Monday, 2/1 – Dad was really discouraged today. The plant where he works is old and poorly maintained. His suggestions for improvements are discouraged and ignored. I heard him telling Mom that he is tired of doing work that he hates and of getting paid the same as the other men at the plant who often don’t show up for work or do little once they arrive. He says they have no incentive to work. They get paid even if their work is poor. Mom reminded him we have much to be thankful for. The government provides us with an apartment, guaranteed retirement benefits, and free health care. Mom tries to lift Dad’s spirits. I’m not so sure he isn’t right about many things. Prices for consumer goods are kept low but we have so few choices, and sometimes the stores run out of even the few things they usually have to sell. It can take hours standing in line just to get a loaf of bread or a piece of meat. Last week I stood in line for 50 minutes to buy meat for dinner and then couldn’t get what Mom wanted. I took what they had, even though I knew Mom would be disappointed. I want new shoes but there are so few choices and they are not well made. My friend has a pair of blue jeans. I’d love a pair! But I’d have to buy them illegally, like he did.

Tuesday, 2/9 – It snowed today and our apartment was cold. The government is always promising things will be better next year. I doubt it. The government cares more about supplies for the military, the space program, and Olympic sports than it does for its citizens.

The diary entry on Tuesday, 2/9 shows that the type of economic system in which this student lives is a

command economy
capitalist economy
market economy
traditional economy