tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71612409021612122862024-03-18T09:36:34.675-07:00HarryleaksMy Notes on the Struggle for Freedom and Libertyharry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-50725489157802485672016-07-17T15:52:00.000-07:002017-09-12T23:30:27.928-07:00How Could A Strong Executive Power Be Checked And Balanced By An Agreeable Turncoat-filled Super Majority?About a year ago, I was invited to attend <a href="https://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-irony-of-philippine-competition-law.html">a forum on the Philippine Competition Law (RA 10667)</a>, organized by the <a href="http://aer.ph/">Action for Economic Reforms</a>. Below is a book they gave away to attendees and one of the articles inside is entitled "Checking The Abuse Of Presidential Powers" by Nepomuceno A. Malaluan and Solomon F. Lumba.<br />
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It's a very factual yet straightforward take on how dangerously cenrtralized the power of the Philippine president is, given the weak checks of the legislative and judiciary branches. I realized it's very fitting to write about it right now especially since we have an iron hand leading the executive branch and, as usual, a turncoat-filled super majority on congress.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUYEC5vhpCmYaFCX3Lj8D9qO7IIfVO81wPzdtrIJoFXTrgV3M5DO0kqX2EP99MVClhT10mOJDDMB_6SY7JmWIFbFu-3bgeeT7Gm_EJMBPWmSeMNX-lHbb10PU1wS2VXcr67dpilnkV5M/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUYEC5vhpCmYaFCX3Lj8D9qO7IIfVO81wPzdtrIJoFXTrgV3M5DO0kqX2EP99MVClhT10mOJDDMB_6SY7JmWIFbFu-3bgeeT7Gm_EJMBPWmSeMNX-lHbb10PU1wS2VXcr67dpilnkV5M/s640/blog.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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For the benefit of Duterte fanatics who may be reading this, I voted for him. And for the benefit of those who despise of his methodologies, I <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/harry-santos/today-i-voted-for-the-promise-of-change/10154160512172354">have explained both my reasons for voting him as well as my reservations and disagreements</a>. This piece, though, is not on Duterte per se, but on presidential power in general, along with that decadent "<i>balimbing"</i> culture of changing political parties based on money and machinery rather than principles and ideologies.<br />
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As enumerated in the article, the powers of the president are vast:<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: xx-small;"><i><b>Control of all executive departments, power to appoint officials at the highest level of government, authority to conduct the country's foreign affairs, the duty to propose the budget and the sources of financing to disburse funds, the power to contract or guarantee foreign loans.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">He/she has military powers as commander-in-chief, and in specific circumstances only he/she has the power to suspend habeas corpus. He/she has power over the police force and the prosecution department yet at the same time may grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons after final judgement. He/she is immune from suit while in office. He/she may veto legislation but may in essence legislate through executive orders.</span></b></span></i><br />
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And this is ideally why we have separation of powers. The checks and balance are supposed to prevent any abuse of the powers listed above.<br />
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The problems, according to the two authors, that create this 'super majority' culture, actually, is the lack of principle-based political parties and incentives through appointments or budget disbursements from the president. The lack of ideological foundation in politicians and their parties make it easy for members to leave an alliance depending on what favors their political survival.<br />
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Every single politician or political party have similar motherhood statements, all alluding to social justice, and all could be changed without notice <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span> wherever the populist wind blows.<br />
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Just a while back, the lower house was filled by members of the Liberal Party. It was disgusting how blatantly these people could instantly switch parties to form a super majority. And it's not a "yellow army" issue, it's a systemic issue and will exist regardless of who's president.</div>
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This is why, perhaps, I was enticed by his promise of constitutional reform and federalism, especially in its most decentralized form.<br />
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Yet now, I'm worried that, in spite of promises of market liberalization and the dismantlement of power from Imperial Manila, the <a href="https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=police%20state">police state tactics</a>, centralized power, etc. could be carried over to the new constitution. For instance policy decisions about things like death penalty, cigarette prohibition, etc., should be an issue/legislation handled by the local states and not be mandated on a national level.<br />
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It all remains to be seen.<br />
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Follow me at Twitter: <a href="https://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2016/07/ang-kamay-na-bakal-at-ang-mga-balimbing.html">@harryinitiative</a> to get updated on my new posts. I think I'll be writing more in the coming weeks.</div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-87257286310457024272016-04-07T05:47:00.001-07:002016-04-07T06:09:47.444-07:00Field Trip Sa May Pagawaan Ng Lapis<span id="docs-internal-guid-20241df0-f0d7-9e5c-5c18-0cf58f940d1b"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding Why People Are Stuck</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few months back,</span><a href="http://cnnphilippines.com/metro/2015/10/01/Metro-Manila-Philippines-worst-traffic-longest-commute-Waze-survey.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waze granted our capital as the worst place to drive on earth</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Yes, welcome to Imperial Manila. It's where the average commute is 45.5 minutes and such recognition empowers bureaucrats to be best at what they do best (sorry for the redundancy).</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While they're busy "managing" our world-renowned traffic, let's try to make this quick:</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="413" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/R_64lK1BKCozcLlp90xd3nl2KMjoVRFSCZBaxRCsbnv_sek48RlcDY27vXNw4tYAicCI958sJPA74r9dRZ51W6InWofz-ifV1mos_h_h9x3k_0czwe2nnXKqS6VkHw9YVu4VUeKy" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2013, PNoy</span><a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/aquino-traffic-sign-booming-economy-110430239.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: purple; font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was quoted in Cebu attributing high volume of traffic in EDSA as a sign of a booming economy</span></a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Something that, even if assumed to be 100% true, delineates away from </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">inclusive growth</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, even in the most unsurprising demagogue's use of the term. It's bad because...</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A year later, </span><a href="http://www.jica.go.jp/philippine/english/office/topics/news/140902.