Italia needs another Il Duce to clean house, restore order and oust plotting islamists.

Enzino, Caltagirone, Italia

Capitalism Is the OPPISITE of democracy and Free Speech has been fighting Capitalism since the Article of confederation were perverted by James Madison. Think about it, review history without a byast view and it's fairly obvious.

Jon, duluth,

I agree with the comments above, but I think that "Capitalism and free speech is the real deal" is not the truth. Capitalism is not the only way, just because Comunism doesn´t work. An Italian sociologist, Domenico de Masi, said in an interview, here in Brazil, recently, that Capitalism fails to distribute wealthy, as well as Socialism fails to create it. We should learn with history, instead of taking a side and defending it unconditinally.

Guilherme, São Paulo, Brazil

Italy is in dire need of a new Sulla, with a mandate to rule for no more than one year. Because indeed - sometimes the old ways really are best.

M. Bright, Mexico City, Mexico

Earlier today I read that yet another Russian reporter died unexpectedly "falling" from a fifth story window! What is it that blinds Hollywood and the rest of the world from seeing that Capitalism and free speech is the real deal! As long as we have human beings on this planet, Socialism and Communism simply do not work! We need to give everyone a chance to work, and then get out of their way!

No government can "give" anything to anyone ... until they have first stolen it from the rightful owner! There has never been a government that created "a profit"! They simply steal from some and give to others!

Dody VerSluis, Colorado Springs, USA

Regarding Italians being illiterate:

It seems that the recent fall of Prodi's government was due to the antics of people that are quite literate; it is Italian intellectuals unwavering faith in communism that is the problem.

Jason Keuter, PISA, Italy

People need to work for their food, shelter and clothing.
During the early 90's in suburban Milwaukee WI I would stop at a drive thru to get coffee or food and a help wanted sign was always in the window. Those locations would pay $8-10 an hour then, however unskilled could stay home on welfare in Milw. County and earn $5/hour or more tax-free.
Finally that changed so did those people move to Italy and vote in the various politicians?

Michael, Antigo, USA

The Italian economy runs underground. That is why the pension problems will never go away. The old WWII veterans are now in control and dictate how things will be. The power is in the small towns and villages who depend on the underground economy. The continued change in Government leadership is something that will never stop and the country will go on. It is the villages and small towns not Rome or Milan.

john valentine, pueblo, colorado

Dear Mr Maddox,
you have hit the mark when you say : "But these steps are tiny and Italy’s problems are huge". The real matter is that Italian politicians don't want to make any serious, effective and deep reform because they don't want to lose any useful vote, they simply want to exploit the power and the medieval privileges which come from a position like that, in fact they enjoy scandalous salaries with several fringe benefits, very long holidays and so on! Furthermore, through the spoils system, which is far more pervasive than in your country, they fix their children, relatives or friends with a well-paid job! Just an example: Mr Mastella, Minister of the Justice, has made it with his daughter-in-law.The same politicians are always reelected because the average Italian voter is an inveterate supporter of his own politician.
It doesn't matter what he really makes for his voter because as the old Italian saying goes: it doesn't matter what a priest makes but what he says!!!

Fabrizio Farnedi, Rome, Italy

The anglosaxon world should learn that pragmatism is not an infallible universal method. Prodi and its fake coalition are an example of pragmatism which failed to accomplish its final scope i.e : governing a country without an actual consensus.
I would like to see other examples of leader rejection in other countries, expecially those whose leaders are war criminals supported by a two party system whereby democracy and freedom are only slogans.

Marco, Rome, Italy

Italy's main problem is its people. A recent survey conducted by an Italian University has proved that 8 million Italians are to be considered illiterate and about 23 million (about 45% of the population) are ranked as "barely literate".

I believe that Italian politics are heavily affected by the low standards of education of the country and that this effect, combined with the generally too old age of Italian politicians, provokes a general drift of the country from the European Standards.

Italians aren't really overtaxed, unless they're are viewed from an American point of view. Here in Europe we pay taxes that are appropriate to the high standards of welfare we have achieved, and most countries in Europe have higher tax rates than Italy.

The main concern should be that a majority of Italians doesn't really trust the country's democracy, which in turns causes a drift of the politicians away from the country's real needs.

As an unwanted effect, a much needed attempt to make Italy look somewhat like a normal European country, and less like a dictatorship ruled by a media tycoon of questionable morality, was brought to a halt on purely ideological grounds.

Rather discomforting indeed.

Massimo C., Milan, Italy

I question the notion that the Italian system, for all its faults, is any more dysfunctional than our American one these days.

They can get rid of an unsuccessful leader, or a nonentity like Romano Prodi. Their gridlock is based on a multiplicity of parties with differing views and philosophies. Ours is procedural.

Being one who wants at little gummint as possible, I'd like to see us toss out our leaders more often, whether it's one who turns the White House into a bordello and lies about it, or another whose approval ratings are in the 20s.

The Italians are overcentralized, overtaxed, and overregulated. Sound familiar?

Grumpy Old Man, Laguna Beach, CA