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Russia Moves To Universal ID Card
prostoalex writes "On January 1st 2012, the Russian government will start issuing universal ID cards (Russian original) that will replace current national identification system (Russia has a system of internal passports), medical insurance cards, student IDs, public transport passes, and debit cards. The smart card contains unique personal identifiers and allows for multiple levels of authentication. The Russian government is pushing for local government agencies, transportation providers, banks and retail operators to adopt the government-issued ID to streamline their operations."
Estonia has used ID cards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_ID_card) for some time and I am seriously surprised that more governments are not following the same footsteps. While the cards may introduce new security concerns, imagine the amount of bureaucracy that can be reduced if citizens can pay everything from traffic tickets to taxes using a simple card.
You must wear the Mark of the Beast in order to buy or sell.
That post was a whole lot of appeal to emotion (ignored) plus half a dozen examples (quoted below) of corruption and incompetence which are nothing to do with communism and everything to do with typical behaviour of humans in power.
a year's supply of anti-magnetic paint is used up whitewashing rocks because an admiral wants an improved-looking coastline; thousands of tons of chemical fertilizer are dumped into the Volga River (creating an environmental catastrophe) because the Party didn't make adequate preparations to store it; military exercises are run which leave the country defenseless; soldiers are sentenced to barbarous punishments for the slightest infractions; generals keep private harems and use military resources to construct fabulous dachas; incompetent drunks are promoted to important posts simply to get rid of them.
So, is your argument that similar inefficiencies and corruptions cannot be found in Western governments and corporations? Or what exactly are you trying to say?
Note that I didn't say "Soviet communism was great; capitalism sucks!" I asked whether the people of Russia are any better off now than before the Soviet Union. I've asked it lots of times to many people. I've heard lots of "yeah it's much better!" from those who have prospered financially, and lots of "no it sucks!" from those who have lost various securities. I've never been provided with a well-researched answer which tries to make an objective study of the change in quality of life throughout the country. Surely someone, somewhere has been interested in answering the question from a sociological/psychological/anthropological point of view rather than taking the opportunity to start a political rant.