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a study by Japan Intertational Cooperation Agency</span></a><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> estimated that Metro Manila's heavy traffic costs 2.4 billion pesos a day and is projected to hit 6 billion pesos by 2030. The study claims to have worked closely with DOTC, DPWH, and MMDA so it's probably safe to assume there're discrepancies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the best case scenario, even if the world's smartest queuing theory savants were to chair those national agencies, their mandate of "managing" traffic implies temporary relief to symptoms where there is a systemic cause to congestion and overcrowding. And by having these mandates, we are then trapped by bad policies or legislations and left with little or no room for change. We are not just slow-moving and stuck in heavy traffic, literally, but also unable to move forward as a society</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding Why People Move</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman once said that </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">people vote with their feet.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Humans tend to flock to places where there is more opportunity. This has been the case for migration since the dawn of civilization. It has always been about looking for that "promise land" or greener pastures.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Migration trends have always been about moving to places with more economic freedom than less. Let's take look at Hong Kong or Singapore, countries that have almost zero natural resources, are</span><a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">both ranked as the two most economically free countries in the world</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, where people trade in peace regardless of race or creed and there exists opportunities that some are even prohibitted by bad policies that trap us. With over 7,107 islands, couldn't the same frameworks just be used to jumpstart a prosperous society?</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul Romer wanted just that with</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSHBma0Ithk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">his idea of Charter Cities</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> where City States could adopt good policies and not be trapped by bad ones. For Tom W. Bell, he takes it way further with</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZEbnc5x-GI" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the concept of Startup Cities</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that run on "open-source legal systems" made up of lego-like frameworks.</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They're good stuff. And this is just an old piece I edited to sound newer and fresher. When you find yourself reading about the history of the color coding scheme, during your coding day, while stuck in the same traffic it's supposed to prevent — I guess it just makes you wonder.</span></h2>
</span>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-64925004225776449262015-12-20T16:21:00.000-08:002015-12-20T16:57:20.357-08:00Top Global Banks and Tech Companies Can No Longer Ignore Bitcoin BUT...... they are skewing the conversation away from the main quality that makes it revolutionary and disruptive: the fact that it is decentralized and powered by the people. Are they just missing the point or blatantly shrugging off Bitcoin because it threatens to make them obsolete?<br />
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The tone and language of these banking and tech giants can be summed up in a few points: first, they acknowledge that the Blockchain is revolutionary or disruptive. Then, they'll reiterate that this is the technology behind Bitcoin, talk about its history and drawbacks or risks. Finally, they'll end by saying that they're working on something better. And by better, they usually mean something they own and control.</div>
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Here's a tweet from Goldman Sachs linking to a research they published:</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/GoldmanSachs">@GoldmanSachs</a> <a href="https://t.co/5gShZUpldf">pic.twitter.com/5gShZUpldf</a></div>
— BitcoinLoopVen (@Bitcoinloopven) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bitcoinloopven/status/677338964488011776">December 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Their Morpheus allusion is quite ironic as they're not really giving consumers the red pill and only garnered ridicule from netizens and Bitcoin proponents. <a href="https://twitter.com/aantonop">Anthony Antonopolous</a>, one of the leading experts of cryptocurrency tech and security, replied and said "I'd say you have no clue about bitcoin or the blockchain."<br />
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There's also a partnership between IBM, Intel, Cisco, London Stock Exchange Group, JP Morgan and other big names and they're working on creating their own alternative to the Blockchain. The same approach and intent have been expressed by the other big banks and companies on the first image (you may also check references below).<br />
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When asked about IBM's partnerships and venture in creating a Blockchain alternative, Jerry Cuomo, their VP and CTO said:<br />
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“The current blockchain is a great design pattern. Now, how do we make that real for business? What are the key attributes needed to make that happen? That’s what this organization is about.” </blockquote>
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You see, the Blockchain works independent of central planners. I am guessing "how do we make it real" is corp comm code for "how do we make it owned and controlled."<br />
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Yes, businesses of all sizes have the right to experiment with their own products and services alternative to the Blockchain. But are they being disruptive? Hmm, more like being adaptive. This is because most, if not all, of their services could potentially be rendered obsolete by Bitcoin.<br />
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I like the way ex-Barclays CEO Anthony Jenkins worded it when he said that the banks will have an Uber moment. Here's the report from Business Insider:<br />
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"Jenkins says a series of Uber-style disruptions in the industry could shrink headcount at traditional big banks by as much as 50%, while profitability in some areas could collapse by over 60% — huge predictions from a man who, until recently, ran one of Britain's biggest banks."</blockquote>
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What I like about it is how relatable his Uber analogy is. The same benefits people felt in public transportation could be ushered in by Bitcoin start-ups in the financial industry. Much like the struggle of Uber, government attempts in regulation/control is the biggest concern, especially since these giant banks have been labeled by the US government as "too big to fail."<br />
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All in all, I am pleased with the massive awareness and intrigue these banking and tech giants are creating for Bitcoin. Also, this makes one part of my life easier. The next time someone asks me what Bitcoin is I can easily say, "oh, it's that thing on the news that those big banks and tech companies are ironically trying to copy." Still working on it but I'm sure you get the point.<br />
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If giant banks are too big to fail, Bitcoin is now too disruptive to ignore.</div>
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References:<br />
