What was health care like? I’m assuming it was government run, but was it easily accessible, or only for more serious stuff? Were you required to go to scheduled “check-ups” to keep tabs on the population or anything like that? How did it compare to the US system? How did it compare to the Canadian system?
[quote]Chilliwack wrote:
What was health care like? I’m assuming it was government run, but was it easily accessible, or only for more serious stuff? Were you required to go to scheduled “check-ups” to keep tabs on the population or anything like that? How did it compare to the US system? How did it compare to the Canadian system?[/quote]
Health care was actually really good in the Soviet Union. We had a lot of doctors and hospitals and a lot of effort was put into treating and eliminating infectious diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid fever and stuff like that. A lot of emphasis was placed on general healthcare and specialized care was somewhat lacking, but still comparable to the US from what I understand of the US healthcare system at the time. The most pressing health concern in the Soviet Union was starvation and diseases caused by starvation, but the government was more interested in their military and nuclear arms race with America than on agriculture, so there was not much the doctors could do about it. It was usually up to the regional and city branches of government to decide if regular check ups were required, but most places required at least yearly physicals, and of course we were required by law to go to the doctor when we were sick. Health care was one of the few things the Soviet Union did well.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chilliwack wrote:
What was health care like? I’m assuming it was government run, but was it easily accessible, or only for more serious stuff? Were you required to go to scheduled “check-ups” to keep tabs on the population or anything like that? How did it compare to the US system? How did it compare to the Canadian system?[/quote]
Health care was actually really good in the Soviet Union. We had a lot of doctors and hospitals and a lot of effort was put into treating and eliminating infectious diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid fever and stuff like that. A lot of emphasis was placed on general healthcare and specialized care was somewhat lacking, but still comparable to the US from what I understand of the US healthcare system at the time. The most pressing health concern in the Soviet Union was starvation and diseases caused by starvation, but the government was more interested in their military and nuclear arms race with America than on agriculture, so there was not much the doctors could do about it. It was usually up to the regional and city branches of government to decide if regular check ups were required, but most places required at least yearly physicals, and of course we were required by law to go to the doctor when we were sick. Health care was one of the few things the Soviet Union did well. [/quote]
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…crap.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chilliwack wrote:
What was health care like? I’m assuming it was government run, but was it easily accessible, or only for more serious stuff? Were you required to go to scheduled “check-ups” to keep tabs on the population or anything like that? How did it compare to the US system? How did it compare to the Canadian system?[/quote]
Health care was actually really good in the Soviet Union. We had a lot of doctors and hospitals and a lot of effort was put into treating and eliminating infectious diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid fever and stuff like that. A lot of emphasis was placed on general healthcare and specialized care was somewhat lacking, but still comparable to the US from what I understand of the US healthcare system at the time. The most pressing health concern in the Soviet Union was starvation and diseases caused by starvation, but the government was more interested in their military and nuclear arms race with America than on agriculture, so there was not much the doctors could do about it. It was usually up to the regional and city branches of government to decide if regular check ups were required, but most places required at least yearly physicals, and of course we were required by law to go to the doctor when we were sick. Health care was one of the few things the Soviet Union did well. [/quote]
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…crap.[/quote]
I know. I really wanted to lie and say that it was horrible and the streets were filled with the sick and dying and all that, but I just couldn’t. I am not a fan of socialized healthcare, though, just because of the massive amount of power that we would have to give up to the government, which I consider to be a major stepping stone to a new Soviet Union, which I just cannot support. There has to be another solution to the healthcare problem.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]HoustonGuy wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
[quote]Aggv wrote:
I honestly think we take it all for granted. Just assuming that i can go to any supermarket within a 2miles radius, which there are roughly 4-7 and just buy whatever is something we as American severely take for granted and i think there would be massive problem for society if god forbid i wasnt able to buy cantaloupe in the middle of December [/quote]
I would this is pretty true for middle class US but not for many poor. Check out “food deserts”.
[/quote]
I was just discussing this with a friend in the context of our hometown’s best known ghetto. No supermarkets within an accessible distance…[/quote]
Shoulda stayed in school. In the US we have the power of choice to pursue a better life or not and that is all anyone should be entitled to. Nevermind grants, scholarships, hardship entitlements et cetera that are readily accessible.[/quote]
I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?
It’s hard to understand you with that silver spoon in your mouth.[/quote]
You may read it as many times as you like. While there are of course different or more obstacles for some than others, the same opportunities exist for all here.
