So I woke up today and realized that it's the 30th. I'm not really familiar with banking but supposedly there's none during weekends, from what I hear. So I'm assuming that tomorrow is a holiday? or maybe until the 2nd? And so I go for the modern-day proverb of stop asking stupid questions and Google it.
What if I'm not a Catholic? What if I didn't believe in this whole dressing up for costume parties or going to the cemetery hullaballoo? Why is it being imposed on me and forces businesses (big businesses can probably afford the double pay but how about small ones? plus, it increases costs for entrepreneurs therefore also increases prices) to support it by closing down?
I'm not saying that Catholics shouldn't practice this. I'm giving them all the right to do so privately, any time of the year they want. It is their freedom of assembly, freedom to choose religion, rituals, and practices. I just don't want it to be legislated and imposed on those who don't want to practice it. In a free society, private businesses can choose whether to support or not support the holiday. For example, if most of their employees and themselves are Christians, they would actually have the voluntary choice to close down or provide double pay or some other incentive.
I guess it makes sense, from our keyword analysis, that a lot of people from India and Singapore ask it because of their multicultural population. That's the concept of giving this power to the state: so they can please certain groups and yet it is imposed on everyone across the board even to those who do not want to practice it.
Me and some friends actually try to practice St. Patrick's Day, for instance, which is a holiday in some countries of the world. Being that many of my friends love to drink, we always enjoy trying to look for a an excuse to justify or somehow make this voluntary personal habit more special. But then how come it's not legislated? Doesn't that make us minorities? Some people think it's a holiday to go to cemeteries and light up candles, maybe for some it's fasting during daytime for 30 days, but what if for some it is to drink during St. Patrick's Day?
Okay, most social conservatives would argue that my argument is stupid and would incentivize "dangerous" habits and increase crime or that it would be "immoral" (although practiced and legislated as public holidays in many parts of the world). But then for as long as I am not hurting anyone, stealing or destroying property, then why should the values and morality of others be imposed on me? Plus, statistically, crime rate really does go up during these legislated public holidays regardless of how "moral" the holiday is.
Okay, most social conservatives would argue that my argument is stupid and would incentivize "dangerous" habits and increase crime or that it would be "immoral" (although practiced and legislated as public holidays in many parts of the world). But then for as long as I am not hurting anyone, stealing or destroying property, then why should the values and morality of others be imposed on me? Plus, statistically, crime rate really does go up during these legislated public holidays regardless of how "moral" the holiday is.
And then it gives bureaucracies another chance to spend taxpayer's money without transparency. DOTC, along with many bureaucracies, for instance, have started "Oplan Ligtas Undas", disguised in the noble intention of protecting the safety and security of peoples and their belongings, we allow bureaucrats to spend endlessly and enrich themselves and their cronies. If there was any sort of real transparency, we would know how much they are spending and for what and who the suppliers or service providers are. So aside from imposing values and morality on individuals, it also creates a breeding ground for corruption.
If you liked this post then you might also like:
1. The Singapore Argument—is it really good governance that made them prosperous?
2. Gurgaon City, India—growth and progress when there is absence of government
3. Freedom of Information Bill in the Philippines
Marc Faber (with his scary German accent) predicts that China's bubble could burst and could be a global catastrophe.
So since there's really no one listening to libertarians (my friend even suggested that Ron Paul really shouldn't win else he would be ironically blamed for all of this), I guess the only rational thing to do now is plan and prepare for a post-apocalypse scenario. Things like the emergence of authoritarian junta governments to "protect the peace and security of peoples in times of chaos" (martial law) will come: properties will be seized, liberties will be lost, there will be chaos in the streets.
If you liked this post then you might also like:
1. Keynes vs Hayek Rap
2. Libya Civil War
3. Top Gear goes to the Middle East
If you do believe that your children and their children's children deserve to live in a peaceful, prosperous, and free society, then here is the family background of your president in 2028.
So for those socialists who would say that her full HD 42 inch flat screen TV or that her house that's too big for only a few people to live in is selfish and greedy and should instead be used to pay taxes and provide free services to people then you are lucky Google AdSense restricts me from cursing at you. She deserves every bit of profit and property she has. Blood, sweat, and tears was her capital.
The many values I have learned from my mom is beyond words. I am undeserving of the material things and lavish lifestyle she provides for me. I feel like a burden, always.
Last week, she collapsed right in front of me and I didn't know what to do. Her blood sugar and pressure were through the roof. We were in the second floor of our house and I couldn't carry her. I had to drag her and force her to wake up. I was calling out to her as loud as I could. Eventually, she regained consciousness and I rushed her immediately to the hospital. I am so affected from that experience.
This is why, if elected, it will be part of my platform that we are able to take care of our parents and seniors. This is something that I will be very passionate about and will consider a priority. (my advisors and I are still currently working on my libertarian platform and it will surely be posted here as soon as it is completed).
