N O W , L O O K H E R E !
(publicistics)
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[ Remark: As far as the book is enormously big it is published here, by old habit, in small booklets amounting to about 50 (to 100) KB, containing normally from three to five papers. In this booklet continue the things for journals. To add also that the footnotes, again by established here habit, are marked with "
*
" and placed immediately after the paragraph in [ ... ] brackets. ]
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Contents Of Section "For Journals"
Essay on the common sense
About the turn to the left
How much has to win a company in order to have
gain?
Our people again hoarded goods by higher prices
Too good is not good!
Are we free, or on the contrary?
Political gratitude
Neo-Malthusianism, or rational judgment
Myths about democracy
About the ownership and its future
Just
justice
In ovo e veritas
Oh, 'manci, 'manci -pation!
What we want to tell the world?
In Bulgaria everything is quiet
Political parties in Bulgaria
About the degradation of morality
Is it possible moderate communism in Bulgaria?
Essay on the common sense — II
... new for journals
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OUR PEOPLE AGAIN HOARDED GOODS BY HIGHER PRICES
The market system exists all around the world for many millenniums now and can be even said that the market is undefeatable as the very life. Saying "market" I mean place, structure, or organization, where gathered together many people, who present something, what is superfluous for them (called sellers), and another group of people, who look for something, what is necessary for them (called buyers). It has existed even in the times of primitive communes, has existed during Confucius, in ancient Babylon, while Socrates and Aristotle were alive, in the times of Christ, Mohamed, Napoleon, Marx, and also in the artificial communist society it was not entirely rejected, but only suppressed introducing price ceilings and various anti-market mechanisms.
It doesn't matter how the change of values is performed: goods for goods, goods for service (or relations of any kind), or for some invented specially for the purpose beads, seeds of plants, shells, metal plates (regardless of their character — of precious, non precious, semi-precious or "slightly ennobled" materials), and also for some specially printed pieces of paper, after the invention of stamping press. (By the way, maybe it is interesting to know, that the words: money,
,
,
— Bulgarian Gypsy jargon —, and others, originate from the name of one fragrant ... herb, useful for peristalsis of the bowels and called
in Russian,
in Bulgarian, or mint in English, where it means also the place where these "mint"— in Bulgarian also
— is made, because the real estates are the real values.) It doesn't matter also by whom the offer and purchase of goods are made — by the very interested persons, or by specialized persons or organizations named traders or dealers or brokers (who break the hands of the seller and the buyer, what signifies the end of deal, though it usually is symbolic — a habit preserve only in competitions on boxing and wrestling).
This, what matters, is that
every market is defined by the very participants in it
— we will call them for shortness sellers and buyers — and for that reason the markets in different countries differ so much. One is the market in London, another in Delhi, third in the Scandinavian countries, fourth in the Orient, fifth and sixth in America or the Far East, and so on. As far as Bulgarian market is dominated by Bulgarians, at least between the buyers (what is a strange thing on the background of this total misery in which we live nowadays), then our market is Bulgarian and, if it has to be qualified with one word only, then this word is "shocking"! I am stating this fact with some sadness, because the shock as medical treatment is applied only in extreme situations, when all other more moderate or
methods happen to be useless; it is the
(last resort, in Latin), and necessity for last measures means that we have lived rather unwise, for to fall in such position. In any event, however, the Bulgarian can be treated only with shocks (and often with no therapeutic effect) and it turns out that he has become used to buy,
, when he waits for the next price increase for to empty his pockets and put something in the fridge. Having in mind that as a nation we are neither more silly, nor more incapable than the Americans, for example, I wish to look more precisely on this our
and find the causes for it.
On the first place, of course, stands our
improbable poverty
. It would have been more proper to say misery. For this reason a lot of Bulgarians "pounce" to buy the cheapest possible food, so that they even eat up the food for animals. For example, the pork belly (fat with bones) is real delicacy, but our people massively buy also duck "lanterns", bare bones, chicken heads and feet, and other things, which in the times of our totalitarian leader "Bai Tosho" (i.e. Todor Zhivkov) were not to be seen on the market, and prepare them
, or at least extract the fat out of them. I don't intend to analyze here the causes for this condition (though it, on the whole, is clear that in times of initial accumulation of capital, in which we now have
, the capitalism is most cruel and harsh for our long-suffered nation, because "money sticks to money", and for this some "dough", as the folks say, is needed), but to explain to our readers how they worsen the situation
, and at the end to propose some "medicine".
However poor we are now we should not forget that the English say that they are not so
for to buy cheaper things! In our case it happens that when all demand only tripe, or lard, or heads, etc., then exactly this food will grow more expensive (relatively), because the animals do not have, say, three heads, or five lungs, or dozen feet, so that it turns out that
the poorest pays
some
part of the food
(of dried sausages, for example)
of more prosperous
— i.e., just according with the saying "the sick carries the healthy"! The only "benefit" in this case is that in this way they can be cheated with smaller sums by some merchants, for the scales weigh weight and not the price (and if the product is cheaper, then they can be cheated less). There is a reason in this, and I have even heard from a fellow-buyer that the sellers are divided in three categories: honest — such that cheat with one scale interval only; common — such that cheat as much as the client allows them (usually a hundred of grams), because they don't keep the scales on the zero (or via other tricks); and inexperienced or "adzhamii" in Bulgarian (i.e. in Turkish), but they become gradually less and less. They cheat on especially big scale when "the water is muddy" and people line up in queues and buy with whole bags.
Anyway, let us return to the question about purchases: in the moment is to be recommended
to buy goods of better quality
and more precisely for the meat — without bones and even tenderloin (unless you have a pet at home and have to think also about him or her). Another my advice to the readers is to forget, as much as it is possible, about fresh sausages and look for other alternatives — minced meat, meat (but not pork one, because all are searching it), white cheese, even meatless food. In the "normal" countries a kilo of fresh sausage (and even of good one) costs as much as two kilos of bread, but by us this proportion is roughly four to one (so that it can be said that in this regard we are about two times "more abnormal" than they are). And what concerns the bread, then we should have known long ago that the increased consumption of bread by us is consequence of our lowered living standard, not of some special culinary traditions of our people! So that, by the by, we must lessen the consumption of bread, what isn't a bad idea.
One more advice:
eat nuts
(chiefly pistachio) — they are rich in proteins, but are only two-three times more expensive that the bread (if you bake them yourself at home, what isn't difficult to learn); they are the ideal and fast breakfast in any time and one does not get fat from them. (Again is parentheses I would like to mention that the Hinduism forbids the consummation of
meat: birds, fishes, even eggs and caviar, because they were the future children of the animals, and this not for a week or two, how it is by our fasts, but
, while nuts and spices are not limited, what means that the nuts simply substitute the meat, due to the fact that every religion collects in itself the ancient wisdom of the people.) The last touch in this relation: until the black bread is still cheaper than the white — eat black one, because this will not last for long time! There is almost no country in Europe where the white bread is preferred before the black one and for that reason it costs as much as the black one, but often cheaper (even in Russia it is so, and in Austria, for example, the only more or less similarly looking like Bulgarian white bread is called "Turkish"!).
Enough about the question on poverty — it is not a sin, and even if it isn't something with which we could have boasted, isn't also a thing of which we have to be ashamed. This, what we could have felt ashamed of, is that we (as a result of our totalitarian past, most of all)
have no market culture
! We have distorted to such an extent the good word "speculate", that have transformed it nearly to a symbol of the evil, and you know that in the English it means contemplate, consider, and in a bit wider sense is used for persons who succeed to extract benefits from something, so to say, with their pure reason, not with work (production), buying and selling goods. It is spoken also about speculative knowledge, meaning knowledge just as mind game, not as something with which one can derive direct gain.
