Hello world,
I can’t pretend that everything is going fine and ignore the facts of these last weeks. I’m worried about the future of my country -Italy- of Europe and of my world, the world to which I always address my posts.
I’m angry. I’m angry about all the young and smart people I meet every day, with a brilliant background, intellectual or professional. In certain cases, they have made big efforts to get a good profile, spent a lot of money on books or professional courses, attended language classes, got degrees, certificates, masters, etc and now, at the end of their carrier, at the best stage and age of their working life, they can’t find an equal job. I’m angry about the people that have waited months to get a medical examination and when they finally reach the hospital, they find it closed. I am angry about the cuts in the sanitary system. Angry, very angry about our financial and political system, that allows sending thousands of people on the streets because unable to pay their debts. And after losing their house, they have to go on paying. Angry because many small-medium companies have closed, are closing or are fighting with all their energies to survive the lack of finance granted by the banks.
I would like to point out that there is no political trend in my words: these problems are part of our reality that affects any of us, independently of our political support.
Let’s resume: I’m angry and worried about our uncertain future. Beppe Grillo published an interesting tweet today, the future seen by a 13 years old boy: ‘I don’t want to study anymore. I like studying, but it’s useless. It isn’t worth the trouble’. No, it can’t be like this! We have to go on studying and improving, for our brain, for our health and our future!!
I’m impressed: many friends of mine are leaving. And many have left already. To Argentina, Asia, Brazil, Thailand. They have left for ever, with the idea to start from zero somewhere else. How can it be that people find themselves forced to leave to get an opportunity? Leaving can be a solution, of course, but it can’t be the only one. This is so sad. I’m also an immigrant, and change your life and start from zero is difficult, not only for practical reasons (new culture, new friends, no family, etc) but also for economic reasons: you need money, a place to stay for the first weeks, etc.
Our countries are full of motivated and brilliant professionals, students, doctors, teachers, artists, businessmen, technicians, etc etc etc. Please, don’t let them go away.
Our countries deserve to get better and our people deserve to get an opportunity.
I really hope that our reality will improve soon. I hope that our governments and our politicians will react soon, with effective facts and laws studied to reduce the unemployment and give confidence to the people.
My thoughts go to all the families facing a difficult situation.
Renata
Like you said it is all very sad and unfortunately there is not a sudden remedy to fix all this mess. We have lived for years beyond our possibilities spending money we did not earn yet, borrowing it from complacent banks. We were all believing that the trick would have worked for good. Unfortunately there are no free meals in life as in the economy, sooner or later you have to pay back what you got. So here we are.
The saddest thing is that the burden will fall mainly on the shoulders of the poorer as the famous 1% of the population will cope just fine. If you are keen to know how we reached all this I suggest you to read this little story, which of course provide only a simplified version of what really happened. If in this story you replace the “donkeys” with the “properties” you get pretty much the whole picture.
The crisis of the Donkeys
“A man wearing a suit came one day in a village. He started to announce to whoever would listen that he would buy all the donkeys, which would be offered to him, 100 euros piece. Farmers found this proposal a little bit strange, but his price was attractive, and those who agreed to do business with him cheered after receiving the hard cash.
The same man came back the following day, and this time he proposed 150 euros for a single donkey, and once again, a great number of people sold their beasts. The following days, he offered 300 euros, and he finally bought the very few remaining donkeys which had not been previously sold. Making sure that there was no donkey left, he announced that he would come back in order to buy for the price of 500 euros piece in one week time, and he left the village.
The following day, he gave his flock of donkeys to an associate of his and sent him in this very village with the order to sell each donkey for 400 euros piece. Being sure that they would gain 100 euros for each purchase, all the villagers then bought back their own donkeys up to 4 times the price they had previously sold them, and in order to do so, the villagers asked for credit money from the bank.
As it was to be expected, the business men took leave of the area for some holidays, and all the villagers found themselves with donkeys without any value, with lot of debts and ruined.
The poor villagers tried to sell their donkeys in order to pay their debts, but it was all in vain. The rate of the donkeys fell very low. The animals were finally confiscated by the bank which started renting them. But the bank was still not satisfied, it went to cry to the village council explaining that if it failed to get its money back, the bank itself would be ruined and would therefore request the immediate payment of all the credit previously granted to the village council.
In order to avoid this catastrophe, the chairman of the village, instead of giving some money back to the villagers so that they may pay their debts, gave it to the banker, who by the way was one of his good friend. But the banker himself, after having secured its funds did nothing for the villagers nor for the village council, and all continued to be ruined.
The village council got scared of the interest rate and requested some help from some neighbouring villages. But those replied that it was impossible for them to help, as they had all similar miseries.
After having listened to the wise advises from the banker, the village council decided to reduce expenses: less money for schools, for social programmes, for transportations, for the local police… The retirement age was pushed a few years further, some jobs were suppressed, salaries diminished while taxes increased. It was said that all this had become unavoidable. But it was also promised to clean up this scandalous donkey’s business.
This story ends up very sadly, yet the banker and both business associates are living a very secure life on Bermudes island, bought from the sweat of their labour. We call these two brothers, the ‘market’ brothers. Very generously, they promised to donate large sums of money in order to finance the electoral campaign in favour of the outgoing village chairman.
But this story is not over, because we do not know the course of action that the villagers finally decided to take.”
One last consideration: from the Spanish house price peak of 2006 now the prices are 40% lower. Yes, that’s right, no typo mistake, 40%.
Take care and hope for the best, we will overcome this too 😉
Eu