Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Saint Silvio's Community Service

As things look for one Silvio Berlusconi, he never would have served any jail time for his convictions anyway.   His four years already were reduced to one, and then his age, while not preventing him to be locked up in a basement with a pole dancer at his villa in Sardinia, prevents him from actually being behind bars.
And so, his other option was In House Arrest or Community Service.
I have to say, I was not so surprised when Silvio stated that Community Service would be beneath him.  
But still, wasn't this the same guy who professed - even under oath - that all he truly wanted to do was "help out a few girls" maybe get a head start on their 'beauty' salons? What greater honor than perhaps working with women to get them off the streets.  I'm sure he has plenty of apartments where they could live nicely, with stipend.

But seriously, while Italians are quite generous with volunteer time and giving, there is not much in the way of leaving your name on a building, setting up richly funded foundations, starting universities on a scale like Rockefeller or Carnegie Mellon, or Kresge.  Sure, there are plenty of foundations, but usually, one finds these ultra-rich purchasing art & villas for their offspring, rather than create something for the good of the community.
What a legacy Silvio could have left if only he used his money or his elbow grease for doing good works?  Instead of pretending to purchase a villa in Lampedusa, maybe creating a village like Milano II - but to house those immigrants who actually make our shores, rather than keeping them behind high fences.
Although, one could argue...looking at the showgirls he plucked from obscurity to land choice jobs feeding at the public trough, he did, indeed, take a few women off the streets, or in the very least, off the pages of nude mags.
Maybe he can argue that he's already served the community all these years - with his personal brand of public service.

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