I was watching the news this morning, coffee in hand, seeing the fresh faces of new Congressional members walking through orientation on Capitol Hill. They looked optimistic, clutching their binders and shaking hands, ready to serve. There was something almost hopeful about it—the idea that the people who just got elected are already showing up, ready to get to work. But then the camera cut to the veteran leadership, the same faces we have been watching for years, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu mixed with deep exhaustion. Congress is back for its “lame-duck sprint,” a phrase that sounds energetic—like a final push for glory—but actually describes a period of legislative paralysis that feels increasingly broken. We’re told this is just how it works. It’s a transitional phase, a constitutional buffer between the verdict of the electorate and the swearing-in of the new term. In theory, that makes sense. You need time to hand over the keys. You need time for new members to...
Italy is the oldest country in Europe. I know that sounds like a trivia fact. It isn't. The median age is 47.1. One in four people you see on the bus, in the piazza, at the Conad checkout, is over 65. The number of people who can actually work — pay taxes, staff hospitals, drive buses — is going to drop by seven million by 2050. And that's the optimistic scenario, where more women work and people retire later. Last year, 370,000 babies were born in Italy. That's it. The lowest since Italy became Italy in 1861. Sixteen years straight of fewer births than the year before. Pensions will eat 17% of everything the country produces by 2040. Right now there are about 39 retired people for every 100 workers. By 2050, it's going to be almost one to one. One person working. One person retired. Everyone knows these numbers. They've been in every budget speech for twenty years. And still, nobody wants to say the next number out loud. 473.5 billion euros. A year. That's what...