The Russian Revival
It was during Putin’s second term as President (2004-2008) that the results oi his studies in Economics really started to blossom. From 2001 to 2007, the economy grew at a rate of 7% per year. Russian Domestic Product (GDP increased 6 times, climbing up from the 22nd to the 10th largest in the world. Average wages had increased almost tenfold. The percentage of people living below the poverty line was cut in half. Once totaling 150% of GDP, nearly all foreign debt was paid off. Moscow became home to the fastest growing group of millionaires. (1)
Industry grew substantially, as did production, construction, real incomes, credit, and the middle class. Pro business policies included a flat tax rate of 13%, a 25% reduction in corporate tax rates of tax, an elimination of the Capital gains tax for many types of investments.
The tax burden on smaller sized business was also slashed. Indeed, the overall tax burden in Russia is lower in Russia than in most European countries. Putin’s government even decriminalized many levels of tax evasion. The State will still collect its money and impose fines of course; but most classes of Russian taxpayers no longer face prison time for tax evasion. (2) The same cannot be said for the US and the EU nations.
A central concept in Putin's economic thinking was the creation of so-called National Champions, large companies in strategic sectors that are expected not only to seek profit, but also to "advance the interests of the nation”. Examples of such companies include Gazprom, Rosneft, and United Aircraft Corporation.
After regaining control from the criminal Oligarchs, a fund for oil revenue allowed Russia to pay off all of its old debts. Putin’s government remains almost debt free. Under Putin, Russia has strengthened its position as the key oil and gas supplier to Europe. Most of the world's largest automotive companies opened plants in Russia, which Putin encouraged via tax incentives as well as some protectionist measures. For these reasons, the legendary American investor Jimmy Rogers, and others, began raving about the potential of the new Russian economy. The savvy Rogers continues to invest heavily in Russia, anc recommends that his fans do likewise. (3)
Another big Putin fan is French film superstar Gerard Depardieu(les Miserables, Cyrano de Bergerac). Disgusted with France’s confiscatory Income Tax rate, Depardieu would, in 2012, renounce his French citizenship in order tc become “Russian”.
1: Russia’s impressive recovery began soon after Putin’s pro-growth policies were put into place. 2: Jimmy Rogers has praised Russia’s (and China’s) embrace of market based economics. 3: Gerard Depardieu fled France’s 75% top tax tier in favor of Russia’s 13% Flat Tax.
Skipping ahead again to 2014, Russians today also benefit from a fast growing private Health Care sector. About 15% of Russians now rely exclusively on high quality private health care, with an additional 60% using private health care for minor office visits and procedures, saving the more expensive stuff for the inferior State system. (4) What irony! Formerly Communist Russia is now embracing medical free enterprise as Obama’s America rushes headlong into a command and control system.
Putin’s economic philosophy of low taxes, low debt, real privatization, and decentralization is evident in both word and deed. On the dangers of government centralization, Putin has stated:
“In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state's role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated." (5)
On budget deficits:
“The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing." (6)
On the criminal folly of America’s (Fed’s) ceaseless money printing:
“Look at their (America's) trade balance, their debt, and budget. They turn or the printing press and flood the whole world with government bonds. There is no way we will act this way.... We don’t have the luxury of such hooliganism.” (7)
On the New World Order:
"The UniPolar world refers to a world in which there is one master, one sovereign, one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making. This is pernicious - At its basis there can be no moral foundations for modern civilization.” (8) (emphasis added)
On NGO activity & puppet politicians:
“Direct or indirect external interference in our internal political processes is unacceptable. Any person who receives money from abroad for his or her political activity and by doing so serves alien national interests, cannot be a politician in Russia. ” (9)
It is no wonder that the left over Communists of Russia (about a 15% minority) along with the Western “wannabee” NGO radicals (about a 10% minority) are generally opposed to Putin. With quotes like those listed above, along with actions and results to back them up, one would think that the “free market” Republican Party would love Vladimir Putin. Instead, they(as well as the Democrats) deride him as “ex KGB”, or “a commie”, or a “thug”.
But Putin is not just about “dollars and cents”. He is a man of culture with a grasp of history. As such, he understood the importance of moral underpinnings for a healthy and strong society. Without imposing Russia’ Orthodox Christian heritage on anyone, Putin has nonetheless worked side-byside with the Church’s Patriarch to bring about a revival of the institution that had been suppressed for so long. Literally 1000’s of Churches have been rebuilt across Russia.
Putin's Russia is rediscovering its Christian heritage, while still respecting other faiths and non believers.
Putin on Christianity:
"Orthodox Christianity has always played a special role in shaping our statehood, our culture, our morals. The Church may be separate from the State. But in the soul and history of our people, it is all together. It always has been and always will be." (10)
On the West’s moral decline:
“Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values. Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation.” (11)
On family and population decline:
“It is important that families make that step... I am convinced that the norm in Russia should become a family with three children.” (12)
Indeed, by 2012, Putin’s Russia had reversed its suicidal 25 year depopulation trend and can today boast of what no Western nation can; a natural “baby boomlet” driven population growth that is not reliant upon Third World immigration. (13)
Abortions after the 3rd month of pregnancy have been outlawed; (14) a restriction that even many “pro-choicers” in America, would probably agree with. In the West, most nations actually allow babies to be aborted anytime during the 9th month of pregnancy.
