>woefully inadequate public transit
From what my family's told me about life in the Soviet Union, the public transit was actually very good and much better than the public transit in Canada, though that might be less due to good public transport in the USSR and more due to shitty public transport in Canada.
Actually, most of the things I've been told about the Soviet Union are fairly positive and describe life there as better than anything after its collapse. Apparently the Soviet Union had very good sausages (while the food was good quality and apparently better than the food in Canada, there was the huge problem of bread lines and having to wait for hours to buy said food). The housing, while usually standardized concrete apartments, was fairly sturdy and comfortable, assuming you had a small family. I've been told that the education system was very good and there were little idiots; people left school well educated with proper community values. One of the only biggest complaints I've heard was the lack of proper toilet paper. I, of course, was born after Soviet collapse and thus haven't experienced any aspects of Soviet life.
What's with all the commie discussion that's been showing up here lately btw?