On Aug 13, 4:52=A0am, Vladimir Makarenko <vmak...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> David Friedman wrote:
> > In article
<holman-1208081229070...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> > =A0hol...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Eugene Holman) wrote:
>
> >> In article <ht71a4l6kh89lq46urrpdmamm43q0d7...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, James A.
Dona=
ld
> >> <jam...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> >>> Eugene Holman:
> >>>> rubles have been around long before socialism, and the
> >>>> ruble today is a strong and fully convertible currency
> >>>> that has nothing whatsoever to do with socialism.
> >>> "Ruble" symbolizes pretend money, unconvertible into
> >>> goods,
> >> This is nonsense. The ruble was a strong currency inside the USSR and
=
was
> >> convertible to the goods and services that were on sale there.
>
> > (interesting account snipped)
>
> > It seems to me that your account provides some sup****t for James'
claim=
..
> > What you are saying is that, for the ordinary Russian in the best part
> > of the USSR to be in, rubles could be converted into goods only at the
> > cost of a lot of time spent waiting in lines--or in other words, you
> > could convert X rubles plus Y hours, where the value to you of Y was
> > quite substantial relative to X, into goods. Alternatively, you could
> > convert them legally at about five times the supposed prices in the
> > market.
>
> > Further, your point about the difference between the official exchange
> > rate and the market exchange rate--four to one is a higher ratio that
I
> > would have guessed--sup****ts the idea that payment in rubles at
somewha=
t
> > more than world prices--using the official rate to convert--would in
> > fact be payment at far below world prices. By your account that isn't
> > relevant to the case of Russo-Finnish trade, since the barter was
using
> > dollar prices both ways, but it does explain why James regards Soviet
> > foreign trade with payment in rubles as bogus.
>
> Ok, careful there: I understand that this is mind boggling but there
> were ~17 types of ruble in Soviet economy. They all had different values
> and sliding conversion rates among themselves. And I can assure you that
> the type which was used in inter trade was not the one which was used in
> the streets. As public had no access to free ruble/$$ exchange and
> tourism abroad (when people were giving small $$ allowance) was close to
> non existent the street money played no role in the official exchange
> rate. It was a different type of ruble which determined the rate.
>
> VM.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
btw Holman gets cheated when he changes his dollars on black market -
base price was 10 RUR per dollar.
There was a joke running how soviet an add can be: "buy from shops
goods available in shops. goods, available in shops are available in
any shop."
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