He eventually quit the public sector as he could not swallow the corruption and coercion at that time (I don't think it would be wise to mention names so let's leave it at that). He started his own business, again an innovative entrepreneur. His company was tasked to build the big advertising billboards and signs of companies. He started out small until eventually he was doing billboards nationwide and even had an office in Singapore.
Eventually, he became President of Alabang Country Club (the place where I was eating with my mother above) in 1996, if I remember correctly. His rich and powerful opponent criticized him, saying that he was unfit for the job, that he wasn't even a resident of Ayala Alabang, but his humility, charisma, and ability to lead persevered and he won. I remember this story that he would tell me always that he gets a call from Ramos (president of the Philippines at that time) and would call him on the phone and say "Mr. President, let's play golf". The president of the Philippines called him Mr. President. Imagine, he used to sell peanuts.
Once again, the values and wisdom I gain from my father is always priceless and the same with my mother as I have mentioned. Being that I'm part of a pretty complex family setting, there were many times that my dad wasn't there for me but then, hey, he gave me my lovely Macbook Pro and that makes up for all of it (hahahahaha you know how much I love my baby).
Anyway, the PR department of my campaign team advised me to have a more family-oriented image thus this blog post. It's all about marketing, really. Barrack Obama, for instance, hired advertising agency BBDO for his campaign. It was probably just some random copywriter in their company who thought of the "Yes We Can" selling point or tagline.
And what more here in the Philippines, as I always mention, where the qualifications are either be a child of a previous politician, be rich and powerful, be an actor/actress, or be really good in boxing and you can already be a politician. What I can say is that I have none of those but what I will have is a political platform that roots on economic freedom, individual liberty, and a free society. That's not a selling point made up by some copywriter. Those are my advocacies. I want peace and prosperity for my fellow Filipinos.
So if you believe in me and in my advocacies, vote Harry Santos on 2028.
Related posts:
1. Presidential Campaign Update part 1
2. My Presidential Run Announcement
3. How I Became a Libertarian
I do entertain myself too much sometimes, I know. There are just times when I can't resist. What constitutes "funniness" is different for everyone anyways. And libertarian political philosophy says to each his own. So let me be. haha.
My previous post regarding the bureaucracy of the MTRCB was too serious anyway (although very substantial and truthful). And, as I have said, it's always nice to have a break from time to time (actually as much times as possible haha). The previous post actually got shared on Facebook twice! That's pretty viral already for my standards haha.
Please help support HarryLeaks by going to the C2 Facebook Page, click like, go to the voting page and then look for the one that says "Toby Concepcion" and please watch, vote, and share. My Google AdSense earnings hasn't really been sufficient to satisfy the expectations of my family and society. I could really use the spare cash I'll get if we win.
If I get employed, it is very likely that I will no longer be able to focus on writing about libertarianism or write in this blog as much and thus our nation's future would be at risk. So, if you care about your children and your children's children, and the peace and prosperity of our nation, then please go to the C2 Facebook page and vote for out video. :)
This article contains things that are not suitable for children. Parental guidance is advised.
I remember having this annual ritual with my cousin and a friend of ours during the Decembers of back when we were younger. Usually, we’d watch the local films that’re part of the film festivals. It was our own way of expressing the patriotic virtue of “supporting local products or services”.
Well, it was Christmas break. Also, there was literally no other choice because malls and cinemas are required by law to only show these movies that are part of the film festival.
I’m not sure if it’s MTRCB or whichever bureaucracy mandated this. I also don’t know how the films and producers are chosen or what are the qualifications of joining the film festival.
Usually, it would be the big companies, the “mainstream” film productions, who are part of the film fest. And it’s interesting that the directors or secretaries and other positions appointed in the MTRCB and the film festival itself are the exact same people from these big companies of mainstream film producers! Doesn’t that give a hint of cronyism?
During Willie Revillame’s appearance in front of this regulatory board for his case of making this kid dance and cry or something like that, he argued that the council was biased because, as I have said, the directors and secretaries who are appointed, were from the big companies who were Revillame’s station (TV5)’s competitors.
“Of course,” the board argued, “we are the ones who know the industry best and so who else should be appointed?”
And now we go to Indie film producers. They are those that are independent, struggling for budget, not backed by any bureaucracy or big crony corporation. They don’t get the protectionism of the mandates that only their films are to be shown on all malls; their festivals are all private and competing (a lot of contests and film fests both big and small), no cronyism (sometimes even students, amateurs, or even hobbyists are able to join and sometimes even win!).
And they are the ones that are being internationally recognized. Brilliante Mendoza won as best director in Cannes Film Festival (what a prestige!) for his film Kinatay. The awards garnered by these independent filmmakers are so many compared to the mainstream film ones that get the annual December protectionism mandate.
