reply on: Moscow Is Basically the Capitol from The Hunger Games \ stacker news ~econ

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25 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 15h \ on: Moscow Is Basically the Capitol from The Hunger Games econ

Gonna play devils advocate here so humor me.

Moscow gets the infrastructure, the high salaries, the investments, the cultural life

Its a city. This is true of cities across the globe right? Even in relatively free-market states like the USA or the UK.

now most taxes are collected nationally, sent to Moscow, and then redistributed back to the regions. That means local governments are no longer accountable to their citizens, only to the center.

Sounds terrible... also sounds like the USA. State and local taxes are a fraction of the Federal ones here for most people. The Feds use the distribution of funds back to states and localities as a control mechanism and have for decades.

I have no dog in this hunt. I enjoy reading the perspectives of people with actual experiences. I have heard that even though Russia is far from perfect and has serious issues it has massively improved since the fall of the USSR and the disastrous attempt to introduce free market capitalism. I'm not a Putin fan but I have heard Russian intellectuals say that Putin in the minds of Russians is a hero for leading them out of the disaster of the collapse of communism and capitalism. Even though he is a strong man / dictator his is a "great man" in many Russian's eyes for the results he is seen as being responsible for.

That sounds plausible. It can get worse and all of the things you describe sound plausible and worse than a truly free society. It also sounds similar to the US and many states across the globe. It doesn't sound like anything to emulate at all.