The principal importance of these reflections is that, consciously or not,
the merchants are those, who keep the market
! To put it in technical terms, the merchants play for the market the role
— a role, without which no system could have existed for long time (more so for millenniums). In other words this means: when something grows, then something or someone must decrease it, and vice versa, in order not to burst the system. Exactly this is what the merchants do when they raise the prices if something is massively bought, for to enable the buyers, if they are "normal" ones, to decrease its buying and in this way to make so that there was
of this thing
(as for those, who have already bought of it, also for those, who have not done this, and for the sellers, too); and vice versa. And "thanks God" that this is so, and our market still holds, even by these shocking prices! Today the merchants sell, practically, only 2-3 days in a month (and get their win), where in the left time they just think (i.e. speculate) what kind of trick to use in order to make the buyers to buy. Naturally, for the sellers is better to have
, what will allow them to make regularly their purchases from the producers using regularly received from the clients money and, as it is said (in Turkish, but this is clear in Bulgaria), the "
" was going, yet, if our people are used to buy only on high prices (why — we shall explain soon), then the merchants are those who normalize the situation. Saying it otherwise — if it's not possible to manage without shocks then someone has to apply them! Like we this or not, but such is the truth, and the more Bulgarians perceive it, the better.
Now some concrete advises for the "enlightened", i.e. for those reading in the moment. There are always several
products on the market — say: bread, potatoes, rice, noodles (oat-flakes, if you like), so that when one of them rises — you just buy another one! In normally saturated market and amidst people who do not
the market mechanisms, the prices of alternative products move, generally, in synchrony, and the application of this rule is more difficult, but then it isn't necessary to apply it, where the situation in our country is different. Try to recall that when the rice have jumped up abruptly (a la Bulgarian!) in the beginning of this summer, nobody has yet expected that there will rise also the potatoes and, most of all, the bread — simply the people have decided to buy en masse only rice (like the Chinese) and it has risen until was restrained from above by the international prices (approximately one German mark for a kilo on the average, by retail prices), then it stopped (until the people have eaten it up, and as far as we are not Chinese, after all, then this has continued for 4-5 months) and now it has begun again to go up.
Similar was the situation with the potatoes, only with a delay of pair of months, so that those, who have bought themselves a bag of potatoes by 60 lv in August, in November consumed them exactly twice more expensive (taking into account also the bank interest, which in one month have reached 25%, and also the wastage, which the potatoes give during the storage, especially if they are lavishly nitrated), and now, when they have eaten them and gone again to buy, the prices have risen again. Similarly happened also with the onion. Likewise also with the white cheese, then the meat caught up the cheese and surpasses it (because it turned out that it is more suitable than the cheese for long-term keeping by deep freezing) and the meat reached 700 lv (and later fell to 450 lv, and this for the veal, which is considered better all around the world, and without bones). Now the minced meat stays at "surprisingly low" prices of 350 to 400 lv, or one US dollar, according to the exchange rate in the moment, but what is to be done when the people have filled their freezers, though at least in January it will jump up on 30-50%, if the meat will not fall lower than 600 lv, what is hardly possible by this dollar rate. And so on.
In short: averaged on a longer period of time (an year or more) all
normal, but before the eyes of contemporaries happen price shocks (or
-jumps in Bulgarian, if you like it better so, but the etymological root here must have been the same). This will not happen if, when the rice goes up, people cease to buy rice and reorient themselves to potatoes, and when the latter rise in price begin to buy bread, or meat, or this, what in the moment is sold at acceptable prices. (By the way, almost nobody knows, that one standard egg must weigh approximately 60 gram, or in one kilo there must be nearly 17 eggs, but in no case less than 16, and without this idea one can hardly compare the prices of protein products.) The rule is extraordinary simple (but, as it is known from ancient times, the world is full with paradoxes and the simplest things are accepted with utmost difficulties) and it is the following:
move at counterflow to the others in the market
! Inasmuch as people nowadays believe to no one, there is no danger that all will begin to move at once in counterflow, so that your success is guaranteed.
The more curious thing is that in this way you not only will help the
(what is true, but it is also true that the human being has never been altruist in his nature), but that you
will help also yourself
not to buy on high prices (exactly in the same way as the merchant, who is entirely indifferent to the interests of clients, turns to be the backbone of the market, which is designed and profitable mainly
). If the things have not been really so mutually linked, then the market wouldn't have survived till the present days.
The situation is even more drastic on the
money market
, no matter that there they are pretty obvious and one could easily become oriented in the tendencies (or trends, if we don't want to fall behind the contemporary Anglicization on Americanization of Bulgarian language). As it turns out, in this year for roughly eight months the hard currency has already risen in price six times, where in the same time our lev in the best case (in government securities, GS) have done this approximately two and a half times (what means that there are different kinds of "mint" and some of them have not at all good effect on the Bulgarian stomachs). This, what is obvious in this case, is that in the change bureaus and banks are written both courses (buy / sell), and this, from what they profit, is
— low or high (that everything is relative was clear to the people long before Einstein has declared his meaning on the question), but
between both courses, where no merchant will begin to explain to you on which prices he has bought his goods — this is his own domestic cuisine
*
. Then, if we proceed from the purely Bulgarian rule of the
(around Sofia), that "I don't want that I feel good, I want that my neighbour Vute feels bad", it becomes entirely obvious that one must buy hard currency
from this, i.e. when the margins are narrowest. This is really justified because then you are most convinced that you buy the product (currency) on its cost price, where otherwise, when the margins are 20-30 lv, you, surely, fill the "throats", or pockets, of change dealers.
[ * Well, in the interest of truth, approximately two years later we have become witnesses of the curious decision that the sellers were forced to write also the prices on which they have bought the goods, but surely has sprung up someone from the West to whisper something in the ears of our rulers, because after a month this apparent quirk has been hushed. ]
Together with this the situation with the change of money (or shares) has its specific tinge, namely: as long as one can not predict exactly how the rates will develop, the people divide in two opposed categories (rather according to their way of thinking, for their goals are exactly the same — maximal gain) — the ones are such who buy when the prices go up, because they set on continuing of the tendency, and they are called
(for the reason that these animals strike with their horns upward), and the others are such who buy when the prices fall down, because they hope that the tendency will now change, and they are called
(for the reason that the latter strike with their paw downward). Though this does not change our former reasoning, because here it goes about speculative buying, about investment of
funds, about
on the money or stock exchange, and no one on the West will spent his last savings on such games, especially when the margins are about 10%. (Only that from here one may conclude that our nation consists mainly of "bulls", "cows", or calves, in short — of
, but as far as this doesn't sound nice for us let us not make this conclusion.)
In brief: now isn't at all moment to buy currency (who has wanted could have bought himself in previous years, when nobody hindered us and we could have changed up to 2000 US$ in an year, what exceeds all savings of majority of Bulgarians, especially their one-yearly savings by average working salary, not in this disastrous year, of 80-100 US$; or then wait a pair of months more), unless we wish to make easier the realization of Money Board via even higher impoverishing of our nation (lessening the sum of money which has to be guarantied)
**
.
[ ** And it happened later exactly so, of course. ]
The last distinguishing feature of our market from the markets in countries with normal market economy is obvious remnant of our totalitarian past, and this is our
constant fear
, that something on the market will end.
ends on the market, with the exception of people's money! And this fear compels the Bulgarian, especially who is in advanced age (but half of the buyers are pensioners) to buy always on higher prices, because otherwise they would have become even higher. It is true that everything becomes more expensive (because our lev devalues with frightful speed), but not before the personal reserves of people decrease and it turns that, for one thing, they have bought things on high prices, and, for another thing, they will
buy dear, when they finish their supplies! Besides, it is
to suppose that an average citizen will happen to be cleverer than the merchant, who is occupied only with this, and as far as the buyer also
in his own way (because when he goes to the market he thinks how to spend less money but to buy more things, i.e. also to extract personal gain), then neither part has rights to accuse the other one.
