The State of Tough Choices

Written on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 10:17 pm | by cocoy

Can a butterfly’s wings change the path of a tornado? Our nation faces myriad challenges. In a world that is growing ever interdependent— an economic storm in the United States has repercussions across the planet for example. Can these storms be an excuse for growing troubles at home? Did Arroyo make tough choices as she spoke of in her State of the Nation Address? Is it really hard to understand villains in our story?

I think it is beyond the scope of this post to discuss the current global economic storm. But there was a most interesting blog by Jon Taplin. He recently concluded a four part post on “The Cost of Empire,” which is largely on American economic history and her role in the world and touches on the problem of America today. Anybody interested in recent world history and analysis should go there, if you haven’t already.

Let us first begin with VAT. It is imperative that Government be fiscally responsible. Government’s stand on Value Added Tax is the right one. In an economy where tax collection from Income Taxes is hard to police, in an economy where billions are made from Filipino Workers Abroad — VAT is the only way to cash in on that revenue stream. In fact, there should be (if there hasn’t already been) a study to see if increasing VAT and reducing and in many cases eliminating income taxes for a given income bracket would benefit this economy.

Taxes is not fun. It never is for anybody. In a country where it seems the policy is greater social programs like food subsidies there has to be a revenue stream to keep up with that tide. Social programs need funding, it does not come from thin air. Neither do the funds needed for infrastructure development— which creates jobs. If our people continue to insist that subsidies should be the norm, not to mention to continue other programs of greater social importance like education and health care, then it should be paid for.

On the other hand, why does government bother itself with cutting deals with the major telecommunication companies to “reduce the price of SMS”? That is not a social program. SMS is not life and death. It is like soda, cigarettes, or comic books or beer or coffee or any other “hobby” or “vice”, heck even newspaper— but you get what I mean, right?

If Globe or Smart or any other telecom would raise prices the public would either bite the bullet and pay— or simply cut their use or not use the service at all or find other ways to communicate. This is the kind of “market intervention” that looks great as a headline, but is bad policy. It speaks and stinks of politics.

In the same breath that Oil is not a social program. It never should be. It behooves me to reflect why a lot of militant groups are clamoring for government intervention with oil, the price of transportation, but is not clamoring for better education or for solving the growing and ever present problem of health care in the country. If people find the price of oil exuberant, people find ways around those kinds of problem.

If people had only a hundred pesos a day— people will chose what is most appropriate to pay with that hundred pesos.

I disagree with a lot of Arroyo’s perennial policy of market intervention where it shouldn’t be meddling and hands off in areas where it should be intervening.

In many cases, the tough choice is not intervening at all. Let the transport sector determine their own fare. Deregulate it! If each taxi or jeep or fx would charge differently, people will know where to ride. Let oil companies continue to determine their oil prices. Let the telecommunication companies determine how much they should ask for their services. Let Jolibee decide how much to charge for their burger and Chicken Joy.

Is that not what a Free Market economy should be?

What Arroyo and government should be doing is to make the law stick. Give government teeth that should Corporations and organizations overstep, Government can referee properly. Let it have the means to throw in the Wrath of Heaven. That is government’s job— ensure we have a level playing field. Government’s job is to ensure we play nice. It may be Darwinian and cold and tough for people to figure that out and understand but that’s the hard choice.

I disagree with the excuse that we have perennially imported rice. Self-sufficiency has been the rallying cry of every government. Yet we are still consuming more than we make. Let us make technology work for us in this field. Agrarian reform has failed and simply accepting it as the best solution we can come up with is not enough. Better than nothing should never be what this country must aspire for. Ever.

In this day and age, having kids “be the salvation of the family,” or to take care of the old when they can’t, must be a standard that should be reworked. It is undoubtedly a very personal choice, having a family or progeny— one that neither Church nor State standing alone be the only deciding factor.

In fact, in my humble opinion, it behooves us all to think, children owe nothing to their parents but parents owe their children all the tools they can provide their child to best meet the challenges of the future. That is not to say every child shouldn’t give something back to their parents— they should out of love and respect, not obligation nor duty.

Can everyone please just make sure they play the roles they are meant to play?  Government’s job is to present all the facts and to encourage that every citizen be responsible. Church’s job is to ensure each family is made out of love.

Let people decide what is best for them. Is that not what Free Will, Free Men means? Is that not the promise and dream of every person in this country?

With regard to Mindanao, why hasn’t government cracked down on bandits? Why does it continue to play peace talks with MILF, which for years has only fed the problem? These groups keep coming back for more violence and only keep the poor of Mindanao, only poorer? Ensure the peace once and for all so that business can thrive and employ the people of Mindanao.

Arroyo spoke of corruption, most especially the rackets out of agrarian reform. Can it be done?

The problem with graft and corruption is we simply assume everyone is a crook. Lifestyle checks have not yielded justice. It has only created more cases. In this country where who you know and “for the boys” mentality is the social norm, why not use that to the Filipino’s advantage? Let us cut the crap. Let us take a page from the good book and give to Caesar what is due him. Pay everyone a proper living wage befitting the job they’ve done and give to the country what is properly due it— a job well done. Why shouldn’t the country legalize commissions from business by government officials and make it taxable?

