You see, I like being able to start a business, rent an office, pay bills, pass inspections (car, fire safety, whatever), file my taxes, get through the airport security, get a driver's license, go to a university, and send kids to school (if I had kids) without having to bribe a single soul. I like knowing that nobody else around me has the opportunity to drive drunk without fear of repercussions because they can give a cop $50 and drive on.
I like walking on the street, getting on a bus, and riding a subway without fear of being beaten or killed because someone doesn't like my ethnicity. Ok, so I'm a white male, but I also like that other people around me have the opportunity to do the same. I'm not even talking about being treated decently, I'm talking about basic safety. Black people in Russia are doomed to standing by tanning salons with a sign "I got my tan here" (yeah, this is real).
I'm not even talking about making any significant amount money. Heaven forbid you make money in Russia. Well, first of all, without having connections in the government, you can't. But even if you do establish such connections, good luck dealing with their IRS, the KGB that wants a piece of the pie (ok, so they renamed it, but it's all the same people), and the corrupt-beyond-belief court system.
I like grabbing coffee with rich people who want to meet me purely because they're happy to give advice, who didn't start out their career in organized crime, and who don't need three body guards and an armored SUV just to get around.
Boy, does this article touch a nerve. I know a ton of smart, driven, capable Russians who love their country and who want to change the world while living there. But they're all here, in the U.S., because back there they're doomed to a life of corruption they refuse to deal with. The idea of offering them financial incentive to go back is frankly insulting. They don't need financial incentive. They just need an opportunity to make an honest living. The rest, they'll do on their own.