So that, dear readers, think of yourself and don't buy high-priced goods and in big amounts, in addition to the things for direct consummation. Do not bother much about your poverty, be wealthy in spirit! Buy at wholesale only when something turns to be cheap, not when you are used to do this (there are habits, but there can also be "dishabits", as our folks say). At least one third of the people can do their pickles for winter (when we are so poor that make alone pickles) in time
from the others at least by a month and, hence, will buy the fresh vegetables cheaper. Buy alternative products — in this way you will buy cheaper, but also will
. Don't buy the most cheap product at all, because in this way you buy more expensively, due to the increased demand. Buy the cheapest thing in the moment, not what you have gone to search, and don't think that if a thing becomes a pair of days cheaper then it will continue to become more cheaper, because when you wait in this manner, say, a week and decide to go the next day
to buy, then it will turn out that it has risen in its price, on account of the fact that you are
and, most probably, are one typical representative of the buyers and your insignificant influence has become quite important. In other words:
don't hinder the market, for not to allow it to impede you in its turn
!
Do not forget the brilliant thought of great Ostap Bender (from the book "The Golden calf" of Russian writers Ilf and Petrov) that: "Salvation of the drownings lies in the hands of the very drownings!" There is much more truth in this joke than in the heap of phony "truths" that you may hear today at any time. Because this is, in fact, rephrasing of the old rule: "Help yourself, and God will also help you!".
December, 1996
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TOO GOOD IS NOT GOOD!
Say our people, and one has to believe a whole nation, because it is cleverer than its politicians, if not for other reason, then because it has lived much longer than they have. Besides, there hardly exists nation where similar saying is not present, as much as this is a variety of biblical "over-holy saint isn't loved by God", so that this wisdom is common for all mankind. And its application here is about our euphoria of the Money Board.
If we consider the things in chronological order then the
first
conclusion, which we should have made (if we are capable at all to make conclusions), is that if we have had some mutual understanding and strong hand (instead of our "pl
ralism", for example, where in Bulgarian "
" — and "j" is read as Latin 'i' — means to ... spit, here on the others), we could have alone made some kind of Money Board, because, surely, nobody has made such board to Germany, or USA, England, France, Canada, or some of the Scandinavian countries, but are made boards to countries in Latin America and
of the former Socialist Bloc, i.e. to countries where, by one or other reason,
. And we could have even made ourselves such board, that the Americans would have begun to be envious of us, because this, what has had to be guarantied are
all
circulating in the country money, but only the current income for everybody, like salaries and pensions, and even not all of them but only some
of them, for the bread and sausages are sold not for foreign currency!
Having in mind that the expenses for salaries in a decent company (with at least 20 persons staff) do not exceed 5-6% of the turnover of the company, and accepting the rule to be paid in hard currency only 1/3 of the salary, it turns out that the necessary currency amounts to
of the turnover. Similarly has had to be proceed with the salaries in budget institutions, and also with the pensions and scholarships, which have had to be partially paid in hard currency, where for this purpose could have been used, if necessary, the blocked currency means from the fallen in bankruptcy (farsightedly, in the times of our communist leader Zhan Videnov) banks, not because this is rightful, but because these money the people, anyway, can't see for the moment and receive them only in tranches (portions)! Naturally, after advanced estimation, could have been relied also on new loans from the West. In any case, our average salaries in democratic times were somewhere about 50-80 US$ (where they have fallen below this, but never have risen above 120), and the pensions were roughly equal to the minimal salaries, so that as average income of a Bulgarian can be taken 60 dollars per month (this, obviously, is increased estimation, but let us calculate in the worst case), or 1/3 of this gives 20 US dollars. This is the amount, which our country should have been able to pay on the average to every citizen receiving salary or pension from a budget institution, in hard currency; the above-mentioned "decent" companies definitely could have been able to ensure about 2% of their turnover in such currency (how they also do this somewhere on their own).
The condition for the possibility to introduce such Bulgarian Board could have been merely to perform the estimation of our salaries not in absolute money units, i.e. not in levs (and even not in some hard currency), but as coefficient to the minimal monthly salary (MMS) in the country, which, so or otherwise, must have been often corrected in the Parliament, where in very turbulent times this could have been done even each month. What concerns this coefficient, then this approach is long ago used in practice (even in the times of our "Bai Tosho" have existed uniform staff tables, only that their usage was compulsory, but the rejection of compulsion does not mean that these tables should not been used with recommendatory character — in the same way how the exclusion of religion from ruling of the state during Renaissance does not mean forbidding of religions at all —, neither rejection of the use of a suitable
scale for comparison); similar tables are used by retirement, also by labour syndicates. If one is appointed to work with 1.78 MMS, for example, and if it is known that 1 MMS in the moment is equal to, say, 50,000 lv, then there is no problem, neither for the accounting department of the company, nor for the very person, to compute his (or her) salary for the given month and how much hard currency he has to receive. In doing this it looks natural that he will receive 1/3 of his money in levs as advance payment, another 1/3 again in levs as salary, and the last third in hard currency (it doesn't matter when) in order to make savings, if he wants (and if he can), up to whole banknotes, and what remains is to be transferred in the next month.
This, about what even the Americans could have been envious of us, is that there are no problems (except the desire, of course) to compute the hard currency as
in equal parts from three main currencies, by 1/9 MMS for each, so that when one of them rises and another falls the citizen will lose nothing (as far as this is called money basket it turns out that in this way each Bulgarian will slowly and diligently "weave his basket"); it could have been made even so that by the monthly announcing of MMS its corresponding parts are expressed in each of the currencies (according to the averaged for the last month price) and in levs — for alleviation of calculations. All this
made (but it was not made — because too many democrats have gathered on a small place)!
The
second
thing, which can be seen also with a naked eye, is that
was at all
to be introduced, then this could have been done
, or in June 1996, because even in May last year the dollar has risen twice above its set till that time value of roughly 67 lv for 1 US$, and when something changes two times each normal person must begin to think (weaker changes usually are not felt by people)! Only that then the red (i.e. the former communists) have not allowed a single thought about board to penetrate their minds, the blue ones (i.e. the democrats from the Union of Democratic Forces, UDF) were not in position to do this, and the other colours of rainbow, figuratively speaking, did not "spin the wool". The situation is very similar to that when a man courtships some damsel for a long time but always unsuccessfully until it was young girl, and his desire becomes reality after some 25-30 years, when he by inertia "seduces" her, but then she does not expect this at all and out of excessive desire to go with whoever man happens lies down at once.
It is true that one usually does not what should be done but what
be done, but it is also true that the main thing that distinguishes the intelligent person (or party, or nation, if you like) is that he does exactly the
, or does nothing at all! For twelve months our national currency devaluated, roughly speaking, 12 times, so that the West bought us exactly
. And mark that here I don't accuse the West in anything, because it (or they) waited with big endurance for us to begin to ask it genuflected on our knees, as if it has no interest at all in introducing of this Board and does it out of pure unselfish charity (in the same way as a masterful fisher does not begin to make noise to the fishes and invite them to go out on the strand to look what a tasty thing he will give them, but just throws some ground-bait to them and threaded the bait on the hook — if the fish becomes alone caught on it than this is its personal "democratic" decision).