“leadership is not about doing the first easy thing that comes to mind; it is about doing what is necessary, however hard.” — Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2008 State of the Nation Address.

This country likes its drama and likes a good story. Yes, it is true Madam President that every Citizen has a role to play in the future of us all and that leadership is not about what is easy but the touch choices. My disagreement with you and every other politician in this country is that you have misplaced priorities. You say the right things yet do things differently. For one, you intervene when it is politically expedient. That is not leadership. Forgive me if I don’t believe you are sincere. Would you put our people first about above your needs, wants and desires?

In the same way, my disagreement with every protester in the street clamoring for Arroyo’s removal is your shortsightedness.

The reality of course is that there are many layers and facets to this country. Simply clamoring for the eradication of graft without understanding the language of our land is foolish. Likewise raising our voices in protest for the endless poor— we already know there are people who are hungry and who have been dying from hunger. People have been dying from hunger since the human race can remember. We don’t need to be told, we need answers!

I most certainly agree with momblogger when she wrote:

“We are not victims of life. We can learn to remove ourselves as victims of life. Letting go of the belief that life has to be hard and difficult makes our life much easier.

So what are other ways to getting through hard times?”

We each got our role to play and I think every Filipino who has got the means should simply do what we can to help others in however way we know how is in itself helping this country move forward. In simplest terms, if you can send your little sister to school, help out. if you can send your house help’s kids to school, help out. There are other ways— many more ways. IF that means creating wealth through business and thus creating more jobs— wouldn’t that be awesome? Flapping our butterfly wings maybe can make a difference after all.

The villain in our story is that the darkest picture we paint of this country comes from our fear. I most certainly believe that this country has got hope in spades. It isn’t hope for the future that we lack. In my humble opinion, the tough choice we need to make the most is to choose Courage to rise above adversity, to confront it responsibly, not timidly, with our eyes open.

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About The Author: cocoy Mac. Linux. Tech. Comics. Free Market. Politics. New Media. Coffee. Geek. He hangs out on twitter as @cocoy, on Plurk, FriendFeed and blogs at Big Mango.

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8 Responses to “The State of Tough Choices”

  1. Nick on July 28th, 2008 10:23 pm

    brief note, I have always been interested in this theory about the butterfly flapping its wings.. it’s a curious and very interesting look and even commentary on how many events can affect the course of other seemingly unrelated events..

  2. Jon Limjap on July 28th, 2008 11:12 pm

    Nick,

    The butterfly-flapping-its-wings thing comes from Chaos Theory (math). The analogy first became “mainstream” in Micheal Crichton’s novel “Jurassic Park”. ;)

  3. Manuel L. Quezon III on July 28th, 2008 11:43 pm

    […] of a Speech from The Throne; A Filipina Mom Blogger offers up a parent’s reaction; over at Filipino Voices, there is a call for less market intervention and a whole lotta hope. And finally, here is how the […]

  4. Current » SONAmbulism on July 28th, 2008 11:45 pm

    […] of a Speech from The Throne; A Filipina Mom Blogger offers up a parent’s reaction; over at Filipino Voices, there is a call for less market intervention and a whole lotta hope. And finally, here is how the […]

  5. cocoy on July 29th, 2008 9:37 am

    I used the butterfly effect as a metaphor for the increasing apathetic response of our people to government.

    the math eludes me of course— i’m not that smart but i was thinking that the small changes we can make now, individually=initial conditions? would it be therefore possible, if everyone just did their own thing, “kanya kanyang sikap,” would that be akin to flapping a butterfly’s wing? would it ultimately change our social norms, our country’s economic prospects and raise the nature of our politics?

    Did anything change from PGMA’s speech yesterday? nothing. again like i said, it isn’t hope that we need. we have that in spades. it is courage to really make the touch choices

  6. benign0 on July 29th, 2008 12:08 pm

    Cocoy, put it this way: Ninoy’s died in 1983 and by default became a “hero”. Dying is a lot more than flapping wings and, to be fair, it changed the dynamics of Pinoy politics significantly (or did it, really?).

    But the more important question is, did this mother of all flapping change the fundamental nature of our society?

    If not (and I think a lot of people agree that things haven’t changed at all fundamentally — different names, diferent year, same old shit), then I doubt if one SONA speech or even ten will change anything.

  7. Paeng on July 29th, 2008 12:31 pm

    my disagreement with VAT is that we already have enough funds if only the government has the political will to run after those who do not pay their income taxes. I am a CPA and I always retreat back to NGO and academe work because the corporate world is just so…revolting. Seeing consultants paying less taxes than low-level employees was the last straw for me.

  8. cocoy on July 29th, 2008 12:48 pm

    benign0, lol. ssdy=same shit different year? that’s what jon said. hehe.

    Paeng, indeed. well put!

    my question still stands: In a country where collecting income tax is such a chore and largely inefficient— from the point of view of government, VAT is the best way to collect taxes. which begs the question— if government would eliminate income taxes all together and instead focus their attention to VAT what effect will that do to say, inflation or government’s bottom line? Economists in the house?

    At the end of the day, i think that is why government is so focused on VAT. it is easier to collect taxes than go after income taxes or improve tax collection.

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