Among the towns
that benefit from state aid to mountainous communities is Palagiano,
in
That is 12
meters less than the steeple of St. Marks Square" in
But Palagiano is only one of dozens of slightly above-sea-level
towns classified as mountainous, giving them a right to state aid for mountain
regions that have lost population.
A bill introduced
by the government on July 13 sets a new minimum of 600 meters, or about 1,970
feet, above sea level before a town may claim mountain status.
By that account,
more than half of the 4,200 places now classified as mountain towns would lose
their standing, putting hundreds of local bureaucrats who work to protect
municipalities with more humble elevations out of jobs. But the bill faces many
obstacles, and the final version may be decidedly weaker.
Mountain
communities are, according to the authors of "The Caste," Sergio
Rizzo and Gian Antonio Stella, a microcosm of a crisis in which "a greedy
and self-referential political class became a caste and invaded Italian
society."
That class, they
write, is "becoming increasingly indifferent to the common good and the
notion of sound administration in order to nourish itself."
If sales of the
book are a good measure, the authors seem to have caught the wave of a
widespread malaise here. Since it was published in mid-May, "The
Caste" has sold 630,000 copies, a phenomenon in a country where a
nonfiction book is considered a best seller once it hits the 20,000 mark.
Whats
striking is how the book exploded off the shelves," said Giuliano Vigini, a publishing
expert.
Cesare Salvi, a senator with the Democrats of the Left, said:
"Sure, Ive read it. More
unfortunately for politicians, everybodys reading it." Mr. Salvis own 2005 book about the political machine,
"The Cost of Democracy," will come out in paperback in September.
But he said the
success of "The Caste" had not yet sunk in with the books
subjects. "Politicians still arent
listening to this wave of protest on the part of the public opinion," he
said.
Dissatisfaction
with the cost of keeping members of the political class in the manner to which
they have become accustomed has increasingly trickled into the mainstream and
is now regular fodder for commentators and comedians. One comic, Beppe Grillo, has worked to make
Sept. 8 a day to appeal to "all our
politicians - no exceptions - to take a hike."
Mr. Rizzo
attributes the success of the book to this, "We name names."
And name names
they do, at all levels - from the mayor/boss of a Sicilian hamlet to
government ministers to coteries of political cronies. It is a densely packed,
250-plus-page tour of a world of privilege (including chauffeured cars,
subsidized air travel, lavish dining and bodyguards), wanton waste of public
funds and corruption. Not to mention the highest parliamentary salaries in
An oligarchy
of insatiable Brahmins" is what Italian politicians have become, write the authors, both reporters for the
Nothing is
spared, not even the presidency, a revered office in
In July, Italian
politicians tried to repair their image. The cabinet approved a bill aimed at
"containing the costs of politics and administrative apparatus."
Parliamentary leaders agreed to $82 million in cuts. Members of Parliament will
now get smaller pensions, and only after five years in office. Their pensions
will also be frozen if they hold other public offices. Also cut was an annual
$4,200 stipend that lawmakers could use for study abroad.
Polls published
in national newspapers recently highlighted a growing disillusionment among
Italians with the political class.
When you
think of politics what pops into your mind?" asked a survey published by Corriere della Sera.
Negative
feelings like disgust, diffidence, anger, boredom," replied 58 percent of
those polled, as opposed to indifference," cited by 25 percent, and
"passion, enthusiasm, commitment," the choice of 17 percent.
Eighty percent of
those responding to the agency ISPO for Corriere said
they believed that "politicians are interested in peoples votes, not
their opinions."
Its not
just politicians, its the Italian mentality thats like this,"
said Roberto Rocca, a software developer in