Anyway, after March the dollar has calmed down enough and followed only the normal for our country inflation of approximately 50% in an year and it was clear that it has nowhere else to jump, because the free market existed (via the change bureaus) and people have succeeded to spent their "totalitarian" levs — this was a natural process, something like the ripening of a
, for example, which simply must mature in order to pass; suppressing this process was not clear where this could have conducted us. The red have succeeded to establish some speed of 2 to 3 times yearly impoverishment (taking into account the devaluation of our lev and the interest from government securities and deposits in the still left banks), what more or less ("awry-left", as we say) harnessed the situation; the people were to such extent dumbfounded by the big interests on their deposits and were not at all in condition to calculate how much they were
, but there is nothing to be done, the
, so that they were to be gathered in the hands of richer ones, and the poor ones (who knows why?) had no desire to give willingly their money! Then, if we continue our analogy with the pimple, it might have really happen that one, walking in the yard, slips on a, I beg to be excused by the readers, fresh cow thing, and falling down sticks his hand with the pimple in it, after which wiping from the hand adhered to it "dirt" he, in fact, will smear better the pimple with this new "ointment". If on the second day after this happened that the pimple now heals, it is normal that even a clever man (more so our politicians) will imagine that this is the best medicine in such cases, isn't it?
Till here it comes out that if the Board does not help us much, then it at least does not harm us. But this is not so because there emerges a
third
thing, which is also obvious — the Board exists, hence it "feeds" on something, and this, naturally, are the poor Bulgarian people. If we take that there are engaged only one-two thousand persons in it, where the half of them are, either foreign financiers, or receive salaries like for foreign financiers, this means that their salaries have to be somewhere between 1,000 and
US$, and if we take not the average but the minimal such salary as basis, then even a first-grader will calculate that a thousand by thousand makes a million green American dollars (not highly suffered Bulgarian levs, having shrunken not to centimes but to "millims"), and this each month and nobody knows for how long. So that the Board definitely harms, all the time!
The
fourth
obvious thing, which also is not a plus, is that the Board
, because without its approval we not only can't execute our national financial policy, but are forced also to correct, as a number of financial standards, also quite many social and political aspects of our ruling (they might have not been ideal, but they now
will not be suitable for us). One politician, or large-scale ruler, can now not, so to say, go to the toilet, if he has not the consent of the Board. The latter becomes one additional big owner in the country, together with the state, or, as is often said, a state in the state, or rather a state
our state, and this owner begins now to buy everything that can be bought, for pennies, because when one has nothing to eat one sells literally everything out. The Board buys our banknotes, but it does
them at all, so that it hurries to get rid of them buying shares in companies and banks, homes and buildings, machinery and equipment, because it works on its own business account, or works only
, like every other company! This, surely, will continue until it succeeds to convert our money in goods for itself, and/or Bulgarian money will become one small part it its assets. This, that the state is the biggest exploiter of the population, is known from the times of ancient Rome, or ever since the state exists as institution, but this should not arise whatever doubt at least in the people who have lived under the totalitarianism, where it was the only (and for that reason the biggest) exploiter; now emerges another one and superior owner — God help our people! And again, of course, the very Board is
to be blamed, because: who can accuse the cat that it eats mice? This is, saying it in Latin,
, or in the course of the things.
The
fifth
thing for everybody, who has lived at least five years of his conscious life in Bulgaria, and at least half an year in some normal Western country, is that the Board is simply
for us in various aspects, because our, let us call it original, Bulgarian, view to the world and way of life rejects many Western settings and principles. As much as we try to enter in Europe we are, still, Orient (or, if you like, "hybrid" of Europe with the Orient). The clever people have long ago come to the conclusion that Europe ends where people begin to ... drink our (i.e. Eastern)
, to say nothing about our tastes on coffee, bread, women, if you like, songs, and so on. For the Board, however, the economic indicators are important, so that let us speak about them. When on the West they lessen some price this is done at least on 25% and normally on 50%, because otherwise nobody will buy the thing, where in Bulgaria the word "cheap" has directly magical effect (and, by the way, this word in Bulgarian sounds like 'evtino', we pronounce it like 'e
tino', and I suppose that this is related with the Turkish
meaning ecstasy), but at the same time
diminishing of some price by 10-15% is a rare phenomenon, to say nothing about higher one. Although in Bulgaria the prices are around the Western ones, they, nevertheless, remain approximately two times lower than there (with the major exception of the prices on homes, which are as much high, if not even more, like those in the very center of Europe — in Vienna, for example). This is to be explained with our exceptionally low living standard under the democracy — not so low as in Albania, but, after all, our state begins not with the letter "a", but with the next one, so that it is normal to expect that we will be on the second place in poverty. The salaries by us are not a pair of times lower than in the normal Western countries, but somewhere in
lower, and the Bulgarian works a whole month for less than one
salary on the West.
As a result of this happen, and will happen, various different market anachronisms; by us are sold, and will be sold, products with lowest possible quality in the region, people feed themselves with any kind of garbage, what makes it possible for the price of cat and dog food to reach the prices of white cheese (the main milk product in Bulgaria), and even higher; in Bulgaria does not exist, either open to the world market, or the old centrally ruled supply with goods, when people had at least accessible for all
— now, despite the relatively high quality of some products, the population massively consummates products with lower quality than in the times of our "Bai Tosho", and this on significantly higher (in proportion to the average working salary) prices.
Naturally that, according to the Board, by us the situation should have been such, that, for example, a kilo of bread was equal in its price to a kilo of sugar, or like liter sunflower oil, or like two kilos rice, or even as much as
a kilo fresh sausages; that one ticket for the city transport costs as high as 8-10 eggs; that a kilo pineapple was equal to two kilos apples; that one egg was as half kilo of potatoes, and so on, but for the moment this is hardly achievable in Bulgaria and must exist also some additional control over the prices (like, e.g., different taxes on sheep and cow white cheese — because the cow one is not very tasty and is much of everyday type, or for the common folks in these hard times —, or lower prices on bread, etc.), what hinders the market. Our market has its specifics and the normal relationship, as it seems, must not differ much from that under the communist socialism in which we have lived (because on the West people have long ago built their socialism, though very often don't call it so), but this is
relationship which the Board dictates us. On the background of this expensiveness for our people (but otherwise abnormally
in relation to Europe prices) the homes are unrealistically expensive for the conditions that they propose, for one thing, because they are not enough, and for another thing, because they are the only real matter in which people can invest their money, and which can't be stolen from them.
As it was expected, the Board must have given somewhere a "crack" — not in sense that it is impossible to perform it, or to maintain, because we have up to such extent devalued as a nation, that now everyone can buy and sell us — but meaning that its existence does not lead to something very good for us! By one real inflation in Bulgaria of 50-60% in an year (or by 5% monthly) a bank interest of 5-6%
(not monthly) is as funny and ridiculous, as March temperatures in December, to give an example. The Board must have stopped the inflation of prices, but it just tied the lev to the German mark, though the prices continue to rise, and they will continue until they reach the prices from the times of "Bai Tosho" by the old basis of one totalitarian lev (tlv) equal to one US$ (98 tot. cents = 1 US$, if we want to be more precise).
By the contemporary basis of 1,800 democratic levs (dlv) equal now to 1 US$, was necessary to expect that, for example: the bread has become 900 dlv for a kilo (the white bread after the last corrections of prices under "Bai Tosho", in order not to explicitly rise in its price, has remained again 40 cents, but has become 800 grams, what gives half a dollar for a kilo); the cow white cheese has reached 4,600 dlv, and the sheep one — 6,500 dlv; the good meat (pork and veal) — 9,000 to 10,000 dlv, and the mutton — about 5,000 dlv, then the chicken should have become about 5,000 dlv
*
, and the decent minced meat should has risen to 7,000 dlv (and this tendency surely will show itself when the people cease to hoard white cheese and begin to buy more meat — somewhere about October, November, probably); the sunflower oil must have to stop at about 2,000 dlv per liter; the sugar too, but it is not excluded that it remains for a long time below 1,500 dlv, because we have good own production; the rice, surely, has risen (and even surpassed) its ceiling of 1 German mark; the eggs are moving to their normal price of 220 dlv.; the potatoes must be 20-30 cents or about 500 dlv; the onion will even this winter reach 1,000 dlv and will stop; and so with other goods.
