Russia is a country of the poor and destitute

We are coming to a point where we will no longer differ from third world countries. Year after year, more and more people spend their last savings to stay afloat. The last time real incomes of the population increased was in 2013 — by a whole 4%. And then they began to fall clearly and quickly. If you look at the inflation calculator*, consumer prices increased by 53.5 % between the beginning of 2013 and the end of 2019. The same products that cost 500 rubles at the beginning of 2013 are already worth 767.8 rubles at the end of 2019. So while Putin and Co. are nicely giving us reports on the success of the Russian economy from the stands, the average Russian has a real income of almost half as much as in 2013.

The minimum wage has increased for 6 years from 5,205 rubles to 11,280 rubles, but today 11,280 rubles is 6-8 thousand for utility and other payments, and going to the store 3-4 times for food. In a family of three, each parent should get at least 2.5-3 subsistence minimums in order to get out of the vicious circle of poverty. And that’s if we do not take into account the presence of a second child and dependents. But in Russia, according to statistics, the salary of about 30% of the working citizens is less than the 1.5 subsistence minimum (15-18 thousand rubles).

Only perverted government officials can imagine people living normally on such incomes.

But even they officially acknowledge that 21 million people live below the poverty line in Russia. In 2013, there were 5.6 million fewer**. A million people a year who lose hope, self-esteem and self-respect; stop eating and dressing properly; and buy the right medications- is this a lot or a few? And what does this mean for the country when one in six people lives below the poverty line?

These are school children harassed by their peers, because they go to school without gadgets, and in clothes worn by the older children. They also beg at stores, shopping centers and McDonalds to "collect” money for a pack of cigarettes, a movie ticket or a hamburger. These are massively easy girls and women selling their bodies to buy groceries and get their children ready for school. And all this happens with the acquiescence of the men, if they are still in the family, and are not drunk or "tripping". This is a massive increase in deaths and diseases, unsanitary conditions in homes and entire neighborhoods. Finally, this is a growth of antisocial behavior and crime of desperate young people and adults, deception and petty theft which have become a norm, the cost of human life which has fallen to the price of a syringe with a drug or a couple of bottles of vodka.

Now add to this the fact that 40% of these people work, but the amount of their earnings does not allow them to get out of the vicious circle. What do you think is the quality of the work they do, and how does the presence of these people affect others in these industries?

Of course, there is no such "fun" situation like in the 90s, when almost every second person was below the poverty line. But we are clearly and visibly approaching it. And when we cross it; we will rightfully join the third world countries, when the neighborhoods of the more or less privileged begin to be guarded around the perimeter; and the number of thefts, murders and rapes will be like in South Africa or the American ghettos.

Why is poverty and destitution growing at such a gigantic rate?

Increase in direct and indirect taxes in the real economy. Government officials "squeeze" more and more "juice" out of business every year. Taxes only in small businesses have increased by 3-4 times in absolute terms. The first way that business took- is not to raise the wage rate after inflation. The result is massive low-paid employment.

In the second case, in order to retain staff, businesses are forced to either raise the cost of their products and services, or degrade their quality, which also hit us, the taxpayers. Have you ever thought that they will include offal and skins in “minced” meat, that "chocolate" will consist of 60-70% "confectionery icing", and that cocoa butter will be mixed with palm oil? Yes, the human stomach can digest all this, but the feeling of satiety and self-deception will not replace the useful substances, vitamins and minerals that the body really needs. So, dear consumer, either you overpay for quality, or "choke" on Doshirak and offal.

Import substitution in most areas turned out to be a fiction. Agriculture thrived the best in places where imported producers left the market. This is understandable: the demand for tomatoes, apples and radishes could not fall. And instead of Turkey and Israel, we were fed vegetables and fruits by Russian farmers who took advantage of the opportunity. But, in parallel with this, raider attacks are spreading: Medvedev and regional governors grab the best "pieces" of Kuban, and Crimea is actively seized by Kadyrov's team. Monopolists are taking everything, and there is a debate at the top about how best to tax farmers' farmsteads. In cities, the most "delicious" and most interesting businesses are also bought up for nothing by raiders, supported by representatives of special agencies. Why establish a factory that will either be ruined or taken away? Entrepreneurs prefer not to risk any more, but instead look for workarounds- export products from China or South America. So forget about the mass introduction of new high-tech industries. Well, if there are no production facilities, there are no new good jobs.

Crimea, the Olympics and the World Cup. "Crimea is ours" does not yet give returns to the budget and budget money falls into the peninsula like a giant "black hole". Russia's annual direct expenses for its maintenance amount to about 130 billion rubles a year. In addition, over the years, Crimea received subsidies for 400 billion rubles, about the same cost as the construction of the famous bridge.

And what, the peninsula has become a paradise and a model of tourist service? Just look at the reviews of vacation on the internet.
The Olympics and the FIFA World Cup became the most expensive in the world in terms of spending. The Olympics cost Russia a total of 1.6 trillion rubles. For comparison, Russia's entire budget for 2014 was 14 trillion rubles. The World Cup cost less – 0.9 trillion rubles, with the Russian budget of 15.2 trillion rubles***. All those years of preparation for these events, other projects for landscaping and development of territories were reduced by 60-80%, and funds went to a small pool of companies that built facilities for the Olympics and the World Cup. Thousands of small and medium-sized companies engaged in landscaping, instead of getting contracts in the regions, only “tightened their belts” and reduced staff.

All these crazy investments did not become an investment in the development of host cities, no matter how much the resigned government of Medvedev groveled about this. A small part of the money was actually spent on improving the infrastructure. Sochi has gained more than all the others in this respect – full-fledged transport interchanges and understudies have been built there, as well as a new airport. In other cities, funds were mostly spent on "facade putty" - repairing major highways, painting houses along tourist routes, and improving the area around stadiums. The rest of the destruction was covered with "crappy sheets" of fences.

The regions did not want to accept the built properties of the World Cup as they are obviously unprofitable and 10-15% of the possible load is hardly used. Territories around stadiums in most cities have already fallen into disrepair.

The West was offered a beautiful fairy tale at our expense. And we haven't even paid in full yet.

Increase in corruption and impudence of corrupt officials

In fact, it was worth starting with this. The Olympics, the World Cup, and initiatives in holding any events cover the appetites of unscrupulous corrupt officials. More than 50% of the budget goes to distribution and to private pockets. 7-9 trillion rubles annually settles in 2-3 tens of thousands of government officials and the businessmen involved in their schemes. This jackpot is broken by participants of the schemes! This level of corruption exists only in the United States. Therefore, our economy is stagnating, business is not protected from those who want it at a knockdown price, and the future of our country is the Upper Volta with nuclear warheads.

And most importantly, these ghouls can't get enough! Their appetites grow and grow. And with the help of artificially invented tasks, they create new grounds for budget expenditures and distributions.

Until we deal with corruption, our country and the majority are doomed to live in poverty and destitution. Corrupt officials are locusts. You tear off its legs and stomach, but it still crawls and continues to eat. We suggest opening a season to fight these disgusting insects, so that the land under their feet burns and their pockets are not filled with "green" but their noses and throats are. We wish you a successful hunt!

• https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Бедность#ПортретбедностивРоссиивобщественномсознании
  ** https://planetcalc.ru/250/
  *** https://www.rbc.ru/society/08/06/2018/5b02f8039a7947289e44a869

@defrit aka golos.io/@runews