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1. Bitcoin's Blockchain Tech May Transform Banking: <a href="http://business.inquirer.net/204412/bitcoins-blockchain-tech-may-transform-banking">http://business.inquirer.net/204412/bitcoins-blockchain-tech-may-transform-banking</a><br />
2. Tech and Banking Giants Ditch Bitcoin for Their Own Blockchain: <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/12/big-tech-joins-big-banks-to-create-alternative-to-bitcoins-blockchain/">http://www.wired.com/2015/12/big-tech-joins-big-banks-to-create-alternative-to-bitcoins-blockchain/</a><br />
3. Goldman Sachs Research’s Emerging Theme Radar report, “What if I Told You… Themes, Dreams and Flying Machines,” <a href="http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/macroeconomic-insights-folder/what-if-i-told-you/report.pdf">http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/macroeconomic-insights-folder/what-if-i-told-you/report.pdf</a><br />
4. Ex-Barclays CEO: Banks are about to have an 'Uber moment' — and it's going to be painful <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/ex-barclays-boss-anthony-jenkins-on-fintech-and-bankings-uber-moment-2015-11">http://uk.businessinsider.com/ex-barclays-boss-anthony-jenkins-on-fintech-and-bankings-uber-moment-2015-11</a></div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-89644282481615399672015-12-08T15:38:00.000-08:002016-04-20T05:11:09.501-07:005 Books For Your Consideration Before the 2016 ElectionsWith all the online buzz regarding the 2016 presidential elections here in the Philippines, I've decided to shift the focus of my content on sharing sources of information instead of adding to the bickering and drama in their game of thrones. For this specific post, I chose books that I hope could provide the same interest in rethinking our concepts of governance and public policy. This selection of 5 in no particular order, I believe, show a great deal of where my writings in this blog are coming from and hopefully provide the same kind of enlightenment for you.<br />
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1. Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K6B9xhLJoklOeaUH7ZolshTINd3l1aZYwpwfeNq3LIpyUSW80d4K8_RKTjt8f1JHKlBIhmXGgj-7DtqjaBBR2Gn9UzSQXbGynb82BmoQC110RWiSvc7iXOx9JGuspZyZ77QyBKzsdtb6/s1600/Economics+in+One+Lesson_Hazlitt_20141030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K6B9xhLJoklOeaUH7ZolshTINd3l1aZYwpwfeNq3LIpyUSW80d4K8_RKTjt8f1JHKlBIhmXGgj-7DtqjaBBR2Gn9UzSQXbGynb82BmoQC110RWiSvc7iXOx9JGuspZyZ77QyBKzsdtb6/s640/Economics+in+One+Lesson_Hazlitt_20141030.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This book starts with questioning popular economic beliefs from that of an average person's perceptions even to the fundamentals of what most economic scholars have been taught and practice. It all begins with a narrative about a broken window and then delves into the world of government policies in taxation, trade, and other matters. Many of the proposals may seem off or controversial but it asks that we consider not just what is seen or apparent but also the unseen or unintended consequences of public policies. </div>
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<b>Full website version (and PDF / audiobook download) available here via FEE.org:</b> <a href="http://fee.org/resources/economics-in-one-lesson-2/">http://fee.org/resources/economics-in-one-lesson-2/</a><br />
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2. How An Economy Grows And Why It Crashes by Peter Schiff</h3>
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If you find the previous book daunting, this one (although not as comprehensive), is simplified in a comical narrative. So simple, in fact, that the story starts with the life of Able, Baker, and Charlie who lived on an island. Being that the author is known for predicting the financial crisis of 2007-2008 (see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRGBNekFIw">Peter Schiff Was Right</a>), the story evolves from comical analogies of how a market economy works to a satirical portrayal of how the recession came to be. This is usually a first among my recommendations as the illustrations and the story itself is entertaining and is easy to consume.</div>
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<b>PDF available here:</b> <a href="http://www.libertarianismo.org/livros/pshaegawic.pdf">http://www.libertarianismo.org/livros/pshaegawic.pdf</a></div>
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3. Choice in Currency by F. A. Hayek</h3>
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This critique of the government's monopoly on money was written by Nobel laureate F. A. Hayek in 1976. His point, though, is not to promote one single specific type of currency but instead to take away government monopoly on money. If the government's fiat currency (ie. the US dollar) is truly valuable, then why not allow it to compete in a marketplace? Historically, gold and other precious metals have been known to be a practical and valuable currency. Also, as disruptive technologies like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies emerge, I believe that the concept of people's choice in currency is becoming easier to grasp. It's a good introduction in sparking interest on what the role of government or central banks should be with people's choice (or lack thereof) in money.<br />
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<b>Full PDF, EPUB, and HTML available here:</b> <a href="https://mises.org/library/choice-currency-0">https://mises.org/library/choice-currency-0</a><br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />3. The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises</h3>
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There are many critiques of "free market" capitalism aside from the Marxist's perspective. Ludwig Von Mises looks at different angles and critiques of capitalism as seen by many, especially by many intellectuals and scholars. He takes on not just political philosophies but also moral arguments against free and voluntary exchange. Most importantly, he shows what "free market capitalism" is and what it is not. He provides arguments and evidence that you may find interesting. It is also noteworthy that I used to have many criticisms of capitalism too but this book helped me understand that most of what I actually objected to are the effects of a centrally-planned market economy and not the capitalism Mises advocated. It's a very interesting read that I highly recommend.</div>
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<b>Full PDF and Epub Available here:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><a href="https://mises.org/library/anti-capitalistic-mentality" style="font-weight: normal;">https://mises.org/library/anti-capitalistic-mentality</a><br />
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4. Defending the Undefendable by Dr. Walter Block</h3>
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Yet another controversial piece, Dr. Walter Block takes on "victimless crimes" or acts that don't necessarily interfere with the liberties or properties of others (many attribute this to the Non-Aggression Principle). Many see these controversial acts or practices as moral pretext to place limits on people's civil liberties, especially when the acts are placed in contexts where there are, in fact, victim/s and coercion. Yes, this book will raise many eyebrows and you may not necessarily agree with all acts defended but there are many sound arguments that are worth reading to see a different perspective.<br />
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<b>PDF, Epub, and audiobook available here: </b><a href="https://mises.org/library/defending-undefendable">https://mises.org/library/defending-undefendable</a><br />
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5. A Foreign Policy of Freedom by Ron Paul</h3>
