Chicago Today, Russia Tomorrow

That is the actual title of a Department of Commerce blog entry.

Chicago Today, Russia Tomorrow

You would think someone might have some common sense and pen a more banal title. After Obama's "flexibility" comment on a hot mic, this just sounds bad.

The blog talks about Chicago's exports. It then highlights a Russian company, BayRu, that is based in Illinois. In fact, it is the only business talked about in the blog entry. Almost half the entry talks about Russia and their entry into the WTO and the Obama administrations push to Congress to repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Russia. This would make trade with Russia easier and more open.

BayRu is being highlighted because they were just awarded an Export Achievement Certificate. The commerce blog also has an unfortunate way of describing BayRu:

But what makes this company unique is that it’s headquartered right here…in Skokie, Illinois. BayRu has a unique business model of buying American consumer goods here, which are often tough to find in Russia, repackaging them, and then exporting those goods for delivery in Russia.

I think it is the "repackaging" term that sounds bad. Makes it sound like a pirating operation, but it is not. They are a portal to get American goods to Russia.

BayRu was founded by two brothers from Russia : Anton and Gene German. Their company hopes to do $40 million in business this year. Russia is a mostly cash country and BayRu has set up 500,000 payment points across Russia and post-Soviet countries to accept cash payments.

Did you catch that?

Lets go through a few points again:

• Obama is a Chicago politician
• Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he'd have "more flexibility" after the election
• Obama is complaining he will get outspent this election ( probably not true )
• Obama is pushing for more open trade with Russia
• BayRu is a business based in Chicago run by two Russian brothers
• BayRu has 500,000 cash payment points in Russia

Now I'm not saying that anything inappropriate is going on. I am just a blogger restating facts in a way that sounds bad.

Now if there was an actual investigative reporter out there that could look into this ... but they don't exist anymore, do they?