We are all Takhtamutai

There is an old joke. Two friends meet. One says: “You know, lately I’ve been getting the impression that my wife is cheating on me with the gardener.” - “What are your suspicions based on?” - “So no matter how I enter her bedroom, it always smells like roses.” “You made me think,” says the second friend, “and, perhaps, I come to the conclusion that my wife is also cheating on me, but with a plumber.” - “How did you guess?” - “So no matter how you enter her bedroom, she is always in bed with the plumber.”

Hungary is on the verge of revolution. The people took to the streets and demanded the immediate resignation of the government. What is it that the Hungarian people are not happy with? It turns out that the current Prime Minister of this European country, Ferenc Gyurcsany, distorted some economic indicators during the election campaign, presenting the situation in the country much better than it actually was. Now the Hungarians are outraged. They believe that this undoubtedly influenced their choice and are trying to force the resignation of the cabinet. They try as best they can: they burn cars, break windows and fight with the police. The office, of course, doesn’t want to go anywhere. Any Russian citizen with his experience of “free” and “fair” elections understands perfectly why - because such a basis for indignation is simply ridiculous. There are some indicators that supposedly influenced some choice... But how to determine who was influenced and who was not. In a word, as my grandmother from Odessa used to say: “It’s funny for me to listen to you, by God.”

I don’t know if there are people in Hungary who know anything about the Republic of Adygea. Maybe there is. But it’s for sure that none of the Hungarians have heard of the Takhtamutai region of this republic. But in vain - the Hungarians have a lot to learn from the Takhtamutai people.

The other day, a local district court actually admitted that the parliamentary elections of 2003 and the presidential elections of 2004 were rigged. And in a particularly cynical form - some protocols were simply changed to others. True, the court released the guilty from punishment, but this does not change the matter. That is, during court hearings it was established that in the Duma elections the United Russia party was credited with 17% of the votes that were actually cast for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. And in the presidential elections, the same simple manipulation was done with those who voted for the Communist Party candidate Nikolai Kharitonov and the independent candidate Irina Khakamada. Moreover, if about 40% of the votes were stolen from Kharitonov, then all 90% were stolen from Khakamada. Who were they given to? I think you already guessed it yourself.

Now, hand on heart, answer me, is there at least one person here who sincerely believes that somewhere in Russia it was different? That is, the percentage of things stolen, say, in Kabarda is probably different from those stolen in the Ivanovo region. But this does not change the essence. And then Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, in fact, what country is he the president of? And this Duma, God forgive me, who does it represent?

So, if you think that a popular uprising has broken out in the Takhtamutai region and people are demanding justice, then you are very mistaken. The undoubted achievement of the current government is precisely that the Takhtamutai people deeply “don’t care” whether their votes were stolen from them or not. As do almost all of us. A voice is not a hundred rubles, you can’t buy a snack with it.

That’s why it’s funny for us to look at the Hungarians with their problems. Economic indicators, you see, have been distorted for them. And no matter how we distort it or don’t distort it, they will still get into the trash can, take out whatever they want, and put in whatever they want. And the price of this whole procedure is a penny. What about you and me?