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martedì 17 aprile 2012

Which political philosophy for Italy? (a long post)

Senate of the Republic





Is there a philosofy for Democratic Party ? Which?

Luca Taddio has presented, last week, his book on  crisis of politics about on  the financial assets

The Book - Taddio said, who teaches aesthetics to the University of Udine - stems from the awareness of the crisis in which we live. The only way out is to experiment with bold new ideas, after understanding the reasons that led us into this cul de sac. And philosophy, by definition, is the most authoritative candidate to play this critical role with way free and unconditional analysis.
Say more Taddio:
"I repeat that the crisis is a crisis of politics. The financial assets  are moving within dynamic and global act. The politics can only act locally-national. At stake are, allow me the pun, too many forces too strong and able to derail entire States in a flash: we speak of a small group of people and a small group of interests that can destabilize enormous geopolitical areas. Well, I'd say the anomaly is obvious, the point is how to solve this problem without  that this should result, as in the past, in devastating conflict. "
We must go back to ask to we what is the function of politics.
We must fill that void of memory, those Flaubertian blancs, which separate us from the distant past,but  yet so recent  so much to procure a sense of loss, during which political leaders spoke of today thinking about tomorrow.

Meanwhile, we can say that politics is an intellectual activity (thinking) that to be useful (virtue), must lead to tangible asset(object). That means providing the tools for a general progress: from education to employment, from technology to culture.


Political activity is thus exercised by the persons.
In Italy there is no political leader from the mid 80y.

death of Jiulius Caesar

Not that the global situation is better: excluding Kohl and Gorbachev who changed history, some Chinese leaders have charted a path through history, as well as the governments of India and Brazil show strong growth. Although many contradictions between. Still, some Asian leaders that are fighting tenaciously to break down dictatorship.And the tens of thousands of young and less young people of Arab spring.

If we want to philosophize, any speculation must target the person.

Back to us
Why  politics is structurally impotent?
A cultural gap? Yes.

The cultural vacuum produces the lack analysis as the lack of understanding of phenomena affecting society.
But the culture has not disappeared from the circulation of goods, just go and find it in the market of book surely, but even in the minds able to demonstrate objectively a given situation.
I explain  the concept:

If i analyze a phenomena with my left culture, i mix the will of the persons with what they do;  with the risk of losing sight of the objective result and invent an enemy.
I believe that the political categories as right as left are not intended for analysis; only the solutions to problems can be divided between right and left.

I mean that Italians are angry when speculation increases the spread between Treasury German bonds and Treasury Italian bonds.
However we have to fight the speculators, or we have to fight speculation, and  understanding why it increases  the significance of the difference in the spread, ie the trust?

Until few months ago, the italian politics financed the  functionality of state 
by borrowing on domestic and international markets, paying interests on debt.
Don't care to pay the debt; thinking that paying only the cost of debt, is satisfied the creditor.

The major problem is that doing so keeps endlessly an assets that belong to other:  capital.
From capital to capital so we are unable to return.

As I said before was thought was enough to satisfy the creditor (the person) only paying interest, provided that continued to lend money, but not was thinking about the debt (object) and use that  was done. (Virtue)
But above all we are not worried about who would pay the debt.


Paradoxically, the capital gradually borrowed, financed a unproductive spending and generating  solitude for entrepreneurship that sees its already low competitiveness reduced , for most of the few facilities operated by state and private monopolies. Moreover, the system tax and the unwillingness to search for new technologies, have further depressed the industrial system.

The situation has worsened since the time when our currency was dissolved in 'Community euro. The single European currency has made ​​it impossible for us to devalue the debt with the inflationary policies that most of the entrepreneurs, supported by the policy, adopted in order to maintain some competitiveness on international markets at the expense of structural competitiveness due to the mode of production, the investment needed looking for new technologies, new products, new offers, at the expense of the modernization of infrastructure: roads, rail freight transport in particular, digitizing public and private. So even denying the possible creation of new technology centers.
It is no accident that our GDP will not grow more than 15 years now. (average of 1-1.5% per year)

I add that we have witnessed a mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of young talents abroad, partly due to nepotism and management gerontocratic at all levels, rewarding personal relationship rather than merit and professionalism.

With borrowed money, we built and we are still maintaining a government machine that from parliament up to the board of each district of the city, raised the number of staff likely to generate too many center of political and administrative decision makers, with loss of time and money that this entails.


This type of management policy has generated a big misunderstanding about the type of  power politically:
the illusion to exercise power just for the sake of  power. Fatal for a nation that was the 5 th world power.

Justice operated as a puppet

This has established a relationship of distrust between state and citizens.

Finally some injustice of enormous proportions:

-The Court of Auditors has estimated that corruption costs the system 60MLD € per year;

-the most optimistic analysis of currency 120 billion € a year tax evasion;
-The judicial system is embedded in 150.000 laws; shortage of staff and money, cumbersome procedures that allow a civil lawsuit lasts from 4 to 7 years, without the certainty of a just sentence.
-organized crime (mafia) has become more efficient in the north than south of Italy.


Which political philosophy because Italy may be once again on modern country?

I think the simplicity and trust are the necessary format;for content, we have to think back to what it is man.


The man is a rational animal. (Platone, Aristotele)

But man is not rational as a geometric figure or a mathematical formula to demonstrate and always equal to itself.
The man may or may not be rational, because he is free to think and act in its own way.