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In Ron Paul's consistent attempt to uphold the US founders' advise to trade with nations and avoid entangling alliances, this book contains his speeches in the US congress about important foreign policy decisions from 1976 to 2006. Often regarded as isolationist, his statements, documented in this book, from the death of Mao Tse-Tung to dealing with Iran in 2006 show the wisdom of non-interventionist foreign policy. He has often warned that even intervention, whether monetary aid or actual deployment of troops, lead to what the CIA refers to as "blowback" or unintended consequences. Definitely worth the read especially as the tension among entangling alliances in the middle east (not just of the US) are resulting in more hatred and violence. </div>
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<b>PDF and Epub available here:</b> <a href="https://mises.org/library/foreign-policy-freedom">https://mises.org/library/foreign-policy-freedom</a><br />
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-79668213088224592942015-11-27T21:15:00.001-08:002017-01-30T00:20:10.652-08:005 Reasons Why The Miss World Canada Story Is More Significant Than We ThinkChina is the host for the 65th Miss World pageant. Anastasia Lin, Miss World Canada, was denied visa to enter Mainland China. Here are some reasons why I believe this story goes beyond her advocacy/disputes with the State of China:<br />
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<b><u>1. Beauty pageants are put on a hot seat: why are Q&A portions in beauty pageants so short?</u></b></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo source: AP</td></tr>
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From the stereotyped answers of "world peace" and short paragraphs about other values, Anastasia Lin has managed to create probably the longest Q&A in beauty pageant history ever (through the press) -- and the stuff she's outspoken about actually seek to increase peace and values in the world. This shows that beauty is more than just what pageants dictate beauty should be and it's a shame that recognition of values, intellect, advocacy, etc. are very minimal.<br />
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<b><u>2. “If they start to censor beauty pageants — how pathetic is that?”</u></b></h4>
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I'm in Hong Kong, but the Chinese government has barred me from getting the next flight to Sanya for Miss World. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfraidOfABeautyQueen?src=hash">#AfraidOfABeautyQueen</a></div>
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— Anastasia Lin (@AnastasiaLinTO) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnastasiaLinTO/status/669839038098989056">November 26, 2015</a></div>
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There are those of us who believe that many we call human or civil rights are natural and not privileges granted by the State. From these natural rights come freedom of speech and assembly such as the freedom to practice (or not practice) a religion of your choice (as long as it is done in a civil manner that does not interfere with the liberties of others). The popular Marxist doctrine of religion being the "opium of the masses" has been interpreted many times by authoritarians as pretext to violent suppression of freedom of religion. In a country where the media is heavily regulated/censored and new media such as Facebook or Twitter are banned, Anastasia Lin makes a good point — to censor or control content of even a beauty pageant sounds ridiculous and might as well be an all time low.<br />
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<b><u>3. Freedom of Religion and Her Allegations Against the State of China</u></b></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin giving her testimony to the U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China last July 2015 (Full video here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH8dEwLn0Js">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH8dEwLn0Js</a>)</td></tr>
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Her advocacy goes beyond promoting the freedom to peacefully practice her religion. In her testimony to the US congress, she claims, "tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been killed so their organs could be harvested and sold for transplants." Those are pretty wild allegations and may seem like something you'd only see in a sci-fi film. Although historically, there is worse precedent to this kind of allegations of how a State could use violence against its own people. Ron Paul once said "[freedom of speech] is not there so we can talk about the weather, it's so we can say controversial things." And this natural right is most especially important when used as civil and peaceful dissent against the State. The fact that the State of China is blatant about censorship and propaganda means there are things they do not want the outside world to see. The "economic prosperity" and freedoms you'd see in publications or if you visit as a tourist, in Macau for instance, is just the tip of the ice berg.<br />
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<u>4. Miss World in 2002 and the story of Anima Lawal</u></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amina Lawal, senceted to be stoned to death in Nigeria amidst Miss World 2002 hosting of the country (photo source: The Guardian)</td></tr>
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This is not the first controversy that this pageant has had. In 2002, the contest was held in Nigeria but many contestants boycotted the pageant because of a story of Anima Lawal who was sentenced to be stoned to death for bearing a child out of wedlock, something that Sharia Law considers as adultery and is punishable by death. She was freed from this sentence and the correlation of the boycotts and involvement of Miss World in Nigeria helped make the case known to the world. This, I believe, should pressure beauty pageants to be more than just a few hours of showcasing women dancing around in bikini shows. The reach of beauty pageants is very broad and could be a touchpoint where people increase their awareness about what's happening in the world. At the end of the day, isn't that what beauty is supposed to be? Ironically, one of the pageant's tagline is "Beauty with a purpose" and yet they've remained silent about Lin being barred to enter China.<br />
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<b><u>5. Persona Non Grata in Mainland China</u></b></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin in HK airport, denied entry to Mainland China (source: AP)</td></tr>
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In China's statement on the issue they said, “China welcomes all lawful activities organized in China by international organizations or agencies, including the Miss World pageant. But China does not allow any <i>persona non grata</i> to come to China.”<br />
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The New York Times reports that celebrties such as Bon Jovi, Linkin Park and Oasis, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, etc. are also on this blacklist of being <i>persona non grata</i>, many of whom are just outspoken about the exiled Dalai Lama.<br />
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Again, it is a suppression of civil dissent. When you are considered to be a strong military power in the world and yet you are afraid of one woman's voice, when what she has to say may be more powerful than your bullets or missiles — then that, to me, is beauty. <br />
