A funeral I'd love to attend.

Silvio Berlusconi is stepping down as Italy's prime minister. And it's good riddance. Could mean a breath of fresh air for Italy. If Berlusconi were an American, he'd be a stalwart Republican. A looney tune. Very conservative. And he's rich, too. A billionaire many times over. And he fancies himself a playboy. At age 75. Just a year younger than me. He's alleged to have cavorted with teenage prostitutes. Anyway, he's been able to get away with lots of shenanigans. Because he got parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution while he holds the office of prime minister. Court cases against him are likely to proceed after he leaves office Monday. Italy has an interesting politic. Lots of political patronage. That's why Berlusconi has been able to stay in office for most of the past 17 years. But he was finally done in by the economic markets. Italy is in big financial trouble. Maybe about to go bankrupt. Because of high interest on the nation's debt. Outside pressures from the European Union have finally sealed Berlusconi's fate/departure. The problem with Italy is similar to that of most other capitalist nations. The rich get away with flagrant tax-dodging schemes. Sounds a lot like America, doesn't it? The rich keep getting richer. And the poor and the middle class gets the shaft. Something's gotta change. Sooner or later. Could be that greedy capitalists are digging their own graves. I'd love to go to that funeral. --Jim Broede