Discussion with Skype on the 16th April

As we were supposed to do, last week I did Skype with my Italian peers and with our American peer. We talked about immigration and then the discourse went in the direction of health care and taxes in general.

Michelle, our American peer, said us that also in America there are a kind of prejudices against immigrants who come from Spanish and Latin American countries. In Italy, too, there are prejudices against some immigrants, that is against those who come from African and Asian countries.

As far as health care concerns, Michelle said us in America they have to pay an insurance for health care, for whatever type of medical examinations they have to go for and for the medicines they have to take, even if it is the doctor who prescribe them. It is a so difficult situation, moreover for the persons who don't have the money for an insurance...

About taxes, we knew, but it's not a so new thing, that Italians pay more taxes than Americans. Michelle was very surprised about the fact that in Italy we have to pay a tax for the property of our house, for wastes, light, water and so on. She also didn't believe that we have to pay taxes to attend the university. Unfortunately it's so!!!

There are a lot of differences between Italy and America; Skype gives us a great opportunity: we can compare our culture with another one, a bit unknown, and learn how the world is various. We have the opportunity to listen American native-speakers and at the same time to learn a lot of things about their culture and tradition.

About immigration in Italy

Searching on the net, on the site of UIL, Unione Italiana del Lavoro, I found a news of the day (10th April 2008), that says that there are about four millions immigrants that live and work regularly in Italy. Of these about the 8% can vote, because they have taken out the Italian citizenship. The experts say this percentage is going to increase. Some persons have asked to the government to accept new job applications for immigrants. Whatever it will be the new government it will face a delicate situation: in Italy there will be new irregular immigrants, who are attracted from a submerged economy, and who can't find a regular job easily. In a letter of the 7th April the government declaires the beginning of a new procedure on immigration, on the flow of new immigrants and on their employment applications. All this will certainly drive to an ungovernability of the migratory movement, which is aggravated by the negative effects of the Bossi-Fini law. The Bossi-Fini law provides that the immigrants who live and work illegaly in Italy are to be expelled from our country and it has been established a predetermined flow of immigrants who can come to Italy. Obviously this law hasn't been working well, because there are a lot of illegal immigrants in Italy and all the campaigns of the candidates to the new government are going to fight strongly against illegal immigration.

Well, after this short explanation about immigration in Italy, but it will be very very long to examine it in all its details and it tooks hours hours, so I tried to resume the principal concepts, what do I think about immigration?

First of all in Italy there are too many illegal immigrants. In my opinion it's right to give to a person the opportunity to live in another country, but this person has to try to find a regular work in the new country. There are a lot of non-EU immigrants who come to Italy and work and live illegaly, rob and commit crimes, but the horrible thing about this is that they don't pass even a day in prison, they are free the day after the commission of the crime: about this question I'm speechless and I have to say there isn't justice in Italy!!! How many cases like these do I hear on television?...I can't count them...

However, there are not only illegal immigrants in Italy, but also good persons, who have a respectable job and live regularly as if they were Italian.

About the possibility to vote or not to vote, I think non-EU persons can vote only when they have taken out the Italian citizenship. It's not right that an immigrant can vote immediately after he or she has come to Italy, but he/she has to obtain a certain status (the Italian citizenship) and become aware of the Italian Constitution and laws. Only after being comparable to an Italian person in his/her rights and obligations he/she can obtain the faculty to vote.

Immigration is a delicate issue the new government has to cope with and I hope it will resolve this important question in the best way!

Brief reflections on the final project

As we are supposed to develop a cultural topic for our final project, I'm starting thinking about it...I'd like to discuss, even if my peers agree, about health care, a really interesting aspect that concerns both Italy and USA.

As a person and a woman, first of all in my life I think about my health and this is a very delicate topic in our society. I heard of persons who are ill and haven't got a bed to sleep on in the hospital, or persons who died because of national health disservice. In my opinion these are unthinkable, unimaginable things!!!

Many times happened to me that I had to wait for a long time to make a medical examination even if I had an appointment and this is not possible... When I have to go to the hospital for an usual check-up I'm speechless because of the situations I see and it's for these reasons that I'd like to discuss about this important topic and compare it with the American situation, see differences and similarities and see if also American people have such problems with health care.