To: amic who wrote (40101 ) 3/29/2000 7:17:00 AM From: Yaacov Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 74651
I live In North of Italy, work both in Italy and Switzerland. I never contest Swiss sense of democracy, as they just about vote on everything, popular vote counts, and that is democracy in work! But Itlay? Here we don't vote for prime minsters, presidents, or anyone! All is decided by the political parties parties! Sixty percent of the countires wealth is controled by 4 familes, Agnelli, Berlusconi, Cucia, and Pirelli. They decide for us!! We even have an ex-hooker is the minister, and people laugh it off, but lets not get into it! We are not American Tourists who come here and eat tagliatelle, drink Sassicaia 92, visit Duomo and see fuzzy Italians in Naples, then go back home and say Italy is great!!! We are from here, we work here, and raise our families, are taxed to death, by the Govenment, and then are blackmailed by the Mafia, N'Drangetta, and Camorra!! (It is hard to distinguish the above organizations from the government, they work together!!) We suffer at the hand of system that has mistaken chaos for democracy! I fogrot how many governments we have had since 1945, 50? 60? I gave up counting! Romans spread law, order and civilization throughout Europe, but we remained backward. We taught the others "giurisprudenza" but we have none that one can write home about. We still have laws quoted in our courts dating back to Fascist era!!! In North of Italy we produce 95 % of the total wealth of the country, so our politicans can get fat in Rome! I can go on forever and ever! So, dear Mr. Amic, it is one thing to come hear as employee of GE, GM, Halliburton, or Westinghouse, live in Via Gonzaga, off the expense account,and fall in love with the country. It is another thing having to live day to day reality of the "Dolce Vita!"