Pavel Popov – Video interview posted below.
The revolution in the Ukraine now makes nightly news. President Obama has tried to convince Vladimir Putin to let the people in the Ukraine control their own lives, let them have freedom to join with Europe for economic reasons. At last report, President Putin has refused.
Locally, one of our own citizens grew up in the Ukraine and communicates with his friends via Skype on his cell phone. Pavel Popov works for Caltrans and he is a ski instructor at Mammoth Mountain. Popov knows how the Ukrainian people feel and what is happening. He communicates with his friends there via Skype over his cell phone. Pavel says he talks to them two or three times during the day or night.
How do people there feel? Popov said they feel better than they did a few weeks ago, but now new developments with Russia mean their lives are full of stress, he said. He confirmed that they want freedom. He said, “Everyone wants to be free, to have work, to have security and to be financially independent. These three things. Right now there is no security, no economics, no job, very low pay and food, gas costs 20% more than in the United States.” Popov said cars cost 20% more than in the US and salary is 10 times less, he said.
Mr. Popov said there was no way life was going to get better. He said the former Ukraine president “made his people slaves.” Now, Popov said, Putin will not let the people be free. He said when people were close to signing an agreement with Europe, Putin cut the price of gas in half. This, he said, did not impress the people and they finally revolted. Popov said he hopes to share what he hears from the Ukraine with the people of the Eastern Sierra. Popov’s own website postings about the Ukraine are here – http://travelwithpavel.com/
Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News - The Community's News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
A ,major reason for Ukraines problems is that in their sixteen years of independence they have not had honest, non corrupt government from any political party. Whether it was Ms Tymoshenko, Mr.Yanukovych, Mr. Yuschenko or their predecessors, non of them have been able to resist enriching themselves and their immediate family with the publics hard earned, the civil service is not independent of political control and state instututions have never been strong enough to hold corrupt officials accountable and protect the public weal.
Something else a German friend points out that the press seems to miss is that Ukraine is an agricultural powerhouse. Neither the EU nor Russia can feed their people from within. Both depend on imported food. The EU would very much like to bring Ukraine into the fold along with their prodigious agricultural output for the simple reason of food security. Russia likewise depends on Ukrainian farmers to feed it’s people and fears loosing that food source.
The most important fights happens to be the most dangerous, You know the fight and struggles to have a gov’t that represents the people, these monetary and economic powers should not merge to the state in the fashion they do today, because the state does have a monopoly on violence, and when that happens, the monetary and economic powers then have immediate access to the monopoly of violence that the state holds over the people….
Whatever happened to “checks and balances”? and do we see so much hypocrisy today that it lost it’s meaning?
As long as we elect our representatives we have no excuses for what they did and no valid reason to engage in revolt. Pay attention, get involved and do a better job of electing competent representatives.
If you remember your history, a major reason for our Revolution was “no taxation without representation”. Well, we elect our representatives and it is elected legislatures that have the sole power to levy taxes and authorize spending. The courts and the executive branches have absolutely no power to do either, so that reason for a revolution simply does not exist in our country. You might not agree with how some money is spent, but you will find equally loyal citizens who agree with that spending. In an elected representative government you seldom if ever get everything you want.
You can grouse from the anonymity of your keyboard, you can get involved by running for office yourself, by becoming a member of a government commitee or becoming involved supporting a candidate or local party organization. Get involved and make a difference.
Look who is accusing someone of anonymity. The representative government we seem to have is representation for the ones who pay legislators the most money.
Benett Kessler
Pavel,
You said…”The former Ukraine president “made his people slaves.”
question…
With forced medical, everything being taxed, restrictions on public lands, and defiance of public view on the solar project, do you see attributes of your statement happening here in America?
Also, are you related to the Popov family of Russian Vodka fame?
Mongo
“…forced medical, everything being taxed, restrictions on public lands, and defiance of public view on the solar project..”
Yeah, I got a phone call late last night. A gruff, threatening voice told me I had to go to the doctor today. They levied a tax on my haircut and I could only park in between two socialist yellow lines. And while I was in the waiting room, they installed a solar panel on the roof of my car and now I can only drive in a circle with a radius equal to the connection to the grid.
Mr. Ken Warner,
You think you have problems; my wife made me get a colonoscopy and its my foot that hurts.
Mongo…
Where do you send pictures in to get put on picture of the week ?I sent one in yesterday to a staff person to see if it was a nice one. thank you and you guys Rock!! with all your news via radio,internet Keep on Rockin!
You can email it to me – [email protected].
See why police state politics don!t work.