Quote Originally Posted by Eric C. View Post
People had to work hard for laughable money, ....
Actually the problem was that you did NOT have to work hard at all. You could be the worst worker ever, and you'd still get the same payment as everyone else, because such was the law. There was almost zero chance to get fired too.
It demotivated those who could work better (why bother if you still get your money despite your poor performance?), and it was one of the reasons Soviet economy was in trouble. Too many slackers.