[ * Later on this happened, and after our inclusion in the European Union (2007) these prices (converted to euros, because then the dollar fell down much, due to the war in Iraq) have risen even higher. ]
There, where we have our own production, the prices must be derived from the totalitarian prices, and where they are established from abroad — based on the international prices (for example: bananas — 1 US$, coffee — from 4 to 5 US$, tea, black pepper and other spices — 7-10 US$ pro kilo, etc.), where the
of both variants is taken. It is true that we speak here generally about foodstuffs but according to the well known by us rule for sportsman, that "the result of wrestling is determined by the food", it turns out that everything follows the prices of common foods. The important thing is that the Board tied our lev, but did
tie the prices
, i.e. has not stopped the inflation, as our people expected
**
. To say nothing about our bad luck in this that, after being used for decades when saying hard currency to understand US dollars, we have decided to tie us to a currency which had begun alone to devaluate with frightful speed, as if we succeeded to pull down with us also the German mark, as have done with our country.
[ ** Well, after some time the inflation stopped, because the people have had no more money to buy whatever, but this does not at all change the above-expressed judgements, because our prices simply forced low price for the US dollars and in this way
us form the West, like in the totalitarian times. This isolation of the market and the Bulgarian (when he travels abroad), in fact, is the only real gain for us from the Board, looking at this from a distance of 3-4 years. But these unreal prices, i.e. the contradiction in price of hard currency according to the Board and that one, which we could have had by a really free market for our products, is severe blow over the production and also gives somewhere cracks, like for example by rising of the prices in year 2000, which has begun with the eggs, has gone through the meat, and from there to other goods. Besides, the communal expenses should have also significantly jumped up, according to the Board, what is again bad for our people. And so on. ]
Under market regulated economy everyone must buy as much as possible, in order to create working places for the other people around him, but the Bulgarian, the poor he becomes, the more he economizes his money, so that the poor (in their way) merchants just wonder what to do in order to make the people buy, because, however demagogically this sounds, but
are those, on whom in the moment our economy lies, and they wholly deserve to be erected to them some monument (on the place of that of the "former" Soviet Army, for example — and why not, when it is so ornamented and defamed, how happened with many others, let us call them, "cultic" buildings?). Instead of this the folks spit on them from every side, and so they are just
to do something (well, due to the care for their pockets, surely, but the "point" is exactly in this, in a well maintained society — that everybody looks after his own interests, but from this
benefit!). They, naturally, have understood that the Bulgarian either buys expensive, or does not buy at all (the damned anxiety neurosis and ignorance of main market mechanisms) and are now ready to sell him everything thrice more expensive, just to make him buy, but it comes the Board and freezes bank interests, and the people, instead of to rush to buy what only they can (because: what need is for them of the left totalitarian levs, when wherever they keep them they only lose?), they begin to quieten and decide anew that the cheap is expensive for them and wait until the prices jump again up, for to hurry then to buy again. In other words, The Board is Board, but we are Bulgarians!
The
sixth
, now
obvious thing, which again speaks bad about the Board, is that it enslaves us not only in the moment, but for the future, alike the rule, that who is born in serf family alone becomes a serf! I mean that the major part of money the Board will invest in various banks, and by this low interest percentage is supposed that, sooner or later, people will wish to take loans, but this loans are not given, say, on showing of diplomas or after making fair promises, but against mortgage of property
***
. In the normal countries is supposed, maybe, that at least 10% of the mortgaged property remains in favour of the banks, but by our "green" capitalism in the epoch of initial accumulation of capitals, I am afraid, this percentage will reach 30%. But even these citizens who will not be ruined (and companies, surely, but I think about personal property of the wide majority of
firms which sell something in their cellars and various corners of the streets, and make mortgage not on a second or third home, but on their family one), signing long-term loans, in fact, enslave their children to pay the money with
work! This is entirely real perspective, because this second state in our state is, indeed, a big owner on the market and we, want this or not, are bound to take it in consideration. (The economists will maybe protest to this and say that this is not really so, for the Board does not buy anything
, but this is just another mistake, because the West has not gone mad to give us money for nothing and again nothing, i.e.
buys our property and banks and so on. Hiding the
persons under the form of some association does
eliminate the consequences of their activity, but we are used to see some escape goats or a concrete state, which owns us, and if we can not show such objects we think that everything is in order. O, sancta simplicitas!)
[ *** The wave of massive loans offered by all banks has begun about 2005 and this enslaving in now fact. Naturally, it is fact also on the West, because in the society of common prosperity the easiest way to enslave someone is to allow him to live for some time in abundance and then threaten him that he will lose everything, but there the things are more or less balanced, people don't wager everything they have, the unemployment and uncertainty in life are not so high as by us, so that we again happen to be victims. Even if all things are done properly, by us again everything becomes messed due to the disregard of local conditions. ]
The
seventh
and last minus of applying the Board in Bulgaria is our attachment to other markets, or more precisely to those of highly developed industrial countries, to the "Great Seven" (or ten, or twenty, if you like), what is the intimate desire of the stronger on this world, a thing for which were led World War One and especially Two and were given millions of victims — by the simple reason that the stronger countries could have not come then to mutual agreement how to divide the world! It turns out that the thing was very simple, and was necessary only for the great powers to grow a little
, in order to apply in dividing of the world the principle of joint-stock company, where instead of having the whole Bulgaria in its real borders for one country, for example, to take only some
parts of it (there only the peasants by us think that ideal parts of something is a bad thing, but in the city not a owner of apartment in multi-storey building dreams to make a claim on a real part of the lift for him personally, or to raise the slogan "For every citizen his own lift!"). Attaching us to the German mark we do not become province of Germany, in territorial sense, because it is not known (and even if it was known then it is not of our concern) what is the German percentage in our Board, but who has to receive his dividends surely knows this.
And mark that the bad thing for us is not just in this that we change one market for another one, though even if it was only this there would have been again problems while we become accustomed to the new situation, like, for example, when must be performed transition from moving on the streets on the left side to moving on the right one, because the transitional period is the most perilous (as we all must have been convinced in this for the recent years). In the given example there are no reasons for preferences, except the inertia and the habits, where in our case the market of the former Socialist Bloc, especially of contemporary Russia, differs radically from that of the developed Western countries, first of all in
of the things. We and Russia were, and now also are, commensurable, not only as Slavonic countries, but as relatively similarly
in our development status, where we were even in more privileged position of better supplied country (due to our nearness to the center of Europe, where to we strive), and also less in its size and, consecutively, easily manageable. Whereas for the West we were and remain (especially in the last democratic years, where instead of to rise in its eyes we rather compromised ourselves) on a position of "poor relatives" (poor — obviously, and relatives — well, we are not Rwanda, after all).
This does not mean that there can't be some useful symbiosis between ourselves and the West, but that it will be obviously (at least for the author) of lesser use, than if it was performed with some other commensurable with us nations, like: Russia (in the above-explained sense), Turkey (as our stronger neighbour, and also ethnically close for a substantial part of our population), the Arab countries (for which we were and remain a good connecting link with Europe, or if you want trampoline for them, and they are, contrary to us, not at all poor), the Far East (as equally aiming to the Western civilization countries, on a relatively equal productivity level, though they exceed us in many aspects, and equally exotic from the point of view of, say, USA), the European countries like Poland, Czech Republic, Slovaks, Macedonia, and others. But we have preferred, as in the saying about the frog and the buffalo, to heave the foot, for the Western "smiths" to nail us also a horseshoe, because their "horseshoe" is more lustrous! Well, they "horseshoed" us, but this will all the time draw us to the bottom, or to the "cellar" of European house, if you like it so better. We, definitely, will now not become agricultural appendage of the "Euro Reich", because in this dynamical times the things change very fast and nowadays agriculture turns to be ecologically the purest and accessible for development everywhere (even in the cosmos, as is said, and surely much easier in North Europe or America) activity, but we can quietly become its chemical and, generally, industrial appendage, and biological factory for white slaves! I don't state that the slavery is
a bad thing, because it has existed for millenniums on Earth, but, still, in another historical period and ... it's a pity that we were caught so easy — without any fight, but there is nothing to be done — the democracy requires victims!