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Congratulations, Miss World Canada. With or without their crown, you're already a beauty queen.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>References:</b><br />1. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/world/asia/miss-world-contestant-barred-from-final-in-china-over-human-rights-advocacy.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/world/asia/miss-world-contestant-barred-from-final-in-china-over-human-rights-advocacy.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2. <a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/742986/outspoken-miss-world-canada-denied-entry-to-china">http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/742986/outspoken-miss-world-canada-denied-entry-to-china</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/09/25/nigeria.stoning/">http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/09/25/nigeria.stoning/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/23/newsid_3226000/3226740.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/23/newsid_3226000/3226740.stm</a></span>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-7790455022898923482015-11-03T18:41:00.001-08:002016-04-16T23:13:10.568-07:00Reflections and Appeal to Supporters of a Duterte Dictatorship<div>
<b>For Those With the"We Need an Iron Hand" Mentality</b></div>
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<i>"This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector," </i>said Plato. And it is true: throughout the course of history, public safety and national security have been the most used pretext to justify suspension of civil rights and the use of violence. </div>
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For this reflection I would like to (i) request that we take a step back and reconsider popular notions about authoritarian governance, (ii) present philosophical and moral arguments against centralized power, and (iii) hope and pray that I am wrong on all accounts against an authoritarian leadership, if I am not able to change the minds of those who see it as the only means in creating a peaceful and prosperous society for the Filipino people.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full interview: <a href="http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/111096-leadership-duterte-style">http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/111096-leadership-duterte-style</a></td></tr>
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It is, perhaps, because we are all sick and tired of the Philippine political system that we are willing to resort to someone who has no hesitation in admitting to murder or ignoring the Rule of Law to, ironically, uphold the Rule of Law. Supporters are consequentialist. The person they clamor for has no regret nor remorse because, to him, those he killed are the foulest and most evil and their deaths benefit society.</div>
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I do not question his motives or even his character (as much as his choice of words and cursing makes him a bad role model for children). I do not question his guilt. He himself admits with no hesitation to murders and use of violence. I do not discredit that he may have noble intentions for our country and its people -- what worries me is the means and lengths he's willing to take to achieve them. </div>
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<b>Separation of Powers and Extrajudicial Punishments/Killings</b></div>
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He proudly tells the public that he had made smokers eat cigarette butts (most of Davao city is mandated by his administration to be smoke-free) and made some eat falsified public documents. This fearlessness to ignore due process has been venerated by many on social media. They say this is what it takes. They call it political will to get things done. </div>
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We always condemn, ever so passionately, extrajudicial killings and yet we fail to see that Duterte's approach in curbing crime through murder or his discretionary punishment is no different. It is against the most basic human right to due process.<br />
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And yet there seems to be no action from the Department of Justice (or whatever bureaucracy has mandate for this) to investigate Duterte's extrajudicial decisions (see, even he is entitled to a fair trial where he can defend himself).<br />
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<i>"Pag ako ang nasalubong mo, sagasaan talaga kita. Pag namatay ka diyan, pasensiya ka na. I told you to obey the law. So if you go against the traffic at nagdala ako ng tractor, at nasagasaan kita, putang ina ka, pasensiya ka. Leche ka. Sinabi ko sa iyo, sundin mo ang batas," Duterte says in the interview. </i></blockquote>
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In a dictatorship or authoritarian government, one person or group of persons legislate, execute, and judge with or without the consent of the people. The reason these powers were separated to begin with is to ensure checks and balance between the three so that no one branch has abuse of power (ie. someone from the executive branch using a tractor to kill someone who has a traffic violation).</div>
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This use of force and intimidation is criminal, especially from a public servant, and no one should have such power to bully citizens. All citizens must always be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.</div>
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<b>My Two Cents</b></div>
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For some cliché and undying last attempts to persuade you, here are some classic sayings: violence begets violence, absolute power corrupts absolutely, the government should always only be our servant and never our master, the government governs only at the consent of the governed. </div>
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All I ask is that we don't assume benevolence for someone we want to have a throne with such centralized power. The solution is in decentralization. Ironically, Duterte claims he advocates federalism. He claims to want a dictatorship if ever he becomes president (although he has been so fickle about his candidacy) and yet advocates decentralization of power from Imperial Manila and the national government. </div>
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Let's read up on history of authoritarian regimes. We will realize that it is wrong to assume that just because we create such an authoritarian seat of power, a Singapore-esque Lee Kwan Yew of the Philippines will emerge. For every one authoritarian like him, there are dozens who have abused such a seat of power, with or without the consent of the people. </div>
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Lastly, as I have mentioned above, if I was not able to make you reconsider freedom over dictatorship for even a tiny bit and one day we do end up with a dictator or authoritarian government, I do hope and pray that I am wrong and that it does leads to peace and prosperity and not violence and suppression of civil rights and liberties. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-46860081539935690612015-10-09T09:14:00.001-07:002015-10-09T13:29:52.365-07:00Reflections on the SC Decision to Grant Sen. Enrile Bail and His Freedom to Play Bejeweled in Senate<b>The Purpose of This Reflection, What It Is and What It's Not</b><br />
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It's been almost 2 months since the 8 to 4 majority decision to grant Enrile to post 1 million pesos bail. I was compelled to revisit and share my two cents on the matter as I read <a href="http://technology.inquirer.net/44723/look-91-year-old-enrile-back-to-playing-bejeweled-at-senate">a report that he's back on the Senate floor playing his favorite mobile game Bejeweled</a> during the hearing last Wednesday.
