$88 per month! Yes, it's right!...

Now I thank Larry Alton from Texas who was the first who asked how is it possible to live on this. I think it's very difficult to explain because there are many political and economical reasons of this in our country and those are not clear to another people. Main as our great poet Alexander S. Pushkin said in his drama "Boris Godunov" is "the people keep a silence". Sometimes meetings and strikes happen but in cases when paid lingers over on many months.

The information which there will be a speech below is right for first quarter 2000. You'll have a good laugh if find out what is the minimum paid per month in The Law. $2,89. Certainly all get paid more but the most of simple people get less than $100. Only those who works in firms with foreign party get $300-$500. May be else, who works in Banks. And on the war in Chechnya. There paid is $1000. Average earnings from official source is $41 (from it calculate pension), average pension is $21. Some people get paid "black cash".

So, how is it possible to live on this? We have more low prices of goods. For example cost of the basket of eating from official sources in my town is $22. This is minimum which not allows you to die from hungry. Really I need $40-$50 for simple food. I am living in small 3-room's flat on ground floor in very cheap house made of blocks. Pay of living is $12. The rest goes to my cats, dog, garden and houseware. Other needs could not be satisfied. But Russian are very modest and easily accommodated people and can be glad of petty things.

I think the course of $ is artificially overestimated specially for our Petroleum and Gas magnates. They have a large benefit of this. And our government can't and doesn't want to struggle with this. The corruption in our country is blooming by big colors!

On this "optimistic" note I finish my short story. :)

I'll answer your questions with a pleasure:

galina@go.com