Russian law now mandates that all school children receive Moral Education training. The genius of this program is that the parents across multi-ethnic Russia are given a choice as to how to fulfill the requirement. The Mora Education requirement may be completed under the traditional instruction of Orthodox Christianity, or a Jewish rabbi, or a Muslim Cleric, or a Buddhis Priest. For the secularly inclined, a Secular Ethics curriculum is also available So, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Agnostic, or Atheist, the chile will be required to learn the timeless universal basics of moral conduct common to all faiths. (15)
1: Putin consults with the Orthodox Patriarchs as well as leaders of other religions. 2: After 20 years of decline, Russia’s birth rate is now positive.
Putin has also made Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s classic Gulag Archipelago mandatory reading for Russian High School students. I16). How ironic that most students in “anti Communist” America will never hear of Stalin’s atrocities while Russian kids will! Prior to his death in 2008, the anti-Communist literary
"Putin inherited a ransacked and bewildered country, with a poor and demoralized people, and he started to do what was possible, a slow and gradual restoration. These efforts were not noticed, nor appreciated, immediately. In any case, one is hard-pressed to find examples in history when steps by one country to restore its strength were met favorably by other governments." (17)
legend praised Putin’s accomplishments:
The look on the great writer's face reveals his admiration for Putin.
By the final year of Putin’s initial Presidential tenure, 2008, Russia was strong and revitalized. Russia’s recovery was impressive enough to win the International Committee’s selection process to host the 2012 Winter Olympic Games. That would never have beer possible under the ruinous reign of Yeltsin and the Oligarchs.
Under the Russian Constitution, Putin cold not serve three terms consecutively He would be the Prime Minister for the next four year while his handpicked replacement Dmitri Medvedev served as President. The Globalists wasted littli time in testing the new kid on the block.
The first true test of the resolve of revitalized Russia came during the Summei Olympics of 2008; held in Beijing, China. Putin and Bush were both present a the spectacular Opening Ceremonies. It was that very day, August 7, that the newly militarized puppet Georgia launched a large-scale military offensive against the Russian quasi protectorates of South Ossetia, in an attempt tc reclaim the territory. South Ossetia, and later Abkhazia, were completely overrun. The incident followed the visit of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (CFR) to Georgia, where she pledged her support fo
Georgia's bid to join NATO.
It is inconceivable that Georgian puppet leader Mikheil Saakashvili would have undertaken such a bold venture without the blessing of his US master. As the world was distracted by the Opening Ceremonies and the historic games which followed, news of Georgia’s aggression was blacked out by the American press. As many as 2000 civilians were brutally murdered by US / Israeli backec Georgians (18) before Prime Minister Putin (still the true leader of Russia) could rush back from China and respond to the situation. And respond he did.
The Russian counter invasion was quick and professional. The Georgiar amateurs were routed and driven back deep into Georgia. Then, and only then, did the Western press suddenly take notice of events in Georgia. “Putin Invades Georgia!” shrieked the TV talking heads and Yellow Journals of America Brzezinski himself added his two cents; comparing Putin to, you guessed it, “Hitler”. But the provocative tragic events preceding the Russia-Georgia conflict were conveniently omitted from the media’s false narrative. Typical!
During this brief conflict, August 14 to be precise, the US used the opportunity to close a deal with Poland to deploy a missile defense system in Polish territory, with a tracking system to placed in the Czech Republic. In spite of the ridiculous claim that missile systems were being deployed to counter an Iranian threat, the Russians knew that the systems were designed to give NATO a potential first strike advantage. Medvedev and Putin eventually responded by drawing up contingency plans for the destruction of the systems. (19)
Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's envoy to NATO and current Defense Minister state of the US-Polish deal:
"The fact that this was signed in a period of very difficult crisis in the relations between Russia and the United States over the situation in Georgia shows that, o, course, the missile defense system will be deployed not against Iran but against the strategic potential of Russia. (19)
The liberation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the swift defeat of the Georgian military, combined with growing Russian threats to respond to the missile systems; sent a strong message to NATO, the two faced monster of Bush-Cheney, and also to the pre-anointed Messiah / President to soon be
Barack Obama.
The message was now loud and clear: “Don’t mess with the new Russia.
1: When Putin-Medvedev finally flexed Russian muscle, it was impressive 2: With great fanfare, TV’s talking-heads across America (and Europe) trumpeted the ‘Breaking News’ of the ‘unprovoked’ invasion of Georgia. 3: Georgia’s despicable puppet President Saakashvilli -with an EUflag in his office - became so nervous he was seen eating his own tie.
