People keep coming here and asking me how I could possibly support Putin as I am a Leftie. However, the KPRF, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, supports him, as do many leftwingers the world over. In what way is a he a rightwinger anyway? Keep in mind that Putin was a Communist Party member and not only that but he was a high ranking KGB operative. Why would someone like that be a rightwinger?
Further, Russia is still a substantially socialist country. As you can see below, Putin is spending more than even the USSR did on healthcare per capita, and the school year has been extended beyond what it was under Communism.
Heath care:
Russia has more physicians, hospitals, and health care workers than almost any other country in the world on a per capita basis. After Putin became president in 2000 there was significant growth in spending for public healthcare, and in 2006 it exceed the pre-1991 level in real terms. Subsequently life expectancy increased from 1991-93 levels, and the infant mortality rate dropped from 18.1 in 1995 to 8.4 in 2008. In 2011 Putin announced a large-scale health-care reform with a budget increase of more than 300 billion rubles to improve health care in Russia.
Education:
Russia has more academic graduates than any other country in Europe and is the world leader in percentage of population with associate’s degree or higher: 54%, compared to 31% in UK. Education is provided by the state, and spending for education amounted to 3.6% of GDP or 13% of the consolidated state budget. Before 1990 the school period in Soviet Union was 10 years, and now it is 11 years. The literacy rate in Russia is 99.4% (99.7% for men, 99.2% for women). According to a 2008 World Bank statistic, 54% of the Russian labor force has attained a college education with at least a two year degree, giving Russia the highest attainment of college-level education in the world.