In Indie, the stories are better, more creative, and more original because they have the ultimate incentive to artistically compete in a global level (especially nowadays because of new media) whereas those who get protectionism have no incentive to innovate because they have been granted MONOPOLY by the government (by the appointed crony bureaucrats!). And, as basic economics will teach us, monopolies provide bad service and/or bad prices.
And they say they are not earning. They say that piracy is killing them and therefore there should be even more protectionism and more power to monopolizing bureaucracies.
And yet when you think about it, the indie filmmakers are the ones who are not earning at all! They are the ones being killed! These big crony companies whine on profit loss to justify their protectionism while indie filmmakers sometimes don’t even earn anything. And yet, once again, they are the ones earning awards worldwide.
If they want to evolve they must be willing to compete. And no, I don’t think that this is what the “masa” is demanding. That all they’ll ever watch is the generic plot of John Lloyd getting heart broken that then leads to a happy ending. This is all they are exposed to, in films and in TV. More competition will mean more innovation and more choices for people thus more perspectives on information and entertainment.
Basically there are only three main broadcasting channels and most of the others are—yes, just as you expected—government owned.
We saw how TV became more competitive when TV5 boomed and became a threat to what used to be only a duopoly in TV broadcast. What more if there were more competitors? What more if there were less red tapes and requirements to enter the market? What more if congress’s licensures aren’t given only to those who are rich and influential cronies?
And this, as we all know the power of media, can help the people evolve intellectually and become more discerning about their preferences in both information and entertainment from different media. The art of Filipino Film and TV will flourish. We wouldn’t need to dub Korean TV shows anymore. This time we will be making our own. Art will flourish if government steps back and allows for more competition.
And do we really need MTRCB to regulate people’s choices and the policies of businesses?
All SM malls for instance, don’t show anything that’s R18. This is a personal choice and not something mandated by law. Their PR team probably wants to appear wholesome and family-oriented. No need for a regulation or mandate from MTRCB. It was a private decision.
There was a time when Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds was already showing and only Robinson’s were the ones who showed them. Other companies felt that it was too violent for them. Again, this was a private decision.
Also with people (consumers), there are those that choose to watch films like Human Centipede and there are those that don’t. No need for “Big Brother” or “Nanny State” to tell them it’s a horrifying and disturbing film. Also, you don’t have to prohibit it. People choose for themselves. That’s how it should be in a free society.
But oh no! How about the violent shows on TV that children are going to watch? And the video games that will make them go on some sort of school shooting?
This is obviously a parental issue. No matter how much we waste taxpayer’s money on debating how big the “parental guidance” sign should be on TV, it’s a parental and personal issue. There are even cable companies now that offer digital boxes that have parental control options. MTRCB didn’t have to force them to do that.
Now you see how the monopolized regulation powers and protectionism mandates of the MTRCB are more harmful than good, no matter how benevolent their intentions are.
And without transparency, we don’t even know what kind of budget these bureaucracies have and how much subsidies and monopoly they are giving to their cronies!
Take NBN (government owned TV channel) as an example. Their reception is useless and no one really gets to watch them except those with cable (I know this because I have a house in Laguna with no cable). I wonder how much budget they get to shoot a bunch of pro-government TV shows. Evidently though, it’s unnecessary and wasteful expenditure and we’re already in debt. I do believe that IBC and RPN (I think solar is only renting) is also government owned? So what’s up with this spending spree on “public TV” when as I have explained, stepping back and allowing more players to enter the market is what we need for media to flourish.
I don’t really want to derive a conclusion from all of this. It’s up to you to decide. Should we abolish some of them? Should we make their spending more transparent? Should we minimize their power? Should we start thinking about streamlining bureaucracies in other industries as well? Should we start rethinking what the real goal of government should be? Is protectionism really the way to support local products and services?
What do you think?
The Dalai Lama "Hangsout" with Archbishop of South Africa in Google+.
We've seen social media topple the tyrannies of authoritarian governments. We've seen it save lives and reunite families during natural disasters. And now we see how it is shaping the course of global politics and foreign affairs.
Anyway, just felt like randomly spreading some positivity and sharing this song:
The international community notices our country again, not so long after the Anti-Planking Act of 2011 was trending worldwide on twitter. An article at the Washington post found the story of Philippine officials photoshopping themselves into a typhoon cleanup project very interesting and decided to write about it. And now it has become viral.
My first real question, of course, is have they resigned? And if not, when are they planning to? Also, what will be the penalties for their actions? Betrayal of public trust is a very serious offense (and I'm dismayed at the fact that Google AdSense prohibits me from cursing during this post).
Fabricating images isn't a new concept at all. Even back during the times of film, the big government of Soviet Russia has been doctoring photographs for propaganda purposes.
This is why I always emphasize that limiting the power and spending capabilities of the government, minimizing their roles, and taking away unnecessary bureaucracies are important solutions to achieve peace and prosperity here in our nation.
I don't think it's a funny or petty issue at all. I think it is a mockery of our freedom, of our constitution, of our rights. It's an absolute betrayal of public trust.