And the
single plus
(for us) from the Board is that, when we can not govern ourselves alone, we have found our "master", as we like to say. So that, it may occur that every cloud has a silver lining, and we may be, for one thing, white slaves, but at he same time are now democrats. Congratulations!
August, 1997
P.S.
For your information, Hungary has only in 2001 allowed investments in foreign currency and legalized the money market, and for that reason they have no Board, neither needed one.
— — —
ARE WE FREE, OR ON THE CONTRARY?
*
[ * It is published highly shortened version of the material (chiefly of the first chapter) on the 8th page of Bulgarian newspaper "Continent" from 02 Nov. 1998. ]
I. Ascertaining of the enslaved condition
as subordinated and degrading condition of compulsion to do this, what other states dictate us, not what we could have wished as a free nation. It must be noted that nowadays the slavery is significantly evolved in comparison with the time of pharaohs, for example, and is expressed mainly in
compulsion, but as far as the capitalism is power of capitals, then also the compulsion is proper to be only economic, or such that in the end enhances our economic dependence. Despite the fact that this dependence is not always perceivable it existed and is something like the remote control in electronics, yet this does not make it weaker, just more concealed and, therefore, more treacherous! But let us list the most important features of this enslavement:
1. The external economic enslavement
is expressed chiefly via the foreign debt of the country, which must be now somewhere about 1,500 US$ per capita (when it goes about several
the exact calculations can only disorient us). It has not grown absolutely more than on 35% in foreign currency in the democratic years, but taking into account that in the last totalitarian years one minimal monthly salary (MMS) was roughly 200 US$ (not only according to the official rate, but also in relation to its purchasing power, or measured with some consumer basket), and the average salary was about 350-400 US$ (and a working person could definitely buy himself, for example, a
with his monthly salary, if only he wanted), and under all of the last Governments MMS has varied about 25-30 US$, and the average — between 60 and 80, then this shows lessening of about
of our ability of paying out our foreign debt by the transition to democracy (i.e. before it was about 1,000 US$ per capita or roughly 3 averaged working salaries, and now it is nearly 2
salaries).
2. The internal economic enslavement
is expressed in possession of property in our country by foreign people and organizations. The so called inflow of capitals by us, naturally, is expression of enhanced economic dependence, but here it does not go about small sums or percentages of our national wealth so that to discuss the point, and when you give everything valuable what you have in order just to survive, this is pure enslavement. In the first half of 20th century the well developed industrial countries have led devastating wars for to divide between themselves the influence over the lagging behind countries; they were then
for to reach agreement as gentlemen and have resorted to the
(or the last means), though they have preferred that the others "pulled the chestnuts out of the fire". Now the Great Seven (or how many they are there) have simply decided to apply to the dividing of the world the
principle of
and have built various international financial institutions, where they can invest their free and not used in the moment capitals, and with their use to buy "ideal parts" of many, left much behind themselves, countries. Even if we also have some advantages of their help they have much more advantages (political, and from here also economic, and the peacekeeping forces of United Nations cost much money), but this does not change the fact that we are bought, and, hence, enslaved. All foreign capitals in Bulgaria mean export of capitals from us across the border, not only influx (initially).
3. The choice of incommensurable with us master
is the next characteristic of this enslavement. Here it goes about changing of Russophilic trends in Bulgaria with Russophobic, what could have been questionable thing if we were Eskimos, for example, but as far as we are Slavs it is logical to choose for us Slavonic "center of rotation" (or "bigger brother" if you want). When we wished so much to run away from the "gravitation" of the Russians, then why have we not adhered to the Czechs (which were leading country in Europe before World War Two and now are again manifesting themselves as such, and, besides, they are also Slavs and Cyril and Methodius in their time have gone from our lands and come exactly in theirs); or, if the ethnical side is not so important, then to the Turks or the Arabs, because they also, like us, want to enter in Europe, only that they are much wealthy than we are, but in recompense for this we
in Europe, so that we have common interests (and in addition to this by us approximately 20% are ethnical Turks and roughly as much are Gypsies and such orientation would have been quite natural)?
Anyway, it is clear that such small country like Bulgaria can't be entirely independent from the others and must turn around some greater power, but it is very important that there existed some commensurability with the master, in order, figuratively speaking, to can sit down with him at one table, and in the time of Russian "domination" of our country only by us from all socialist countries were not placed Russian army troops, and the whole Russian population considered us as "utmost their" people. As in one team of horses the most discontented are the stronger and faster horses (because they are who do the major work), and most of all gain the smaller and weaker horses, so also from the socialist "horse team"
we
! At the same time now, however politely behaved toward us, the Americans, Germans, French, and so on, their relations to us can be only such of a patron to patronized person, and these are relations of cultured slave owners to their slaves, or, if you like it better so, of
— they will feed us, and water us, and entertain us with various contemporary media, and will give us all their old things (still working but obsolescent for them), because it is a pity and not Christian to throw something useful away to the garbage (where to give it to some pauper is another thing — in this way one can at least earn some indulgence for the afterlife), and will give us present-day technologies for to make it possible to develop our chemical industry and other harmful branches, and will help us even in the nuclear energy (because when something happened by us the wind asks nobody whereto to blow), and will also beat their breasts and trumpet that they do this only out of sincere love to democracy.
Never
, though,
will they accept us as brothers
(and be it as bigger brother to the younger one — why not, when it was really so?). Albeit more backward in regard of living standard than United States, for example, Russia is, still,
, which is respected by this very US, but for us now this isn't so and we prefer (in our foolishness, for there is no other explanation) to be slaves, instead of to sit at one table with the Russians (what does not necessarily mean that we must "gulp their broth", because we can alone mix our own concoction).
4. The selective emigration
of most capable and pushy part of our youth in the developed Western countries, the so called "
brain drain
", is the next point in our examination. While in totalitarian times there were much talks about this but it was not mass phenomenon, nowadays there is not much noise but roughly half a million Bulgarians (out of less than 8 mln), mainly young, are permanently (more than 10 months in an year) out of Bulgaria. Gathering of the elite or "cream" of a nation is guarantied method for placing it in dependence on others, and the fact that the "cream" only gains by this does not mean that the country does not lose! All programs for help in the science and education in our country on the part of the West are directed to attracting of young and talented Bulgarians to their countries, what, under the situation that our living standard now is
lower than by them, means that at least 3/4 of them will afterwards emigrate in the developed countries, and those who return, if they are still in reproductive age (and if they are older than 35 then the West, as a rule, does not accept them, neither for study, nor for emigration), leave there their offspring. In a sense this means that we are becoming, so to say,
for the developed countries, what is even
worse than the
in times of Ottoman Rule (young boys taken to be trained for soldiers), because then were taken only very young boys (for them to be easy to forget pretty soon their parents and serve faithfully the new masters, a thing, which by the exceedingly high mortality rate in that times, was accepted as natural disaster), while now emigrate already brought up and of full age citizens, in the interval of 18 to 25 years, when their parents can not thing about more children, and the state has, in one or another degree, taken care for them and has all reasons to require some repayment of the investment.
