What you're doing here is creating a false dichotomy. Eastern Europe is (or at least was) worse because the problem -- elites extracting wealth regardless of c

What you're doing here is creating a false dichotomy. Eastern Europe is (or at least was) worse because the problem -- elites extracting wealth regardless of consequences to others -- was worse there. But it's not like self-interested elites capturing both economic and regulatory problems isn't a problem here. Indeed, in now might be worse here. The two choices available aren't eco-collapse in the 1980s American greed-is-good capitalism style or the 1980s Eastern Europe totalitarian style. There are more things, Horatio. But if you spend all your time cherry-picking citations to soothe your fundamentalist capitalism feelings, you're not going to see them.