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz-gwJEA5ThQnmqEYjKlNc6pnOeVSnq52e9vM60MGswIgfIpOQ8e0Ke_66otODK7oNC-EMAzQUH37pBedNVUzWwmLIK8_t5v-aQ7Ky_6IGQ2M4jv1Xkj0zaZW2R_uL4_U3Y94g__7EHPk/s640/adsfasdfadf.png" width="640" /><br />
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Please understand that I do not question his innocence and grant that he should be presumed such until proven otherwise. Second, I have nothing against his preference for mobile games -- it is merely an incidental anecdote that compelled me to pursue this reflection. Finally, given that I am not a legal expert and I am yet to familiarize myself with the procedural rules of court (ie. of the Sandiganbayan, etc.), for all intents and purposes, this reflection humbly seeks the following objectives:<br />
<ul>
<li>To familiarize myself and be able to quickly explain important points in Sen. Enrile's petition for bail</li>
<li>To join in and promote the dissenting opinion of Justice Leonen regarding the SC ruling to grant this petition and make my focus NOT limited to his arguments against the petition and focus more on his narrative of how this SC ruling came to be. And...</li>
<li>To provide my own perspective or opinion on matters or interpretations that I find to be very different from how Justice Leonen positioned his dissenting opinion.</li>
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Both <b>(1)</b> <u>The Supreme Court ruling</u> (source: <a href="http://bit.ly/1HXb82N">http://bit.ly/1HXb82N</a>) and <b>(2)</b> <u>Justice Leonen's dissenting opinion</u> on the matter (source: <a href="http://bit.ly/1Ojfl9V">http://bit.ly/1Ojfl9V</a>) are available online for your reference.<br />
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<b>An Era About To Usher In?</b><br />
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Allow me to express my personal difference on the matter before we continue to study the ruling and the dissenting opinion.<br />
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Perhaps it is due to formality, but I feel strongly that J. Leonen's fear that this Supreme Court ruling will set precedent for and usher in an era of "special accommodation" or "selective justice" are misnomers. Yes, it puts pressure on all lower courts when faced with a similar petition for bail that was granted for Enrile by our highest court but this formal citation or precedent is not necessary to have special accommodation and the discretion of selective justice. These are already prevalent. In fact, his narrative of how this ruling came to be showcases some fraudulent behavior and sketchy decision-making / procedures.<br />
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Let us keep in mind that no high courts found difficulty in allowing Erap Estrada, already found guilty of this exact same case Enrile is accused of, to be mayor of Manila as he was given executive pardon. There is no surprise here. Many dangerous precedents may already be cited, perhaps most informally, regarding special accommodation or selective justice in our courts. I find it pretentious to say this kind of era is just about to usher in.<br />
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Nonetheless, it is very courageous and intellectual. At the same time, it's not hard to speculate, not just with the 4 who dissented but with all justices if any intent comes from their oath and moral obligation to the public or made due to necessary political favors and alliance.<br />
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It's something to really reflect on as the elections come because the successor of PNoy will have the power to appoint 11 justices. It's not about to usher in due to this grant of bail, we've been living in an era of special accommodation and selective justice.<br />
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Nonetheless, I am compelled to study and share what I learn here as this case shows the power and importance of dissent. The unsatisfactory justice system around us is not an excuse to just accept that justice has a price and a privilege for those who can afford it. It is even more reason for us to support specific instances such as J. Leonen's dissenting opinion as these kinds do not warn of dangerous precedents but rather expose the status quo.<br />
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<b>The Arguments For and Against His Petition for Bail</b><br />
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Our laws allow for courts to grant bail for those accused UNLESS (i) the offense may be punishable by life imprisonment and (ii) there is strong evidence of guilt. Enrile argues that the prosecution has failed to provide evidence for both points.<br />
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<ul>
<li>J. Leonen asserts that Sandiganbayan's "muteness" is due to Enrile's repeated challenge for the prosecution to provide evidence where Enrile <i>must </i>[first]<i> formally apply for, the formal proceedings (“bail hearing”) before the prosecution may be called upon to discharge its duty of proving evidence of guilt is strong." </i>The denial of bail, therefore, was not in grave abuse of discretion as the motion for bail was premature. Also, the delay on the end of the prosecution, he alleged, comes from Enrile's repeated challenge to be shown any single piece of paper that links him to even a single peso received from the alleged kick-backs. </li>
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He also cites social standing and even cited past charges of rebellion and murder where he was granted bail based on not being a flight risk. He asserts this further by citing his old age and ill-health. And being that he cited that the purpose of bail was merely for the accused to appear at trial whenever required, he argued that there should be judicial discretion in assessing humanitarian reasons for granting him bail.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Leonen argued the Sandiganbayan never failed to accommodate Enrile's medical concerns, as guided by the law, nor were these health concerns part of his motion for bail and, allegedly, even the petition to the SC itself as the drafts the Justices previously deliberated was revised to add these health or "humanitarian" reasons when it was already time for the Justices to vote.</li>
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<li>What kind of fraudulent and immoral behavior is that, especially coming from what is supposed to be the highest court of our land to randomly change final drafts at the last second when time to vote? Again, not being familiar with the procedural rules, but will there be no investigation nor anyone held accountable for something I believe to be such a low form of cheating/trickery to advance special interest?<br /></li>
<li>And yes, I insinuated selective justice to be common practice already but how many would you think of those charged of multiple murder, multiple incestuous rape, serious illegal detention, and other crimes punishable by life imprisonment will now be empowered to cite this Supreme Court ruling in their petitions for bail? </li>
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The majority decision found the arguments that supported Enrile's claims and citations above as sufficient to grant him bail. The decision was 8 to 4, with 1 justice on official leave, 1 on sick leave, 1 who chose to not take part, and over 100 million Filipinos who will fear injustice as justice is an expensive privilege available only to those with money and power.<br />