5. The tragically low living standard
is the next moment that in maximally direct way supports the increase of economic enslavement. However bad we have lived earlier we have never reached such, worse than "African", level of living standard, and our minimal salary has not fallen below 80-100 US$ in month, while now we have reached even to the curiosities of less than 20 dollars. It is clear that when it goes about survival we are ready to kiss hand (or whatever they give us), only to secure our everyday bread, but exactly by such low standard of life comes the most dangerous and long lasting slavery. More than this, when the state deducts taxes from people with tragically low incomes, then it can't find anything (or finds almost nothing) for the traditional state sectors like: education, healthcare, army, forces for keeping of internal order, strategic sectors, sciences, unprofitable but needed industry, even agriculture (because who has some arable land he does not work it, or sows only for himself, and who has no land he has nothing to cultivate). The poor person can be bought by everybody and exactly in this way the Board has bought us, where the irony of the situation is in this, that we even have
it on our knees.
6. The adoration of everything foreign
(also called xenomania), is by itself expression of obvious discontent of the individual from the environment in which he is placed, but this is also another sign of enslavement, because there is no slave who is contented with his situation and will not be from the "others". As a small state we have often tried to accept something from abroad, but, having in mind that we have given the world Slavonic alphabet, to fall so low not to want to buy, were it clothing, we it even toothpaste, if it is labeled in Bulgarian, and to fill our language with a heap of foreign words, just
(not because they are better than our Bulgarian ones, and, you may bet, not because we are much cultured, when very often write them with Bulgarian letters), leads to gradual
assimilation
! And by this I don't at all think that the major contribution of Cyril and Methodius was in the devising of the alphabet (because this is just some symbolic, combination of Greek and Latin letters, a thing which even
in present days), but in the
; neither am I speaking against foreign languages, just against the spiritual enslavement of our country. It may be silly to be proud with everything ours only because it is ours, but this is at least natural, where to be ashamed of everything ours (again by the same reason) means reconciliation with the slavery.
II. Causes for the enslavement of Bulgaria by the developed countries
It must be obvious that the enslavement (without any reasons for this) became possible only
through the fault of
our
transition to democracy
! First of all, out of reasons of general character, is clear that, as by the people, so also by the states, are possible two ultimate conditions in regard of the freedom — one is the whole independence of the others (or anarchy), and the other is total dependence of the stronger (or dictatorship). But this implies the evident conclusion that under the utmost freedom of personality (respectively, of state) reveals himself only the stronger one (in one or other aspect), where under the dictatorship the more stronger suffer at the expenses of the weaker ones, what may not be quite correct (right
, etc.), but, in recompense, is
(different, left, i.e. what remains besides the right — such is the etymology of these words and it is good to remind it, because in Bulgarian it is not like in the other languages — for us the right side is called "
", and the right things are "
" or "
", i.e. the roots are different)! But the weak people (or states) have also their right of existence (because the diversity is the most precious thing in our world, which makes it interesting). So that it was clear (and this was proved) that from the former Socialist Bloc Bulgaria, above all, has gained, while now we, generally, lose, due to the fierce competition with the other countries.
But let us look at the reasons more profound and divide them in: internal and external, and also in objective and subjective, as it was done for many centuries. The external causes are these, which are outside of our country, and, naturally, we can consider as external objective reasons this, what is out of the abilities of people, i.e. some natural disasters like spontaneous conflagrations (as in Australia, for example), or earthquakes (as in Japan, for example), or landslides and floods (as in China), or stories like in Chernobyl, or such droughts where for 3-4
in succession does not fall a drop of water (like in some regions of Africa), and similar things. It is clear that nothing of the kind has befallen our heads (except some industrial accidents, due to incompetence of the management and grown old equipment, but even they have not exceeded ten human victims). We live, really, in a blessed by God corner, which, however, have succeeded for the initial democratic years ruin to such an extent, that maybe now even God could not succeed to help us more! The next causes are external subjective, i.e. some foreign enemy, some country has declared war to us, or at least has
to do this — but then it must have been mad, for in such case it should have been obliged also to feed us!
What regards the internal objective causes, then these could have been some civil wars (as in our western neighbours, for example), but even this has not happened in Bulgaria (thank God!), maybe because we are peaceful people and by us still existed one good (although defeatist) saying that "the bent head is not cut by the sword". Be it as it may, but the national question, about which was much noise in its time, has passed away peacefully and quietly, and this, that some people have panicked — well, there is, generally, nothing good in the panic —, and quite many Bulgarian citizens have left our country — well, but in the recent years much more Bulgarians have done the same. There remained only the internal subjective causes, i.e. that some evil dictator or gone crazy monarch has remained for so long on the throne that he was not to be moved from it "even with a cannonball" — yes, but no, because for the last democratic years we have changed whatnot governments, have tried also with caretaker ones, and without governments at all, but the damned governmental cart still does not move properly! We have not changed before his term only the President (well, we tried it in the beginning of 1997, yet he did not want to leave the post), but this is because we have given him such "feeble" powers, that he can only rename some street or other.
And, for to finish with the causes, let us give one more argument — the comparison with the others ex-communist countries, as our brothers in destiny. If we look around us in Europe we will see that in the given moment we live as if worse even than the Russians, who, roughly 30 times more than us, must be also very difficult to be governed, but it is not exactly so. And about the other European countries like Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and so on, there is no need to speak, but well, let us leave them — they at least are nearer to the "navel" of Europe (to Vienna). So or otherwise, but for the moment we are on the second place in poverty after Albania (in what there is some reason, for they are before us in alphabetical order, right?). As it happens in practice, the free democratic development of Bulgaria is mainly
for us and will be such until does not emerge some stronger (dictatorial) structure, that will unite the weaker strata of population and support them. But mark: not structures in which leading role play wealthy and developed Western countries but
! While we try blindly to enter in Europe we will continue to stay at the end, and when we enter then will only confirm our outsider position
**
.
[ ** From 2007 this became reality. ]
III. The way out is possible
only through actions in the opposite direction, i.e.
via strengthening of the dictatorial principle
in governing of the country. It is worth to remind you that the truth (already since the times of Ancient Greece) is somewhere in the middle, and to speak about
dictatorship or democracy is at least naive and childish. Neither our totalitarian ruling, especially after the 60ies of this century, was genuine dictatorship, nor our contemporary situation is pure democracy, so that the question is not in the name — it usually is one-sided — but in the core of the things, and the very existence of Presidential institution is already expression of dictatorial elements. Maximally pure democracy has existed in Ancient Greece and for this reason it has
very long and was changed with dictatorship (called then tyranny), so that
; generally speaking, when one can not find the middle point in a given aspect, then he willy-nilly,
it, but swaying to the ends, so that, averaged in the time, arises illusion of the middle point! The contemporary democracies, since a pair of centuries in England, and now all around the world, reach this compromise via combining of incompatible things, i.e. of dictatorship with monarchy or with Presidency (where the President is an easily changeable Monarch). And let us stress that the democracy is ruling of people (with all their human shortcomings), but chosen between the whole nation, i.e. just the pool (and you know that this means also a puddle) is enlarged. And let us also not forget that the
democracy
in ancient Athens was introduced
by the Tyrant (such was the title of rulers in those days) Pisistratus, what means that it
is advantageous for the rulers
, too!
In other words, if in the moment in Bulgaria is more advantageous to strengthen the dictatorship, than there is nothing bad in this, because the talks about democracy have started from the stronger Western countries
and make us easy prey for them and they have
done this, so that if we can counteract somehow to this tendency, it is to be done through its contrary one. Depending on the strength of this impact, which is, generally, in direct proportion with the speed of changes and in inverse one with the quietness in the country, are possible the following variants:
1. Gradual "bringing to reason" of the system population-politicians
Let us first clarify that it is accurate to look at the people and their politicians as a system (something like the
), where each of both parts shows influence on the other, because, as says one Latin proverb: silly people — weak state! This method is the slowest and it can continue for centuries (and it continues, because there is not a state on the West where its politicians were this, what they are bound to be, and in which have not happened, from time to time, various muddles, or in which the democracy has not been fiercely criticized by its eminent personalities). Some success in this regard is seen even in our country, where approximately 1/4 of the population
, but this is the normal situation in other countries, and as far as we are not from the "normal" ones then everything normal is not very normal for us, and in order to become such is necessary for this percentage to reach the half
***
of all voters! Slowly and gradually our people see that the democracy is something like football match, for example, and if you like it then you can watch it, but if you are sure that it will be the same boredom like the last time then it is not worth trying to attend to it.
