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The fact that their economy rises and falls on global commodity prices is a sign of its fragility and Putin's economic failure.
That is the reason Putin wants the Obama sanctions lifted so badly. They are holding up a 500 billion dollar oil deal, and the Russian economy is directly tied to oil.
I took a five-minute walk-around of my kitchen and living room to find products that say "Made in USA" on them. I made a point of not opening drawers, cabinets and the like - what I saw was what I checked.
I found a total of 7 products:
* a Leatherman tool
* a pack of Marlboros
* a Mars fishcare aquarium care product
* a tray of fresh organic Gala apples (USA, Washington)
* a Kelty daypack,
* a Yankee candle (Made in the USA with global components), and
* a Texaco fire chief gasoline advert from the 70s.
Are these the coveted things of value that the US has to offer to the rest of the world?
Incidentally, on that same walk-around tour I did find some things that explicitly say "Made in Russia" on them:
* a dog :-)
* 75% dark chocolate
* a carton of cigarettes
* three bottles of alcohol (1 infused vodka, 2 Crimean wines)
* a chrystal glass carafe
* a bag of pine nuts
* a damascus-steel knife
* a judo gi (well, it sounds like cheating but it isn't - I had just taken it out of the dryer)
I understand that would not hold true for most people (after all, I have just returned from Russia), but it does seem the "Made in USA" selection would be similarly meager for most of us.
What an interesting experiment. I found only a few items made in the USA in my kitchen/dining room. Found nothing made in Russia but I now know that all my fine china was made in Ireland
why does he ... rig elections? There were actual videos of people stuffing ballots during this his latest election.
Look, as far as actual ballot casting transparency goes, these have been the cleanest Russian elections to date, with independent observers present and web cams installed at most polling stations.
A more interesting question would be - if, as we suspect, Putin is really unpopular with the Russians and people only voted for him out of fear, why did he win by a landslide at the vast majority of voting stations located at Russian embassies abroad?
I voted no because I generally hold a negative view of every government, and thus their leader.
But as others have pointed, Putin IS a gangster who talks, acts and walks like the gangster he is. He's honest about being one, in other words. So I give him credit where due for intellectual honesty. Every single one of our Presidents has been a gangster, they just lie about it and try to convince you they are benevolent father figures who care about your well being. Being a world leader means being a freaking gangster. Guys like Putin simply embrace that truth and run with it.
At least with him you know where you stand, which is under his effing boot heel. But there is no mystery about your lot in life while in his world. He rules, you suck, that's it. Again, points for being direct and to the point, but in every other measurable way, he's a tyrant scumbag.
Unless Putin plans to run for political office in this country, what does it matter?
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