thieves. Russia is a different place. Of course,
voting is not necessary in such an environment because it is meaningless. In
relating the current time to Soviet history, it all goes back to that period
between 1929-1955 when much was needed to be done and there was no
money to do it. Labor camps evolved into cities and the populations used theft
and barter to survive along with miniscule salaries. Locales stole from regions,
which stole from the federal government. It is an asset-rich country with a
socialist-evolved survival- of- the-fittest leadership whose survival absolutely
must depend on a constantly-weakened and impoverished citizenry, as in the
past. Instead of turns of rubles from consumer spending by the entire
population, the Russian economy depends on turns from bribery made by less
than 10 % of the population. It is important to note here that REAL criminals
(the orphans of wars) drove the labor camps, and their descendants run the
cities and businesses that evolved from them in the same fashion, with the
same mentality. This makes the words crime, criminal, and criminality very
hard to define in Russia. Russia molds government, business, and crime
together and makes them indistinguishable very often because of bribery. The
further away from Moscow, the less government and the more criminality. It
has reached a point in Siberia where Moscow has decided to fund it less and
less…the attitude has become: fund yourselves and borrow from China…
Finally, a few words on Russia’s Government regarding how it is viewed
domestically and internationally. Russia internationally often speaks regarding
world issues in the context of it’s membership in the United Nations and other
organizations which have legitimate legal structures that are universally
recognized. Russia has absolutely no use for such structures when it speaks,
and when the world listens, it should realize that to Russians, the only
important context is their own lawless existence. Two recent examples of this
are the non-tax paying criminal Khodorkovsky and the extortionist attorney
Magnitsky. Russians don’t respect external laws or protocols, they respect
power and influence gained by force. The basics of The RIGHT to fortress-
build, Screw the poor, Russia’s size/greatness, and Aw, the hell with everything
predetermine every word spoken to the international press, especially spoken
by Putin and Lavrov. It’s their history, their evolution. Russian leadership is, in
many ways, compatible with that of Kim Jong Il in North Korea, whose tiny,
impoverished country can’t change or evolve faster than many future
generations of slow progress will allow. This is why they love/loved Assad in
Syria, Ghadaffi in Libya, Chavez in Venezuela/Castro in Cuba (particularly,
since these two have used a veil of Socialism to achieve power, just like Stalin),
and the religious leadership in Iran (Church-controlled absolutism= absolute
power). Even though The Russian Federation is much smaller and weaker
than its Soviet predecessor, it still wants to wield power and influence beyond
its borders without accepting that, statistically, it has no strength in any area
except nuclear power. Government in Russia only serves the needs of
whoever is currently in power, and adapts to suit such needs.