Certainly enough opportunity to escape a ghetto if not find success in entrepreneurship, which is a gift we shouldn’t take for granted nor pretend doesn’t exist. Embrace it, love it and take advantage of it.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Hard to believe that I actually used to have serious debates against kids who thought the Soviet system was superior to what we had…[/quote]
It is easy to argue something is great when you don’t really know anything about it. The Soviet system did look great on paper, but the practical application of communist and socialist principles in real life was an absolute failure and does not need to be attempted again. Living through it once was more than enough for me.[/quote]
It’s funny you say that. I’ve never lived anywhere besides the US (1 year in S. Korea when I was enlisted, but that doesn’t really count as I was largely confined to a US military installation) and my knowledge of life in communist states largely stems from books I’ve read, news reports and documentaries I’ve watched and only a handful of first-hand interviews.
But, this hasn’t happened recently, whenever I’ve encountered such a debate I’d pretty much say what you’ve just said sans your last sentence.
When you left for grad school, did you have any intentions of returning to the SU? How much knowledge did you have, while in the SU, of the political machinations that dictated your everyday life? What I mean by that is, did you really understand what was going on even on a rudimentary level? From what you know now about SU, how similar is North Korea to the situation in the SU (from what you know about North Korea)?
Do you think that SU would have eventually made the changes that China seems to be making as far as introducing capitalistic aspects into their economy?
[quote]polo77j wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Hard to believe that I actually used to have serious debates against kids who thought the Soviet system was superior to what we had…[/quote]
It is easy to argue something is great when you don’t really know anything about it. The Soviet system did look great on paper, but the practical application of communist and socialist principles in real life was an absolute failure and does not need to be attempted again. Living through it once was more than enough for me.[/quote]
It’s funny you say that. I’ve never lived anywhere besides the US (1 year in S. Korea when I was enlisted, but that doesn’t really count as I was largely confined to a US military installation) and my knowledge of life in communist states largely stems from books I’ve read, news reports and documentaries I’ve watched and only a handful of first-hand interviews.
But, this hasn’t happened recently, whenever I’ve encountered such a debate I’d pretty much say what you’ve just said sans your last sentence.
When you left for grad school, did you have any intentions of returning to the SU? How much knowledge did you have, while in the SU, of the political machinations that dictated your everyday life? What I mean by that is, did you really understand what was going on even on a rudimentary level? From what you know now about SU, how similar is North Korea to the situation in the SU (from what you know about North Korea)?
Do you think that SU would have eventually made the changes that China seems to be making as far as introducing capitalistic aspects into their economy?[/quote]
The Soviet Union had collapsed and the Russian Federation was forming by the time I came to America. I had very little idea of how things really had been under the Soviet Union. I knew that life had never been easy of course, you can’t spend your entire childhood on the brink of starvation and really think that life was good, but I fully believed in the Soviet propaganda for the most part. Near the end and after the fall of the Soviet Union, my parents began teaching us about how propaganda works, but I was too young and naive to really listen. I did not even want to come to America at all. My parents made me come to America because I got into CMU (they applied for me), which is one of the best schools in the world, and I had every intention of leaving as soon as possible. I fully expected America to be destitute and evil and everything else that the Soviet propaganda machine said it was. From the second I got off the plane, I knew something was wrong and the second I stepped foot in that supermarket that was filled with food and fat people I dismissed everything the Soviet Union taught me. I began to think about how life really was in the Soviet Union and came to realize how corrupt and horrible the Soviet government was. Within a year of living here I was in love with this country and decided to stay here and completely renounced socialism and communism. And from what I know about North Korea, it is actually worse there than it was in the Soviet Union.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Hard to believe that I actually used to have serious debates against kids who thought the Soviet system was superior to what we had…[/quote]
It is easy to argue something is great when you don’t really know anything about it. The Soviet system did look great on paper, but the practical application of communist and socialist principles in real life was an absolute failure and does not need to be attempted again. Living through it once was more than enough for me.[/quote]
Yeah, I remember reading the Communist Manifesto as an undergrad (circa 1977) and thinking that THAT wouldn’t be so bad…[/quote]
It wouldn’t be bad at all, but it also a fantasy that will never come true. Too many people just read an idea like the Communist Manifesto (It is actually becoming the cool thing to do at Pitt, which scares me more than a little bit), and stop there, thinking they have found the answer to life’s problems and tell everyone who will listen about it. They don’t go a step farther and look at what has actually happened when those ideas and principles were applied in the real world, i.e. the Soviet Union. If they did that, they would think “Oh, shit, maybe this socialism/communism stuff isn’t such a good idea” and maybe put some effort into finding a better solution to our societies problems then something that was tried and failed miserably. I try to educate those kids on the reality of communism and socialism, but the knowledge and experience that comes from living through it cannot compare to the wisdom of someone in their early 20’s who has the world figured out.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Matt, have any family members visited you in the States? What was their first reaction?[/quote]
Yes, every member of my family visits fairly regularly, and they are always amazed at how life is here. They are very well off in Russia now thanks to the engineering firm that my father started, so they have an easy life now as well, but they still know how rough it still is for many people in Russia today (not as bad as under the Soviet Union, though, and it is getting better), and it is not hard to see how much better life is here for most people. I actually have talked to them about moving here as well, but my parents and brother will not leave Russia. My sister does want to move here, which I would love to happen.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Lol, I hear ya.
