We firmly believe that the traditional Venetian principles of free enterprise, institutional integrity, limited government and individual liberty - which motivated with extreme success our Venetian Forefathers - should be taken off the shelf, dusted off, restudied and once again used as signposts for our country's future.

We are generating proposals consistent with the above principles and we are marketing them to the Venetian Regional Parliaments and Governments, the media, academics, business people and the general public in the Venices*. These proposals build on our country's institutional, historical, economic and social heritage to produce a more prosperous, safer, stronger, freer Venetia*.

We want a Venetia* that is safe and secure; where integrity in institutions and society is the norm; where choices (in education, health care and retirement) abound; where taxes are fair and comprehensible; where everybody has the opportunity to go as far as their talents will take them; where government concentrates on its core functions, recognizes its limits and shows favour to none. And the changes we propose would accomplish these things.

We believe we are being given an historic opportunity, and we cannot fail to make the most of it. It is the least we owe to our Venetian Forefathers, and to the next generations who will live with the result of what we accomplish or fail to accomplish today.

Giampietro Lea
Director Venezie Institute