Man's ability to plan his life depends on this freedom. And the ability of a few men to design tools for the life of millions of people depends  on the freedom enjoyed by the millions of human beings as a whole.

Because only if the people is free, can accept or not accept the tools designed from politic.

In our case , are we free? From ancient Greek philosophers back to our days and at modern gods: the markets.



The markets are rational? As the man. The man who performs financial transactions, to increase the profits of the holders of money in the shortest possible time.
Taddio says more:


"the amount of global transactions to approx. 600,000 billion USD, equal to 10 times the G.D.P. World."
What's the point? G.D.P represents a sure value, but the amount of the global transactions is a real value? I ask: is there really that sum? Or much of that sum is the twins values ​​of Real estate from U.S. subprime and financial derivatives, which created a bubble that has affected dramatically the real economies of half the planet? Only because the large holders of money want a lot of gain in little time. And is drama that banks and big financial institutions that caused this global crisis have been saved with public money.


Returning to the culture, ie to know : the economic think tank of the politics is able to answer? Maybe politics do not have the courage to respond? I mean, we understand the reality, the substance of financial power?
I add:
the subtle perfidy of pension funds that are able to intervene heavily in a listed company, or on a the sovereign debt, causing massive layoffs, creating a youth unemployment intolerable, is rational in a society that must to think about the future of their children?
Why we have to feed an increasingly gerontocratic society ?

Yet men are free to behave in their own way.
But there are some governments that are not free to do it their way,
because are so indebted that now depend on who they lend the money. As Italy.
Not only! The money that the ECB has made available for the Italian banks,is used still to buy government debt, thus putting the Italian banking system under fire, because they are full of Treasury bonds that receives little trust from markets. (grafic) Unfinished: banks will not lend money to businesses thereby preventing a resumption of the industrial system .
To quote Martin Heidegger we are what we have inherited from the past?
Yes; as we will probably be tomorrow based on what we do today.


remain to understand who is we, and who and what have inherited from past. Businesses, workers, citizens who have always behaved civilly, who have always paid taxes, respect the law? Those for whom work have always been a passion and a value of progress and freedom? They did not have the legacy they are entitled. The high priests of the sacrifice he now wants to give him the inheritance of those who have squandered the public money, which gave 80% of the total credit to a few big companies, credit rationing to 95% of Italian businesses with higher interest rates? The legacy of a gigantism dwarf of Italian finance filled with debts for to become a little less dwarf ? The legacy of those who practiced nepotism and gerontocracy in universities, boards of directors, in research? The legacy of the political class that has allowed all this?
A people can to deny inherited from past? No, he cannot ! But can refuse to inherit a ruling class.


the politic is the best of science. Is the sum of activities of human people. A good political promotes and facilitates the development of other science, the general progress, the future for next generation.


What can to do the politic in Italy? Today nothing! As I say before, there are not leader; there are no leaders capable of planning the release of the fundamental spirit of an Italian creativity, a devotion and discipline to work, ability to compete in international markets, ability to spare. We have already demonstrated in 96-97, that if the objective pursued by credible government (Prodi) is important for the whole nation (the first group to the euro), it possibile withstand a maneuver from € 98.3 trillion in 9 months. Unfortunately, the virtue is widely disliked by the political class, by the party of tax evasion and some ruling class used life annuity. And so Caesar was killed (politically)


Then when? at the next election day. With who? With those young and older, and there are many, who will have the courage to step forward to propose to citizens, employers and workers, employees and teachers, merchants and independent professionals, students. What to propose? Justice, trust, simplification. This is not to add, but to remove, as way the ancient Greek philosophers who intended the sculpture as the art of deduction: remove one by one the pieces of marble that cover is already present in the block of stone.

for Justice:
it comes to eliminating 140,000  laws and adapt to a modern justice laws to keep streamlining , give legal certainty and a definite schedule and short of prosecution.
In this regard, I propose again, here, a proposal that follows, in some respects, the U.S. system
For the system in general:
 it is necessary, having simplified the judicial system, eliminate all those unnecessary decision-making and control, and impose a short time for any project that is of interest of the community and the economy.
For energy needs:
 it must reduce oil imports, giving a huge boost to the green economy, a source of jobs, new businesses, and restoration of environment, which moreover is currently the cause of many disease and therefore a same cost for the system healthcare.
For trust:
discover a old feature  as the world: ethics.
Induce companies to present financial statements in terms of modern Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by introducing the figure of the auditor ethical,introduce standards ISO 26000. Briefly, highlight the value of intangible assets along the productively chain.
Immediately implement the  Strasbourg Convention on Corruption (1999), adopted by the senate of the republic a month ago.

Reduce the assets of the State and Local Governments, which are not strategic. In particular, the immovable heritage real estate that in front of modest revenue  generates considerable maintenance costs, or deterioration of the good.
The proceeds of sales must only serves to reduce public debt.

It 's still necessary to remove other:
a portion of taxes on labor, offsetting lower revenue by removing the privileges to those who, having  great fortunes, pay little taxes on income and financial speculation.
This is not a ideological position. But a matter of justice, which would moreover Italy at the level of other European countries, allows a recovery of the real economy, and with it other real chance of lowering the debt.

Once rediscovered trust, the cost of debt would decrease further, and the last bits of marble would be away without effort.
And all pieces of marble that i have removed ,become projectiles to shoot against speculation of global finance

It takes courage,  it is hard, but to try not cost much.
The goal deserves.
But have the courage our emerging leaders?

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