You know, I'm not against them in principle.  And agree they could only help.  

I'm just suggesting that 8 years ago the national priorities were quite literally matters of life and death.  And even those have not been entirely adequately addressed (which is why we hear Medvedev speaking of "legal nihilism.")  I can't say for sure, but I would assume that most of the obscene wealth and boomtown growth we read about has come from private, not State money.  They are not entirely distinct, I know.  But actually getting some of that money from private hand and into State coffers has not been easy, and as sure as it is done, someone screams foul and starts going on about the return of communism and authoritarianism.  I mean, I'm not even certain there was anything one could confidently call a "national economy" 10 years ago.  So to say that Russia is failing on the basis of a lack of high speed trains strikes me personally as a little perverse...  

Thanks for commenting, Mr. Trains Expert!

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.