The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Silvio Plays The ‘I May Be Incompetent, But I Am All You Have Got’ Card

Posted on | October 13, 2011 | 3 Comments

by Smitty

We need a term for this argument. How about Argumentum ad Gasbagam?

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi appealed for his political survival Thursday, telling parliament that his government is the only credible alternative to help guide the country through the growing sovereign debt crisis.
Berlusconi’s 3 1/2-year-old government faces a confidence vote Friday that will test if the premier retains a majority in Parliament. If the vote fails, Berlusconi must step down.

If I achieve any success as a blogger, I hope it is convincing people that liberty means ratcheting down the importance of government in general, and specific government figures in particular, to their minimum level of importance.

As I was attempting to articulate to Melissa Clouthier on Twitter the other day, the notion of people making themselves indispensable, itself, is the problem. Take the income tax. Take a fire axe to the income tax. Liberty will mean prying the cold, undead fingers of the government away from your wallet entirely, not electing somebody who promises reform in the form of an adjusted grip on the buttock.

When somebody tries to say you need them, the question needs to be: what are you doing to make the as simple as possible?

Update: speaking of that card:

Category: Italy

Comments

3 Responses to “Silvio Plays The ‘I May Be Incompetent, But I Am All You Have Got’ Card”

  1. Danby
    October 13th, 2011 @ 2:12 pm

     As Napoleon said, the graveyards are full of “indispensable” men.

    Any enterprise, including governments, cannot afford to have indispensable men. The very first thing that must be done when a man becomes indispensable is to start replacing him.

  2. Adjoran
    October 13th, 2011 @ 3:11 pm

    Italy is a strange case.  There have been 61 governments since 1946.  Berlusconi is certainly a major figure as his government has been among the most stable.  The country is on the verge of a huge fiscal crisis.  The EU will be virtually powerless to help due to the sheer size of Italian debt.

    Berlusconi may not be able to enact the austerity needed to avoid default.  But it is almost impossible to imagine anyone else being able to do it either and, should his government fall, Italy most likely becomes Greece very quickly – only with REAL money involved.

    Of course Berlusconi isn’t “indispensable” to Italy’s short-term future.  It’s just that everyone who might possibly replace him would be too weak to do what must be done.  He is probably too weak now, too, but at least he has some chance.

    Why should we care?  Put it this way:  if Italy defaults, the Eurozone cannot avoid collapse.  The results will make us look back on today’s economy as if it were prosperity.

  3. Richard Mcenroe
    October 13th, 2011 @ 3:31 pm

    How about “Vote for me and I’ll do Monica Bellucci at my inauguration?”