Portugal has become a country where many citizens play Euromillions and scratch cards as a way to escape economic difficulties. An editorial by Fernando Jesus Pires, director of the newspaper O REGIÕES, published in Castelo Branco, analyzes this reality using the story of Amélia, a winner of 51 million euros 14 years ago who continues to live in Marco de Canaveses and continues to exclaim about expenses: "This is expensive as hell!". For the author, Amélia has become involuntarily a metaphor for the national dream of escaping credit, rent, taxes, bureaucracy and insufficient salaries.
The article criticizes the posture of the Portuguese State, which collects taxes quickly but is slow in providing services, and alerts to the situation of inland municipalities, which should be evaluated by their ability to fulfill contracts and pay bills, since a small company waiting for payment from a municipality does not survive on good intentions. The author questions the culture of favoritism in local politics, where proximity can override merit, although he acknowledges that there are serious mayors and exemplary civil servants.
The central criticism is that Portugal needs competence and not more Amélias, that is, it does not need more Portuguese people forced to dream that only a multimillion prize will allow them to live with dignity. The article ends with the affirmation that a lottery prize can change a person's life, but only competence can change a country's life.
