Letters to the Editor

To the Editors:

Thank you so much for publishing your article on Marina Raskova and Russian women-pilots. My grandmother, Anna Peturova, was one of the young women-pilots during WWII. She applied to Raskova’s group, but was rejected (she was raising a baby at the time). So, instead of sitting out the war at home, my heroic grandmother flew a small wooden plane to the front, transporting medical staff and wounded soldiers back and forth. Her first husband, also a pilot, was killed in the first months of war, leaving her alone with an 18-month-old son.

I bow my head to all heroic Russian women, may their memory be never forgotten.

Sincerely,

Elena Morrow

Sacramento, California

To the Editors:

The current issue of Russian Life (March/April 2003) is the best yet! Your magazine only gets better and better. Keep up the good work.

Anne Shannon

Santa Fe, NM

To the Editors:

I read [Paul Richardson’s] article “What’s cheap...” in the [Jan/Feb 2003] issue.

You demand equal treatment in Russia for foreign tourists and Russian citizens alike. But it’s impossible! The Soviet system stole for 70 long years from people, paying them pennies for the work they did. Now these people enjoy a somewhat lower rate for certain (not for all) aspects of their lives. You and your ancestors were probably making a pretty good living all these years if you can travel around the world and teach people how to live and demand equal rights for everybody.

You might be right from your point of view, a world traveler, who can afford to stay in a foreign country “just to work on your Baltic accent.” You might have stocks and bonds; you might have a six digits income (in dollars, mind you, not in rubles at 30 to one) whatever. But boy you come as a cheapskate coming to Russia where people make about a $100 a month on the average and demanding to pay the prices that they pay. And you dare to threaten that the tourists won’t come back. Well, tourists like that should NOT come back; Russians will cover their share of expenses. However you insist on coming back. Hmmm, I wonder why. Maybe because even with such an unfair exchange you still get many times more for your dollar than you would in the US?

When I read articles like that I understand why we (Americans) are being hated in many countries around the world. For arrogance, for hardheaded belief that we can tell the world how to live and what prices to set. You do not want to show your passport to exchange money—it’s actually illegal to exchange money without documents, but why should you care? You are upset with a lower exchange rate, wow being taken for a huge 3% difference ride.

You just seem to enjoy coming to the country with very low level of income and feel like a king with your dollars there. You are trying “to teach” how the countries with “normal market economies” live. Enron, WorldCom, who’s next to show the world “normal market economy”? I doubt that Russians would think twice or hesitate if the prices quoted for them in a foreign country were close or similar to their homeland prices. Only you get upset when you are being charged $10.00 and not a $0.50 for a museum ticket. Why don’t they make it $20 (1/5 of an average salary in Russia) and match the Metropolitan in NYC? Then no Russians will be able to go there at all. However, even in the most expensive museums in the US there are days and times when people with no money can come and enjoy the art. In the future every time you pay $0.50 for a museum ticket, please remember that you are stealing from the museum and those who slaved for over 70 years. I am amazed that you cannot comprehend that the world prices for many Russians would mean being confined to their tiny apartments with no ability to pay for gas, water, electricity or sometimes even food! Here is another point of view to let you know how cheap you are.

Olga Goldberg

Kingston, PA

P.S. I understand that you would not publish something like that in your magazine, but I am satisfied to know that I let you know how I felt when I read your article.

Paul Richardson responds:

Ms. Goldberg:

Thank you for your letter. We welcome and respect your opinions.

In my opinion, certain prices and rates of pay (income taxes; level of service in hotels and plane tickets) should be progressive—based on one’s level of income or willingness to pay. But to base things such as museum, park or public transport user fees (much less currency exchange rates) upon one’s nationality is at best discriminatory, at worst racist.  Student and senior citizen rates for museums? Of course. But students of Russia, Zimbabwe and America should pay the same rate.

Russians with whom I have discussed this dual pricing practice find the policy insulting. I agree.

The solution (which I regret not including in the essay for lack of space) is simple. Plenty of states and principalities impose a small rooms and meals tax that more than makes up for the “burden” tourists place on the local economy. A reasonable ($20-50) entry fee for every foreign tourist would have the same effect.

Still others realize the powerful economic impact of tourism and consider it inhospitable to penalize travelers, who bring valuable income into the local community.

Sincerely,

Paul Richardson