Hearted Youtube comments on Econ Lessons (@EconLessons) channel.

  1. Russia has nothing to offer the world.
    213
  2. For someone who is NOT suggesting it and NOT recommending it, you certainly do a great job in suggesting it and recommending it. Love it. Wink.
    210
  3. I'm more interested in reading "russia no longer exists"
    210
  4. Nice work Mark. Simple accounting cuts through the Kremlin’s BS and I’m glad you’re pointing this out.
    206
  5. Despots should never be bailed out. Especially when we’ve invested so much to corner them beforehand. 😅😊😜
    206
  6. Russia should not be a country.
    203
  7. Russia, a large country which wastes so much economic opportunities compared to the Netherlands, a small country which punches over its weight since centuries.
    202
  8. No countries are accepting rubles. No foreign investment at all, and Russia lacks technology for the energy sector. Russian trains system is collapsing from neglect and lack of parts. Train Logistics will completely collapse their economy almost everything is moved by train.
    200
  9. Ruble is potato. Thanks for your comments. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦☮️🇨🇦
    200
  10. That's the right way to appreciate the "great" Russian culture 😊 Happy Independence Day!
    197
  11. Russian history summarized: “…and then it got worse.”
    196
  12. My behind is allergic to anything made in Russia, so I can't even use Rubles in the toilet, but I can use it to start fires when I go camping.
    195
  13. 180 Rubles to the dollar in Chisinau Moldova on the streets. Some banks are not taking rubles.
    195
  14. Hi Mark, greetings from Katowice Poland. Ps. About Kursk and Belgorod oblast. Almost 2.5 milions of people lives here... imagine evacuation of them... economic disaster.
    195
  15. The official rate around 104 rubles to the dollar but on the street I suspect that the ruble is worth far less.
    194
  16. Nobody knows what Trump will do, even Trump. All I can say is that Europe needs to step up because Trump will step back. He won't completely disengage with Ukraine. He hedges everything. I have faith Ukraine and Ukrainians. Russia cannot occupy Ukraine. Not now. Probably not ever.
    190
  17. Trump’s “peace plan” sounds a lot like handing Putin a knife and asking Ukraine to fall on it.
    190
  18. I also have Eastern European grandparents and I still remember my grandfathers telling me that "the Nazi Germans were bad, but the Soviet Russians were far worse" and when I asked him to elaborate, he would just say "no" and shake his head. I suspect it had something to do with the fact that under Nazi Germany you still had superficial property rights and some sort of rule-of-law (however screwed up that law was), whereas under Soviet Russia you had no property rights and a police state, i.e. a state where the police make up the rules arbitrarily.
    189
  19. I worked in factories for 19 years. Not good. Then, I went to university to follow my passion. Best thing I ever did.
    186
  20. I was born in Romania. When I was little, I played ruble, a game made of matchbox pieces. I think that today matchboxes are much more valuable than rubles. Sanctions will leave Russia breathless, and then the flame of revolution will ignite .It's not much longer, the first signs have already appeared. Slava Ukraini!! Free Russia!!
    185
  21. Just got even worse: 104.901 RUB Rubble's on fire!
    185
  22. Its so frustrating to hear media personalities say Russias economy is growing. It's smoke and mirrors. It would be like me, the head of my house, losing my job, and having no more outside income. Then, taking all my life savings and spending it all on a lot of guns and ammo. To people around me it appears that I've got more money than ever, but I'm living on borrowed time! It's unsustainable.
    184
  23. I guess Putin got what he wanted, a return to the Soviet system, but it appears he forgot that the Soviet system went bankrupt.
    182
  24. Never a Tesla, never Crypto, and never bow to IQ 47. Thanks Mark!
    182
  25. Made in Russia: timber, coal, gas, oil. But then, they're not made but collected from the ground.
    181
  26. Russian ruble is heading towards the same junk status as Confederate money in 1865
    180
  27. As a Swedish economist who have been interested in the Russian economy for the past 12-15 years, I couldn't agree more. The miracle behind the Russian economy surviving sanctions is that they write on a piece of paper that they are producing a bunch of stuff for their military and then they put a price on these war materials, that they are probably not even making and that no one in a free market would be willing to pay anyway, multiply the two and claim that their economy is growing. Also private consumption is ''holding up well' despite the uncertainty and the 16% interest.. hmhmhm. And then a few western institutions repeat these figures because they have no other figures to go on and the Russian propaganda uses that as evidence that their economy is doing well.
    180
  28. I am 50 years old. I was born in the times when soviet army was still stationing in Poland. I am a witness of how Poland changed in last 30 years. People would never believe if they could not witness such improvement. We do not want to attack anyone, we dont want to invade, conquer and kill. We want to do our job and leave in peace. We deserve it after hundreds of years under oppression.