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I hope it is true, that saying of <i>masamang damo, matagal mamatay</i> because as the trial continues, with his old age and health, he might not live to face his verdict and spend the remainder of his life enjoying his favorite mobile games and not spend it in jail like those who don't have his influence for this kind of special accommodation.</div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-69988726691384700382015-10-02T21:37:00.002-07:002015-10-02T22:28:48.449-07:00My Two Cents on Education Reforms Through New Media Several years back, I remember attending one of the first locally organized TEDx talk in the UP. One of the speakers was Graham Glass who was advocating the next generation of education. He claimed that the classroom and contemporary methods of schooling lacked innovation or at least integration with the vast tools and information the internet and new media is able to provide us. He even used video games as an example of a platform that can be used for teaching or learning. And this was back in 2009.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fA3AG_KjPrRoKsWErDOJXBtsj1i_naRtHpXi2RFE3I9up43mmQJreJpdSRYN_3H6CdlUjKSI1Phqv7ef1qsbU6TfJlxrurcCWYzXhEdJe_a5BDpDrkbZ3r3nvYvPmsTgjml_ApgXH28B/s1600/20465_232790750784_4755344_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fA3AG_KjPrRoKsWErDOJXBtsj1i_naRtHpXi2RFE3I9up43mmQJreJpdSRYN_3H6CdlUjKSI1Phqv7ef1qsbU6TfJlxrurcCWYzXhEdJe_a5BDpDrkbZ3r3nvYvPmsTgjml_ApgXH28B/s640/20465_232790750784_4755344_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham Glass during the 2009 TEDxManila.</td></tr>
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I was reminded of this talk because of one of my favorite set of videos on YouTube that showcases the Harvard lectures of Michael Sandel on Justice. The production and design is so experiential and engaging that you actually feel like you're right there in Harvard. The video below and the rest of its lectures are available for free to anyone who has access to a basic laptop or mobile device with an internet connection. Imagine, an Ivy League level of lectures that can be accessed by anyone.<br />
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The first among a full course of Michael Sandel's ethics/morality lectures in Harvard.</div>
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And it doesn't even have to be a high-budget production. Aaron Dewald of the college of law in the University of Utah designed several animated lectures that provide introductory lessons and basic concepts in legal education. These are not expensive to produce and easily consumable and shareable as well.</div>
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Knowledge on torts, contracts, case readings, and legal research is no longer privy to those studying law.</div>
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Full access here: <a href="http://bit.ly/1VvU4Zn">http://bit.ly/1VvU4Zn</a></div>
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Aside from access and distribution (or perhaps translation), similar module designs and lectures may be created locally for more relevant topics. I even propose or dare that one of the top universities take lead on copying Sandel's sponsorship-paid model and make their own as a thought-leadership piece to showcase that they truly believe in the importance of providing access to education and information to all. </div>
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I feel strongly that we continue to look for reforms in public education when the medium is already available challenged only by the infrastructure struggles of providing internet access to many places in the country. And along with the use of this democratized media also comes decentralization of the curriculum as information may now come from many parts of the world.</div>
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And it's not just the education department I see having reforms. Take bureaucracies like TESDA or the Department of Agriculture, for example. Their spending on programs could drastically be lowered if people such as those interested in vocational courses or farmers are empowered to educate themselves. And, being that data access is an important factor in this, we must also scrutinize the bureaucracy of the NTC and its collusion with the telco duopoly. We always say education is key and yet there is a systemic problem across many bureaucracies that hinder the innovation of and access to education.</div>
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Imagine how this could uplift the lives of those in provinces that will also alleviate congestion in Imperial Manila as many citizens flock here because they say access to best education is here. I say no: access to a Harvard lecture or any of the top local universities could provide you education at the palm of your hand or any screen in your household and in the globally competitive classrooms of the next generation. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-42003704948031495042015-09-25T06:35:00.000-07:002015-09-25T06:56:01.039-07:00The Irony of the Philippine Competition Law (Republic Act No. 10667)<div>
<b>"Orientation" / "Workshop" on Competition Reform</b></div>
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When I arrived at the venue, I was excited to meet and talk to like-minded individuals who believed in pro-market reforms. It's about time, I thought, that significant people, from both the private sector and government, have a discussion on how to streamline bureaucracy to ensure a healthy competitive market and relinquish the monetary/political influence of the cartel-esque consortia among the oligarchy. Don't get me wrong, I learned many things about certain industries and economic policies I wasn't aware of before the event. It's just that it t wasn't even a forum or orientation or workshop. It was an FYI cascade and glorification of the recently passed Philippine Competition Law.<br />
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<b>Redundancy, Not Reform</b></div>
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Bus transportation, rice, energy, shipping, and telecommunications: we must admit, these are probably some of the most notorious of industries that are controlled almost entirely by a select few. The keynote speakers that presented for each industry had a lot of contradictory statements that question the relevance of the law in question. </div>
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Atty. Tony Abad himself discussed the tedious history of this law. It took 25 years and 8 congresses, with him working on the latter 6 years until it was passed. I must admit, I've never seen the earlier drafts before this was passed. Regardless, as much as I admire the effort and time put in this and all the good intentions of providing consumers a competitive market, I do not see how more government, more regulations, and more bureaucracy could possibly promote a competitive market.<br />
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Throughout the forum, it was mentioned over and over again that red tapes and unnecessary requirements, policies, and permits are the biggest barrier to a competitive market. During the talk on competition reforms in the maritime sector, it was even mentioned that certain provisions in the 1987 Philippine constitution itself became a burden to a competitive market in the shipping industry. </div>
