Was the west better off when the USSR was subsidizing eastern Europe?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051229.wrussia1229/BNStory/International

Russia threatens to cut off Ukraine's gas

Moscow —

Ukraine's natural gas company declared Thursday that it has enough gas in storage to see the country through the winter if Russia halts shipments in a standoff over prices.

Russia's state-run natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, which provides about a third of the gas used in Ukraine, says it will stop selling gas to the country on Jan. 1 unless it agrees to a fourfold price increase.

The dispute has also raised concerns about supplies to the West because Gazprom supplies about half the gas consumed by the European Union — most of which goes through pipelines that cross Ukraine.

Gazprom has pledged that supplies to European customers won't be affected, but a spokesman for Ukraine's state-run gas provider, Naftogaz, questioned that.

[davepc]

1. What does the question have to do with the poll?

I have a friend who was born and spent most of her childhood in the Ukraine before coming to the US in the mid 1990's. She goes back to visit at least once a year. I'm going to ask her if she thinks things were better under the Soviets.


As to the gas crisis...one of the pesky problems with monopolies is that they can set prices where they wish because of no competition. If the governments refuse to fix prices at a rate the Ukraine can pay, they're out of luck.