Time magazine’s Person of the Year - $40 billion fortune?

Who could imagine such good fortune for a dictator in an oil-rich country? I'm sure "Vlad" (that's what his oil buddies call him) is thankful for the gas guzzlers who are building his retirement package. He might even think about friends in Congress who hold back environmental laws and protect Big Oil as they maintain a stranglehold on our energy future.

To help streamline the connection, Putin is now rumored to be joining Gazprom. Aren't we lucky to have so many good friends in the oil industry around the globe?