> On scale of state actors, this means war. So far the only ones waging war are old imperialist forces falling behind the West: Russia and its ilk. > Socialis

> On scale of state actors, this means war. So far the only ones waging war are old imperialist forces falling behind the West: Russia and its ilk. > Socialism, on the other hand, means rational and planned distribution of resources. Planned economy never worked, everywhere it was tried. It simply led to hunger. > reinforced concrete Except communist workers stole the cement and replaced it with sand. The concrete cracked and water got in the non-waterproofed foundations, rusting the rebars. A disaster waiting to happen. > Zagreb earthquake That was a 5.5 - baby earthquake. We'll see when there is a 7+. > many heavy industries had to be closed because Western bosses They closed down because they couldn't compete on the global free markets. Mostly they made stuff "planned" for the Warsaw treaty countries. Crap, of course. > people in Eastern Europe can relax We still have to pay taxes and utilities. The government makes sure there is no such thing as free ride. > Owning a home is as real a wealth as it comes. Personally I'd rather rent a nice place than own a crap-hole. I appreciate the freedom and lack of headaches when renting. For investment I prefer the stock market. Much better returns. > The economic growth rate of socialist block of countries was double that of the West Then why were the shelves empty and we starved?! The growth after WW2 came from looting nationalized private property. That lasted a few years and then they simply started fudging the numbers. > Maybe they also miss their generous anual leave, work rights, and 36 hour work week Till the 80s the work week around here had 56 hours, not 36. But some of them do miss being a part of nomenklatura and kissing the ring of the Russian masters, that's for sure.