It is my theory you have never travelled in Eastern Europe.

I was shocked the first time someone told me how much they missed the Soviet Union — and this wasn’t even a Russian but a Bulgarian. I soon realized this was a widely-held belief, and not just among older people.

The thing is, nothing really improved for the average guy when “Communism” “fell”. Consider that in the first decade after the Wall fell, the life expectancy for Russian men aged 45–55 fell by ten years. Imagine the carnage that this little statistic represents.

Under Communism, there was stability and security — I heard these two words again and again. People’s jobs were assured. Medical treatment was free. Consumer goods were crappy, construction was crappy, a lot of things were crappy, but things were stable.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. The fall of the Soviet Union was inevitable. And yes, in many ways the word “Evil Empire” wasn’t far off the mark, though the US empire continues to deteriorate.

But the idea that no one regrets the fall of communism is just false to the fact.