Political blackmail

For a curious matter of coincidence in the USA and Italy we can testify two different cases of political blackmail from right-wing oriented parties. These are non-related situations, there are no direct ties between American Republicans and Italian PdL.

In the USA the federal government is performing a major shutdown of public functions due to a lack of agreement on financial measures in National Parliament. In the House of Representatives the Republican Party hold a majority and they’re blocking further spending in federal administration. This is a blatant case of blackmail against President Obama and his medical care program (cd. “Obamacare”). This block in the federal budget will cause as much as 800,000 workers to lose their jobs; if this struggle between Republican and Democrats will go on in the next few months the whole National debt will not be refinanced – that’s more than enough to trigger another world financial crisis, for sure it will kill every improvement in american economy for two or more years. Who’s behind the GOP? All the usual suspects, banks and insurance companies that are against any federal-backed medical insurance program. Who will pay for this blackmail? The poorest part of US population, as usual.

In Italy we’re knee deep into a political crisis. Silvio Berlusconi, leader and owner of PdL party, is playing a desperate gambit against Italian President of the Republic, Mr. Giorgio Napolitano, using a blackmail action to menace a forced shutdown of National government (by now it’s based on a forced alliance between PdL and PD – our version of Democrats). If he succeed in such an action financial speculation will be all over euro countries again, with a special attention to Italy. With a National debt that’s over 2,000 euro billions we’re the big prize in this dire competition – if Italy declares a financial default the Euro currency is over. What’s the motivation of Mr. Berlusconi? He just want to stay out of jail, no less. He already get a four-year imprisonment  measure this year (three of them being remitted) and he’s gonna face two more trials before the end of 2013. What’s at stake right now? Today we get one more point of VAT (from 21% to 22%), in the next few months we will get more and more problems due to tax increments and lack of a central authority (the National government in its full power). That means a bleaker future for 60,000,000 Italian citizens and a potential danger for the whole European Union.

As you may see there’s something that connect these two situations.

Greed. Money. Crime.

American GOP and Italian PdL both say they’re liberal. That poor Adam Smith should be rolling in his grave by now.