Medvedev: Govt role in economy has to be cut.
That's the headline in an AP story filed by AP Business Writer NATALIYA VASILYEVA.
Medvedev is apparently trying to distinguish himself from former President Vladimir Putin before the next presidential election in March 2012. That will surely be a distinction without much difference, you might think - and you might be wrong.
In any case, it is more than interesting that after we won the Cold War, and caused the collapse of Communism in the former Soviet Union, that Russia just might be moving toward a free market economy as our current administration moves us further and further away from one.
How does this sound, coming from a former Communist?
"Medvedev acknowledged that the government's expansion in managing the economy and the centralization of authority in the Kremlin under Putin was necessary in an earlier period of the country's post-Soviet development. But, he said, "this economic mode is dangerous for the country's future."
"The proposition that the government is always right is manifested either in corruption or benefits to 'preferred' companies," he said.
"My choice is different. The Russian economy ought to be dominated by private businesses and private investors. The government must protect the choice and property of those who willingly risk their money and reputation."
Maybe President Medvedev read our Constitution.
