[Lokhankin]

From PR interview with Obama:
"Is it something that you did?

If you'll recall, their economy was already contracting and capital was fleeing even before oil collapsed. And part of our rationale in this process was that the only thing keeping that economy afloat was the price of oil.

And if, in fact, we were steady in applying sanction pressure, which we have been, that over time it would make the economy of Russia sufficiently vulnerable that if and when there were disruptions with respect to the price of oil — which, inevitably, there are going to be sometime, if not this year then next year or the year after — that they'd have enormous difficulty managing it."
(from transcript of "President Obama's Full NPR Interview : NPR")

Thus, for so long, average Joe was manipulated and fooled around with whatever private company called "USA Federal Reserve" was covering up, in response of average Joe economical demands in expensive cars, HD TVs, etc., etc., taking back some of money via high gas prices, growing costs of high education, etc. Still, to maintain supply economy need wars. Safest ones - on foreign lands, hopefully by foreign hands. Like in Ukraine.
In this forum, though, people don't appear to be providers for the need of USA economy to be artificially "strong". Then let's call all the US troops back home as "ankle Sam" doesn't care of them anyway.