Generally speaking, bashing Andrei Illarionov has become fashionable. It's, so to speak, the done thing. He’s a very ambiguous figure, but I don’t dislike him. In any case, one thing is definitely known about him: while in government, he did not engage in the main occupation of the ruling elite—siphoning off public money. But here, well... somehow... uh... Andrei seems to have lost his sense of proportion: From August 7 to September 17, 2008, the RTS Index fell by 42.5%, while the Dow Jones Index fell by 7.2%. Consequently, the contribution of the American financial market to the decline in Russian securities prices can be estimated at no more than 17%, with the contribution of all other factors accordingly at 83%. The Morgan Stanley World Index fell by 13.2% over 40 days. Consequently, the contribution of global financial turmoil to the decline in Russian prices can hardly be estimated at more than 31%, with the contribution of all other factors at 69%. *The GCC Index, covering the stock markets of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, fell by 15.4%. Consequently, the impact of falling oil prices on the decline in Russian prices can be estimated at no more than 36%, with the contribution of all other factors at 64%. *Here One could argue with aillarionov at great and tedious length, pondering how much 1% of the DJIA weighs versus 1% of the RTS Index. But that would be, as one bloody executioner likes to say, "counterproductive." Why criticize something that could become a daily tool of struggle? I propose that we adopt the Andrei Illarionov Debunking System (AIDS) as standard equipment. With a little imagination, you can debunk absolutely anyone. I quickly dashed off a couple of examples. The system is simple and accessible to all. *Since September 19 of this year, the MICEX Index has risen by 33%, while the Dow Jones Index has risen by 7%. Consequently, the economic genius of Medvedev-Putin exceeds that of Bush-Paulson by at least 470%. * *The weight of two Boeings is 100 tons (metric tonnes), while the weight of the Twin Towers is 100 million tons (metric tonnes). Consequently, the contribution of the planes that crashed into the towers can be estimated at 0.0001%, while the contribution of all other factors (including Bush’s love of salty pretzels) is accordingly 99.999%. Over the past three months, Mikheil Saakashvili consumed 150 kilograms of high-quality food and 24 grams of equally high-quality cocaine. Consequently, cocaine’s contribution to world politics in the recent period is 6,775% less than that of young lamb shashlik (grilled meat skewers), 438% less than that of tasty chebureki (fried meat pastries), 380% less than that of red Saperavi wine, and roughly comparable to the contribution of the YSL tie whose pieces Mikheil Saakashvili chews off in life’s dramatic moments. The average bust measurement of Italian women is 93 cm, while the average bust measurement of female citizens of Russia is 89 cm. Consequently, the contribution of the bloody Putin regime to Russian infants being deprived of high-quality breast milk is no less than 5%. While working at the Cato Institute, Andrei Illarionov is occupied for 30 hours a week. Attempts to log into LiveJournal take him 14 minutes a day. Accordingly, AOL’s contribution to the absence of furious criticism of Russia’s current authorities is 11%, while the contribution of Andrei Illarionov’s wife, who prevents him from creating by shouting, "Get away from the computer and go buy some milk!" is accordingly 89%. *Truly, numbers rule the world!
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