[ *** Judging by the elections in Bulgaria in the very beginning of 21st century (till 2007) even 50% voting is not enough for us. Well, then maybe 25-30% of the voters will suffice for to provoke this bringing to reason. Let us hope it will. ]
Little by little the politicians also in Bulgaria begin to differ mainly by the ties and colour of the shirts (as on the West) and not by something radical in their platforms, but the bad thing by us is that there show up primarily the drawbacks of democratic system (first of all that many people
can take reasonable solution). Putting it otherwise,
the democracy is maximally ineffective form of ruling
and the meaning of its application is mainly in providing spectacles or shows for the people, not in this to really perform some governing (where in each Ministry, besides the politicians, exist also persons who do the needed work), but when the survival of a nation with 13 centuries of history is at risk is necessary to leave the shows and do the work, for to be possible for all rulers to draw the state's chariot in one direction (preferably the right one), not whereto each one desires. So that, instead of to try to bring the people to ballot boxes, it is better (and exactly that is the reason why this is not done, because it is more correct so!?) to leave the people
to vote when they see no sense in this, for the politician is like every
, he can not play on a empty scene! In other word:
if we want to support Bulgarian democracy we
, and this is not a demagogy but the natural course of evolution of the things, and that is the reason for the existence of opposition — in the counteracting of the ruling parties. Only that here we are speaking about contradiction to the
ruling
****
, when exactly it is that "skids"!
[ **** And this, that now
person does not vote, means that every second Bulgarian is
against the system, and I would have added that out of the remaining half of the voters
every second does not agree with it, but does not dare to declare this in the open due to misunderstood (and officially propagandized) patriotism or civic duty. The biter truth, however, is that our people at last, after more than 10 years, were disappointed and have begun to sober up from the "democratic euphoria". ]
2. Strengthening of the Presidential institution
This is a matter of legal settings and presents stronger social impact in the right direction, but, as if for the moment, nobody in Bulgaria gives a thought to similar decision, and with each flowing year it becomes more important. The division of powers and the requirement for not more than two Presidential mandates is quite sufficient in order to secure us from the other extremity, out of which we run, as is said, like "devil from incense". It is not so important how the President is being chosen, will he have blue blood (or dress in blue shirt, for example — what is allusion to our blue UDF, Union of Democratic Forces), the important thing is that he personified the dictatorial principle in government, that he looked like patriarch of father of the nation (well, it might also be like mother, if she happened to be women), that he was allowed to dissolve the
, I beg your pardon, the Parliament, and appoint new elections when he shows a desire, as also to set tasks for it and deadlines for executing, that he has right of veto on each decision of the State Assembly (Bulgarian Parliament) when sees it necessary (and not just once but many times), that he was consolidating personality with big experience of life, not in youthful age (he is not, in the end, neither sportsmen, no wunderkind, no Christ, to be in his age), and so on. The powers of our President are such, that he is more symbolical figure than the Queen of England in the past century, only that then existed by them also House of Lords, who were neither without rights, nor incompetent, and who watched that the "plebs" have done no harm about which later all would regret. In short: the democracy is a good thing, but without centralization there is no go!
3. Military coup
This is the roughest impact in this direction, but when the democracy does not take necessary measures (the former point) and the population turns to be very weak (the first point), then the only remaining way for strengthening of the dictatorial principle in democracy happens to be the very dictatorship. This would have been not very surprising in our conditions, because our people are used to extreme forms of action (like shocking therapy, for example), but it is wrong to think that each dictator is a wicked evildoer, like the serpent from the fairy tales, because such person will not be in position to rule for a long time. Most often
the dictators are fanatics
of a
given
idea, which is
a significant part of
the nation
and if the historical moment requires brute force instead of empty debates, and if the masses are pretty intemperate for to search a compromise solution, then they support in their souls
dictator! The cruelty of dictatorships comes out usually
, not of the dictator, and in addition to this, condemning the dictatorship, we must not forget that
from necessity
! Each power has to be respected for its strength, otherwise there is no meaning in its existence, so that it is logical when one does not respect it to suffer from this, more so because the dictatorship comes after the condition when the democracy has proved to be incapable to cope with the situation (and it has happened exactly so till now in the human history). In relation with this I would have even said that the main advantage of the democracy is in this, that
can convince the masses that there is
, likewise as the main advantage of the dictatorship is in this, that it succeeds to make people believe that there is something good in the democracy! For the born approximately before 1960, who are able to compare both variants, the above statement must be conscious (but, maybe, not expressed in words).
And let us one more time repeat, that who can not find the middle point in some aspect, then he
, but in result of many fluctuations and averaged in the time, because, as states one
's (around our capital Sofia) wisdom: "What is needed, it requires itself"! The difference is only in the social price of the transition (or the peacefulness in the country).
In conclusion
,
If we come back to the initial idea about the
economic enslavement of Bulgaria
by the wealthy Western countries
without any reasons
for this,
except the
of our folks, and if we want to stick to the reasonable middle point, is necessary to remark that the slavery has also its good features, especially if the masters are civilized people or simply good hosts, because they will care for us, look that we were satiated and did not rebel, and in this world the stronger always keeps the weaker subordinated, and that this is one natural process, something like the ailing or growing old, no matter whether we like it or not. ... Only that we
, and in such cases is accustomed that one
and overcomes — the illnesses, and the stronger masters — because the freedom is so sweet a thing (as people have understood long before that moment when Don Quixote from La Mancha has indicated it to them)! Otherwise our assimilation has already begun: via emigration, via ethnical increasing of "swarthy Bulgarians" (i.e. Gypsies, because the educated is rarely born and more difficultly brought up), via mixed marriages with Western people, so that the
in Bulgaria progressively decrease in number.
Naturally, any prognoses for longer period ahead are perilous, because nobody knows how long the existing tendencies will remain unchanged, but if we rely only on the first way out of the situation it is entirely possible that after about 10 to 20 years the citizens of Bulgaria will stop somewhere around five millions, out of which ethnical Bulgarians will be roughly two millions, and also about two millions Bulgarians in nationality will live outside the borders (where for half a century more they will come from time to time as guests to us). It is true that the humans on the globe have become so many nowadays that any reduction in their number will have only beneficial effect in
for the planet scope, but, still, the question is: why exactly we should do this when we are so few? And is it necessary, when our state has existed for so many centuries, and we have sustained so many foreign invasions, to surrender us so easy and exactly now, when there are no other reasonable causes for this, except that the wealthy western counties
have changed the policy of the "stick" to that of the "carrot"
(according the well known saying)? And, anyway, instead of only to speak about democracy (which is just a matter of legal settings and which existed by us for seven years), isn't it better to restore our stable state, which we had during the totalitarianism?
*****
Otherwise we will remain slaves, no matter that our distanced economic chains are not to be seen, because slave is who fulfills everything that his master tells him to do (and not who, just for example, has less lions — which are our symbols, they are present in out state coat of arms — on the lapel), and other countries will "collect our offspring", when it reaches maturity!
[ ***** Well, you may be sure that our "free-living hayduk Sider" (as I call him — Volen Siderov, but "
" means free, and we have had some hayduk Sider in the times of Ottoman yoke, leader now of Bulgarian fascists — but don't get agitated much because he has never gathered more than 7% of the votes) was not familiar with this material, yet he would have approved it, eventually, only partially (as the devil the Gospel). Still, the expressed here ideas have clearly "floated in the air". ]
October 1997
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Сконвертировано и опубликовано на http://SamoLit.com/