Isn't that funny? I don't think the "freedoms" we have here are all that wonderful. In Russia it is forbidden to attack a religion in a public art display, wahabbi literature is against the law, homosexuals are still hiding out, and there is prayer in the public schools.
Literacy in Russia is much higher than here, and I know from personal experience that most ten year olds there speak perfect English and some are beginning a third language study at school.
You would think conservatives would find the freedoms in Russia to be appealing. There is no CPS to dictate to you how to raise your child, but parents are free to make their own choices about how old a child should be to stay home alone. I knew Russians who were doing extensive remodeling and rebuilding on homes and never had to pay the local county for this or that license or fee, and in the mid-to-late 90's you could put a table out in front of your home and sell whatever you wanted to on it.
The lack of government regulation in Russia is a breath of fresh air. But I guess that doesn't sell when you are in the media.
And you can walk down the street drinking a beer. Beer sales are something like 63% of alcohol sales.