tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post115149684595417733..comments2023-10-06T10:10:06.982-04:00Comments on La Russophobe: First Sign of the Neo-Soviet Apocalypse: Hopelessly Incompetent Russians Can't Even get Alcohol RightLa Russophobehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05672264388217953086noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151660588194856972006-06-30T05:43:00.000-04:002006-06-30T05:43:00.000-04:00"Reith, you wrote that the law was an "important r..."Reith, you wrote that the law was an "important regulatory step to normalise a chaotic import industry by stamping out smuggling and counterfeiting."<BR/><BR/>Now you say "for all its worth it probably will be a mitigated success.""<BR/><BR/>This is completely coherent and sensible. Forgive me if my powers of soothseeing are not so powerful that I can give you specific figures about the effect this law will have, but you are just going to have settle for the fact that it will introduce some degree of accountability. It is odd that you object to this approach when you favour the wholly bizzare approach of this blog's author, which is to describe the law as the "First Sign of the Neo-Soviet Apocalypse". So, I'll tell you what, if you want me to put a wager on it, I bet you whatever you want that the law will produce consequences closer to what I forsee than LR does over the next five years. I think it will quantifiably reduce tax evasion, sale of couterfeit alcohol and bootlegging. Obviously, I don't how much by, but even if the results are marginal, it still makes me more right than the rabid ravings of the woeful LR.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151654124408757942006-06-30T03:55:00.000-04:002006-06-30T03:55:00.000-04:00Reith, you wrote that the law was an "important re...Reith, you wrote that the law was an "important regulatory step to normalise a chaotic import industry by stamping out smuggling and counterfeiting."<BR/><BR/>Now you say "for all its worth it probably will be a mitigated success." Those are weasel words. Go on record now so that you can be judged in the future. LR is saying that in the short term this program is clearly a disastrous failure. She's clearly right about this, as the news story proves. You are saying it will be a success in the long term that will outweigh the short term disaster. Quantify your claim.<BR/><BR/>What reduction in alcohol-related deaths, and what increase in government revenues, will be achieved by next year at this time? And what basis do you have for believing the law will succeed in a country known the world around for its spectacular failures in regard to measures like this?<BR/><BR/>PS: The Mavericks are the professional basketball team in Dallas Texas which recently played for the national championship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151625507549877372006-06-29T19:58:00.000-04:002006-06-29T19:58:00.000-04:00"Reith, I didn't ask you what it was supposed to d..."Reith, I didn't ask you what it was supposed to do, I asked whether you think it will achieve its goal or not. Will you answer the question or not?"<BR/><BR/>Unlike your idol, the LR, I do not claim to know all. However, in principle the law is a completely legitimate one and one that would raise no eyebrows were it not for a deterministic will to seek out worst case scenarios. For all its worth it probably will be a mitigated success. It will apply a required degree of regulation but the implementation will almost certainly leave something to be desired. What conclusion do you derive from that? If you are the paranoid LR, it's that the Russians are an evil race who all deserve to die. If you question was meant to elicit a constructive exchange you're probably in the wrong place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151610118101235662006-06-29T15:41:00.000-04:002006-06-29T15:41:00.000-04:00gomavs (university of Nebraska?), yes and no.yes i...gomavs (university of Nebraska?), yes and no.<BR/><BR/>yes it will decrease the chances that the alcohol being sold is of bad quality.<BR/><BR/>and no because there always will be some people drinking homemade moonshine, cologne and antifreeze, just like in the rest of the world! (out of six billion people, odds are that there are some idiots... hence the LR:-) )<BR/><BR/>You cannot eliminate problems completely, you can simply increase or decrease risks of their occurance.<BR/><BR/>As for another layer of corruption, yes, there could an icrease of it, only if the appropriate department is innefficient. And the time will tell that. Some of the most ridiculously sounding government initiatives (anywhere in the world) proved to carry a positive impact in the long run, such as requiring people to obtain a useless piece of paper or plastic like driver's license, or fishing license, alcohol license, etc.<BR/><BR/>Actually, knowing that alcohol in Russia and Ukraine already required those paper labels, for already sometime, then whoever from that part of the world gives me a botttle of alcohol, I simply through it away if I don't see a paper certificate on the cork or cap. So in my case, I am very happy because it reduces a risk of an unnecessary poisoning.<BR/><BR/>In any case, this is just a temporary measure until the Russian government finds another way of controlling and imposing tighter inspections on alcohol imported into Russia, either at the source of production or at a point of distribution. But first we have to wait for natual law of free market to sort the descent producers from the one who make crap, i.e. some Georgian, Moldovan, and Russian factories.<BR/><BR/>Welcome to the board, and try not to cozy up to LR, they (it's a team of internet propagandists) are a mean bunch:-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151608653695931682006-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:002006-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:00"In any other country, alcohol would not disappear..."In any other country, alcohol would not disappear from store shelves and restaurants and the country would not be held up to international ridicule and scorn."<BR/><BR/>LR is right. Today I came to work and every single person on the parking lot, then in the office, then during lunch, even my non-Russian wife at home were ridiculing and scorning me for this horible news. Russia must stop this quality labeling non-sense! Who cares about which alcohol went through proper custom and health inspection?<BR/><BR/>LR, Reith, Gomavs, take out the bottles of Georgian wine from a local rynok! Let's celebrate!<BR/><BR/>I bet when Russia will toughen its car inspections, it would mean that it's commiting another action worth of scorn and ridicule!<BR/><BR/>Great job LR, you continue well your role of a bigot!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151604077614502762006-06-29T14:01:00.000-04:002006-06-29T14:01:00.000-04:00Reith, I didn't ask you what it was supposed to do...Reith, I didn't ask you what it was supposed to do, I asked whether you think it will achieve its goal or not. Will you answer the question or not?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151602122477022292006-06-29T13:28:00.000-04:002006-06-29T13:28:00.000-04:00Gomavs,That is certainly what it is designed to do...Gomavs,<BR/>That is certainly what it is designed to do. The hope that the implementation of this regulation will lead to a slightly more accountable standards in the industry is considerably more reasonable than LR's ridiculous assertion that it is indicative of the country eventual dissolution. There is certainly an interesting discussion to be had on the matter, but not within the eccentric parameters established by this site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151600947572426632006-06-29T13:09:00.000-04:002006-06-29T13:09:00.000-04:00reith, you seem to be suggesting that you think Ru...reith, you seem to be suggesting that you think Russia's sticking little pieces of paper on bottles will have some impact on the thousands of deaths due to bootleg hooch, as opposed to just creating (yet another) layer of corruption in the Russian bureacracy. is that right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151594878078787252006-06-29T11:27:00.000-04:002006-06-29T11:27:00.000-04:00REITH: In any other country, alcohol would not di...REITH: In any other country, alcohol would not disappear from store shelves and restaurants and the country would not be held up to international ridicule and scorn. The measure would be competently implemented, not as if by chickens with their heads cut off.La Russophobehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05672264388217953086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25230932.post-1151587544938041732006-06-29T09:25:00.000-04:002006-06-29T09:25:00.000-04:00"The law was intended to bring order to a market t..."The law was intended to bring order to a market that has been prone to smuggling and counterfeiting of the current stamp, even of some of the nicer brands."<BR/><BR/>In any other country, this would be considered an important regulatory step to normalise a chaotic import industry by stamping out smuggling and counterfeiting. For LR its a sign of Russia's collapse! Judging by the stuff that you write, you're a fan of the moonshine yourself, which is probably why you're so upset it's being clamped down on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com