And, why do you think there is the resurgence of “cool Communism” that you describe?
Also, is there much of a “former USSR ex-pat community” in Pittsburgh? Is there much of a sense of “community” or does everyone pretty much go their own way? [/quote]
I really couldn’t say why there seems to be a renewed interest in socialist/communist ideas among the young people at my school, I just wish it would stop. Communism doesn’t work in the real world and there is no reason to try it again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to get an earful from me.
Yes, there is a fairly sizable Russian ex-pat community here. Most of us tend to gather in Greenfield, Squirrel hill, and the South Side. Washington also has a decent Russian population. We tend to stick together a lot, shared experiences and hardships and whatnot bringing us closer together. I don’t live in an ex-pat community, though I do help out new arrivals with learning English, getting them set up taking classes at CCAC, and getting jobs and such.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
I actually have talked to them about moving here as well, but my parents and brother will not leave Russia. [/quote]
Can I ask why?
And I hope your sister can join you. That’d be great for you.
[/quote]
My parents just plain don’t want to leave. They worked hard for decades to build a good life for themselves back in Russia, and now that they have they do not want to leave. I can’t really blame them for that. My brother just loves running the family engineering firm and does not want to do anything else. He may not be as “smart” as me but he is a great engineer and a very good businessman. He has managed to gather a very good team of engineers and technicians simply by offering decent pay, so they are in high demand for jobs.
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Lol, I hear ya.
And, why do you think there is the resurgence of “cool Communism” that you describe?
Also, is there much of a “former USSR ex-pat community” in Pittsburgh? Is there much of a sense of “community” or does everyone pretty much go their own way? [/quote]
I really couldn’t say why there seems to be a renewed interest in socialist/communist ideas among the young people at my school, I just wish it would stop. Communism doesn’t work in the real world and there is no reason to try it again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to get an earful from me.
Yes, there is a fairly sizable Russian ex-pat community here. Most of us tend to gather in Greenfield, Squirrel hill, and the South Side. Washington also has a decent Russian population. We tend to stick together a lot, shared experiences and hardships and whatnot bringing us closer together. I don’t live in an ex-pat community, though I do help out new arrivals with learning English, getting them set up taking classes at CCAC, and getting jobs and such.
[/quote]
Thanks Matt.[/quote]
Don’t mention it.
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
[quote]Dr.Matt581 wrote:
[quote]Chushin wrote:
Lol, I hear ya.
And, why do you think there is the resurgence of “cool Communism” that you describe?
Also, is there much of a “former USSR ex-pat community” in Pittsburgh? Is there much of a sense of “community” or does everyone pretty much go their own way? [/quote]
I really couldn’t say why there seems to be a renewed interest in socialist/communist ideas among the young people at my school, I just wish it would stop. Communism doesn’t work in the real world and there is no reason to try it again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to get an earful from me.
Yes, there is a fairly sizable Russian ex-pat community here. Most of us tend to gather in Greenfield, Squirrel hill, and the South Side. Washington also has a decent Russian population. We tend to stick together a lot, shared experiences and hardships and whatnot bringing us closer together. I don’t live in an ex-pat community, though I do help out new arrivals with learning English, getting them set up taking classes at CCAC, and getting jobs and such.
[/quote]
Thanks Matt.[/quote]
Don’t mention it.[/quote]
Hey Matt, have you heard of Yuri Bezmenov or read his ‘A Love Letter to America’?
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
Hey Matt, have you heard of Yuri Bezmenov or read his ‘A Love Letter to America’?[/quote]
Wasn’t he a KGB operative who defected? I haven’t read the letter.