    179
  29. Crimea is Ukraine 🇺🇦 Luhansk is Ukraine 🇺🇦 Donetsk is Ukraine 🇺🇦 Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine 🇺🇦 Kherson is Ukraine 🇺🇦 These oblasts have NEVER belonged to russia. 1991 borders MUST be returned. International Law is the LAW. russia signed the following treaties confirming and promising to protect the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine: 1991 - Border treaty following Soviet Union collapse. 1994 - Budapest Memorandum. 1997 - Russian Ukrainian Friendship Treaty. 2003 - Agreement of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait (signed by Putin) 2003/2004 - Russia Ukrainian State border treaty (Signed by Putin) russia broke International Law. Trump will sell his own family for profit, fame or applause. Narcissist and fascist to the core.
    176
  30. Canada stands with Ukraine ❤ .. not Benedict Donald 😢
    175
  31. They collect taxes too. However I am with you that they are in much worse shape than they claim. Cooking the books is a given.
    174
  32. Do NOT just sit doing nothing, but instead actively support Ukraine. It is fighting the bad bloody actor in YOUR system too. If Ukraine succeeds - everyone (good) wins.
    170
  33. Canadian resource management economist here. CETA is a trade agreement between Canada and Europe. Given Trump's threats against Canada, when push comes to shove, Canada can be expected to effectively be with the EU.
    170
  34. I am pretty conservative myself, and i must say, people like Donald Trump shocks me, i simply do not understand how people can support Russia and Putin, it is disturbing, how is it possible to be part of the western civilization and support the cruel and corrupt regime in Kreml?
    169
  35. As a psychologist I think you are spot on. His moral judgement is very similar to psychopaths.
    168
  36. I had a feeling Russia is why crypto is so high right now. It’s a great way to launder money. Governments can’t stop it easily.
    167
  37. The average Russian neighborhood looks like a 3rd world country. Tucker Carlson's visit was a Putin con. Carlson gobbled it right down LOL.
    165
  38. The way that homelessness works in Russia is very simple in Saint Petersburg in Moscow there’s absolutely no homeless because the police take you to the edge of the city and drop you off.
    165
  39. Most countries that were part of the Warsaw pact have surpassed Russias GDP pe capita, and they did that with less people, less land mass, less resources, and no nukes. It's all about cooperation, being part of the EU.
    164
  40. I like how much fun Mark has recording in interesting new locations each time, while also providing valuable insights. A bright light in a dark time. 🇺🇲🙏🇺🇦
    164
  41. Thank you, Mark. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 💙💛
    162
  42. First time I've seen an economy soar with an 18% interest rate.
    162
  43. As a Russian citizen who follows the economic situation in the country, I can briefly explain what happens with those GDP numbers. The stats are most likely pretty accurate, but the GDP in this case doesn't reflect the actual economic situation for most people. Before the war, Russia had a large financial reserve called the National Welfare Fund. This fund was created a long time ago to serve as a buffer during times of crisis. At the start of the war, it had more than $100 billion. To sustain the war efforts, the Russian government drastically increased its spending on the war (this year, it accounts for around 40% of the yearly budget). To maintain such high war spending while keeping other sectors like education and social programs somewhat afloat, the Russian government has had to spend a significant portion of the National Welfare Fund reserves. At this point, the liquid part of the fund is already half gone. Essentially, what has been happening over the last couple of years is a massive flow of government money into the military sector. This is reflected in the GDP figures, as the military sector (often referred to as 'other metal products' in economic reports) is the only sector experiencing growth. In contrast, private sectors are either stagnating or in decline. It's important to note that the growth from the military industry is not equivalent to growth in other sectors. This is because once tanks, shells, and other military equipment are produced and used in the war in Ukraine, they are essentially lost, without generating the same 'multiplication' effect as goods and services produced in non-military sectors. In summary, the GDP growth numbers in Russia have very little connection to the actual living standards of the population. They mainly reflect the enormous government spending in recent years on the war, which is not sustainable beyond 1-2 more years. TLDR: Imagine your government had a pile of money and spent it on producing billions of tennis balls and burying them in the ground. It would show in the yearly GDP numbers, but it would not affect your economic situation whatsoever. That's what is happening in Russia at the moment.
    162
  44. Living in Russia is suffering.
    162
  45. Poland can be really proud of what they have achieved after entering EU👍🏻
    161
  46. Romania has delivered a record quantity of gas to Moldova to last them until March and get them out of the winter.
    161
  47. Mark, lived in India for five years, they're very racists and slavery is the norm in the caste system-it's alive and thriving
    160
  48. That sounds horrible don’t give them the carrot! 🥕
    160
  49. In soviet Russia, bank robs you
    158
  50. I was baffled as to why Turkey want to join BRICS per the news... But then I realized they have 50% inflation, so I guess they fit right in
    158