| > It is in the interest of the richest areas to help the poorest. Yes, however one still needs to decide to which extent. Italy helps the poorest areas much more than Germany or the US do. Would a federal model like Germany work better? That's why I said that redistribution is OK in principle, but many feel that in Italy there's just too much of it. > On the historical side it has been confirmed that 2/3 of the gold resources in Italy came from Regno delle due Sicilie Many wrongs were commited in that age, many of which targeted the North, as well. However, if you sum all the subsidies the South has been granted through the years (one among many: Cassa per il Mezzogiorno) that would easily offset those gold resources. Edit: actually is more, Cassa per il Mezzogiorno was given about 140 billions, while 2/3 of Italy's gold resources are worth about 100 billions. One should also keep in mind that Cassa per il Mezzogiorno was active only between 1950 and 1984, and many other subsidies for the South were present before, during and after. |
While the amount is huge, that is not event the biggest issue. What people resent is _how_ that money is spent: public construction project meant mostly to funnel money to organized crime and companies of relatives of politicians; covering the bizarre expenses of the politicians; and the never ending legion of public employees that got a job in exchange of votes (but get paid without working much or at all). If you add the fact that southern Italy is where most of tax evasion and health-related fraud occurs, the feeling for many is not that they are paying to help the poorer, but that they are sweating so that others can live a comfortable life.
While it is not a black-white situation (there are also such issues in the North, and hard working people in the South), the difference is notable.