With all due respect to my beloved paisani, the Italian people themselves bear some part of the blame here. My parents and aunts and uncles are Italian immigrants who go back every few years. They all busted their butts to make it in America and made a nice life for themselves, but they are shocked by what they see when they go back.
You’ve got young Italians (and not so young) endlessly prolonging their studies and disdaining going to work because they are “studenti” who shouldn’t have to work. Many live at home and mooch off their parents who get nice pensioni from the government. Then on the other end, people are retiring earlier and earlier to get those pensioni. Lots of people trying to get on/stay on the public dole, and not enough people being industrious to keep things afloat.
Of course, those who are hardworking get their legs cut out from under them by regulation and other BS.
Marriage and family isn’t even what it used to be there. It’s really changed, and not for the better. Sort of like us I guess.
Agree 100%. It's the same old story: the welfare state rewards the unproductive fellows and punish the productive ones. Besides we have an awful amount of regulation. Nonetheless, people in the north are still very much hard-working: here in the north is not uncommon to have 3 jobs...the problem lies with the south that's it.