Narrator: "The grain quotas or taxes are deliberately raised to exceed what the individual farmers can possibly produce. Either they join the collectives, where the taxes are three times lower, or face exiles as “kulaks.” By mid-1932 three-quarters of all Ukrainian farms are collectivized. Then, in August, crippling new quotas are levied against the collectives themselves. Another exorbitant quota is levied in October and yet another at the beginning of the new year. These levies are impossible to meet."
The life-threatening food shortage caused by popular willingness to obey edicts which reduce production and raise the price is in the future; the similar starvation for healthcare has already started. How much preventative annual testing is being skipped because it costs $500 to run $50 worth of routine tests?
I'd like to see an Onion parody video of a modern news commentator repeating the "economic" nonsense about we don't quite know why the economy is bad but the experts have a solution, while Indians dying of starvation and exposure shamble behind him on the Trail of Tears.
Of course it can't happen here. If they tried that in 'murica, the people would rise up against it. 'Muricans don't share the same human nature as the Ukrainians.
To the average gummint functionary, Americans are overweight to begin with. A little starvation would do the masses good. Cut down on hypertension cases, diabetes cases, and reduce the numbers of people who eventually need Medicaid/Medicare.
I was part of a student exchange with the Soviets in the late 80s. My group went to Kiev. On our first day there, we were taken to a big statue sort of thing on the outskirts of town - it was the monument to Russian-Ukranian friendship. The guide, a Ukranian, quietly told us that he was the only Ukranian there that day, and he was only there because he had to take us.
The local journalist professional association where I used to work was LIVID when management wanted in the contract the power to search employees and their vehicles as if they suspected everyone of being thieves and industrial spies. Livid, because it was THEM this time. The no extended magazines, no semi-auto guns, no emotional political speech people.
Narrator: "The grain quotas or taxes are deliberately raised to exceed what the individual farmers can possibly produce. Either they join the collectives, where the taxes are three times lower, or face exiles as “kulaks.” By mid-1932 three-quarters of all Ukrainian farms are collectivized. Then, in August, crippling new quotas are levied against the collectives themselves. Another exorbitant quota is levied in October and yet another at the beginning of the new year. These levies are impossible to meet."
ReplyDeleteThe life-threatening food shortage caused by popular willingness to obey edicts which reduce production and raise the price is in the future; the similar starvation for healthcare has already started. How much preventative annual testing is being skipped because it costs $500 to run $50 worth of routine tests?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see an Onion parody video of a modern news commentator repeating the "economic" nonsense about we don't quite know why the economy is bad but the experts have a solution, while Indians dying of starvation and exposure shamble behind him on the Trail of Tears.
Of course it can't happen here. If they tried that in 'murica, the people would rise up against it. 'Muricans don't share the same human nature as the Ukrainians.
ReplyDeleteTo the average gummint functionary, Americans are overweight to begin with. A little starvation would do the masses good. Cut down on hypertension cases, diabetes cases, and reduce the numbers of people who eventually need Medicaid/Medicare.
ReplyDeleteI was part of a student exchange with the Soviets in the late 80s. My group went to Kiev. On our first day there, we were taken to a big statue sort of thing on the outskirts of town - it was the monument to Russian-Ukranian friendship. The guide, a Ukranian, quietly told us that he was the only Ukranian there that day, and he was only there because he had to take us.
ReplyDeleteThe local journalist professional association where I used to work was LIVID when management wanted in the contract the power to search employees and their vehicles as if they suspected everyone of being thieves and industrial spies.
ReplyDeleteLivid, because it was THEM this time. The no extended magazines, no semi-auto guns, no emotional political speech people.
Jimmy and Defender, you guys need to write down some of those stories in detail.
ReplyDelete