President to get no present, PRAVDA.Ru insists he should

According to Russia’s Vice-Premier Valentina Matvienko, the government isn’t going to make any special party dedicated  the President Vladimir Putin’s 50th birthday. She says, the president will get a bunch of flowers only.

Isn’t it shameful for Russia? Even those enterprises here in Russia where arrears of wages are customary, usually organize special birthday parties and people even get some presents. And flowers are also traditional for such an occasion.
 
Certainly, President Putin is to get some unusual and even exotic flowers. But doesn’t it seem unfair that the president is working hard on settlement of Russia’s problems, spends little time at home and often tours about different states, but will get no substantial present. It is strange that the government won’t even make him any present. It’s very likely that US President Bush, British Prime Minister Blair and German Chancellor Schroeder are to give the Russia president their birthday presents, and the Russian government won’t.   
 
And suddenly an insane idea comes to mind: let’s get united and congratulate the president with his 50th birthday. You can mail your congratulations to the president to PRAVDA.Ru, to [email protected]. We  promise to collect them and send to the president. We think he will be pleased to read the congratulations after getting the already declared bunch of flowers from the government. 

Yelena Kiseleva
PRAVDA.Ru