Great leaders listen

I wrote yesterday that the Western media misrepresented Putin's four and a half-hour report to the Russian people, answering their questions about events in 2024—making it seem as if he was just talking just about the SMO and military matters—and addressing them — the West. Talk about delusions of reference.

The text of the entire report is not available yet in English but, of what I can see, foreign policy accounted for less than 40% of the first half translated into English. The rest was about how his government was trying to improve the lives of ordinary people— who are less concerned about the SMO and what's happening there, with accurate news available in Russia and Putin very clearly defining policy and explaining events on a daily basis.

The Russian people are more concerned with the prices of eggs and butter, economic assistance to veterans, reconstruction in the Donbas and Lugansk, taxes, mortgages, education and healthcare – all the things that affect day-to-day life.

Putin had a lot of good news for them--the 4% growth rate, low unemployment, rising wages and standards of living – not to mention an increasing number of measures that would be called “socialism in the US – and therefore undemocratic since they interfere with your right to die poor and destitute.

There is inflation in Russia, perhaps a little less than actual inflation in the US where accurate figures are hard to find and distorted by the economic sleight-of-hand of financialized economy.

Obviously, Russia has lots of problems to solve, that people complain about. Putin does what great leaders do — he listens.

Russia is of course , a capitalist country – but it is "managed" capitalism-not the predatory capitalism of the US and UK. It is not financialized – not yet anyway – since the country is in the process of re-industrialization and growth. Financialization, as you know from my special articles, always happens when growth slows.

Chinese capitalism has its own form of “managed” capitalism which is regulated in a slightly different way. But tjhe starting point is similar.

Capitalism in both Russia and China began as an evolutionary step from the state ownership system that characterized the USSR and Chairman Mao's China. Today both Russia and China see free enterprise more or less as Adam Smith did— understanding the necessity of taking steps to prevent corporations and elites from exploiting the public...effectively make free enterprise “free”.

What you see in both Russia and China is a high level of public and private collaboration-- but with the public interest always primary.

That kind of thing is probably what FDR hoped for in his war against "organized money"-- the financial cartels that eventually bought every president after him.

The US has never had socialism. Nor has it ever had a revolution such as Russia and China. Not yet anyway .

As a child of the Soviet Union who experienced the anarchy of the Yeltsin years—Putin can see both sides of the divide.

Putin's focus therefore is clearly on the rational development of Russia as a civilization in line with its history but on a different economic basis, with emphasis on human values. He wants a Russia with a human heart.

His priority?

The family.

The family – older generations, young parents, and children -ought to hold the leading position and play the central role in our state policy. Only then will we manage to successfully solve demographic problems and create conditions for parents to want to have as many children as possible.

In his meeting with the State Council, Putin outlined a wide range of measures to help parents and children and families. There are too many to go into here — go to his site and read.

Russia faces demographic issues, as many countries do, but Putin has remedies.

The Russian population replacement rate is just over 1.8 but improving.

In Japan it is 1.2 with Tokyo 0.99 . And getting worse, year by year.

People just can't afford to have kids here.. The new Prime Minister's poor showing in the recent elections had nothing to do with Japanese foreign policy – or scandals or corruption – as some commentators have suggested.

It is the economy, stupid!

The measures Putin is is putting in place constitute something of a revolution in education , healthcare, and support for young women and mothers. Something that Japan should emulate instead of sinking billions in useless things like the F35 and the Aegis system.

It's clear that Putin thinks the demographic challenge is a bigger one than the Ukraine problem which is resolving itself as a result of both Western incompetence and that of the neo-Nazis committing national suicide.

There are now more Ukrainians in Russia than there are in the country of Ukraine. By Spring next year, Ukraine will be a ghost country,.

When the Kiev regime fails – and the Russians likely take obligatory temporary control of the government to prevent chaos– they will hold referenda to see what each oblast wants to do— whether they want to join Russia or become a union state or be autonomous . It might turn out differently with Russia controlling the Dnieper and Kiev and Western Ukraine a landlocked rump state.

But Ukraine’s future turns on a harmonious relationship with Mother Russia. The EU and the West have proven their predatory nature— at great cost to the Ukrainian people.

Russia on the other hand has been rebuilding Donbas and Lugansk— with hospitals and schools and homes and factories.

How would you choose?

Xmas is coming

So many of my coffee buyers have sent me messages from the heart.

I am replying to every one of them. Takes a little time since I tend to ramble on. But I feel so good about this. These messages, these feelings, restore my faith in people.

Xmas here in Tokyo is cold and dark and lonely. You give me warmth and light. Thank you.

How do we change the world — one random act of kindness at a time? Morgan Freeman.

Special Article coming along well. Hopefully I can finish…umm…soon.

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Yes, I love horses.