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And the proposed solution is yet another law? A law that mandates for the creation of yet another commission that brings the promise of benevolence and immunity from regulatory capture. </div>
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<b>Whose Role Is It Anyway?</b></div>
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Representatives from DTI, DOJ, ERC, NTC, and many others were present at the event. A lady who works for the ERC directed a question at Atty. Abad, asking how this new law will affect their mandate. He mentioned he will have to check the provisions again. He speculated, it seemed, that the existing regulatory agencies such as ERC or NTC, for example, will have "to work in conjuncture" with the commission that will be appointed by the president in lieu of this law. </div>
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He differentiated that the existing regulatory bodies will focus on ensuring that "high standards" of products and services are felt by consumers whereas the competition commission will focus on matters of ensuring certain parameters are met to allow for a competitive market. It's just so redundant since a competitive market is a prerequisite to an environment where these same "high standards" flourish. It is apparent that creating yet another law, another bureaucracy, just lead to overlapping mandates, roles, and a confusion on accountability and oversight. </div>
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He himself asked "Who regulates the regulators?" and alleged that are regulators who are in collusion with the regulated. How will this new law and bureaucracy be so different, then? What assumption of benevolence and courage will this body have if the existing regulatory bodies were doomed to be trapped in a regulatory capture? </div>
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Was there no discussion on the overlaps in roles and mandate for the 25 years that it was still a bill on congress? </div>
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<b>The Seen Benefits and the Unseen Collusion and Regulatory Capture</b></div>
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You see, competition comes from a liberated market that allows individuals or groups to engage in free enterprise and voluntary trade. Consumers democratically vote with currency and this profit incentive, when acquired fairly, keep firms and suppliers at their feet to make sure they innovate and provide better services/products than their competitors. </div>
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Many times during the forum, it was mentioned that laws and policies are dated, some even going back to the 1930's and could no longer apply. Was there ever a time since then when there was no collusion between regulators and regulated? Was there any policy or mandate that was never susceptible to regulatory capture? </div>
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A big chunk of the working Filipino's income go to these bureaucracies that, implied by passing this Competition Law, have not been working. Perhaps we could try, instead of creating new laws and bureaucracies, let's cut these spending, lessen red tapes and redundant requirements that become barrier to entry, lower taxes or create tax havens where investors could enter the market to compete -- lessen government instead of adding more. </div>
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<b>The Oligarchs Are Above the Law</b></div>
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Could there be any law that could stop these few companies that control most sectors and industries? Will fining them 200 million put a stop to collusion or advantages gained from regulatory capture? It's as if there's a giant elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about: regulatory agencies are not working and, in fact, are working against the consumers' interests.</div>
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Stop making new laws. Laws and State interventions do not necessarily equate to a competitive market and at most times have unintended consequences of creating barriers to entry for new players thus impeding competition even more. </div>
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As mentioned, there were many specific industries that were studied and discussed such as transport, rice, energy, shipping, and telco. I felt it's proper to argue the position of less government intervention first to provide insight when I delve into the specific industries which I will be writing about soon. </div>
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I'm thinking of discussing rice and the failure of protectionism and government monopoly on imports as discussed in the forum. Follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/harryinitiative">@harryinitiative</a> for updates on my next blog posts.<br />
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Cheers.</div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-59367349410287493952015-06-12T16:31:00.001-07:002017-09-17T06:59:11.133-07:00The Disconnect of Poverty and Smartphone Penetration in Developing Worlds<a href="http://voiceandexit.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Voice & Exit</span></a> is very similar to <a href="https://www.ted.com/"><span style="color: blue;">TED Talks</span></a>, an online video distribution model where prominent people from different fields are given a venue to talk about their ideas that are worth sharing. These videos are accessible to almost every one with an internet connection, except of course for countries like China where websites like YouTube are subject to censorship.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://voiceandexit.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://voiceandexit.com</span></a></td></tr>
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Both are very amazing sources of information and inspiration but lately I've been more keen on consuming media from Voice & Exit because of one small iteration in their communication<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>their content, they claim, is focused on <i>ideas worth implementing</i>. They are actionable and concrete whether it be in policy reform or technological advancement. This website was shared on the local libertarian Facebook group by my friend and I've been enjoying it since.</div>
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While watching one of the presentations on Voice & Exit with speaker Zachary Caceres, Executive Director of the Startup Cities Institute, I was so surprised that it was very similar to a TED talk by economist Paul Romer <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2011/02/paul-romers-charter-cities.html"><span style="color: blue;">that I've actually blogged about before</span></a>. What's striking is that their insights both came from something so contradictory and confusing: why is it that most people are suffering in poverty-stricken places yet have ubquituous access to a technology like a smartphone?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On the video above, Zachary tells the story of a woman who risks her life just to get plastic from a dump site and yet has access to a mobile device.</span></div>
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This is very true even here in our country. I don't have the exact figures but given that we've been dubbed as the SMS or selfie capitals of the world, penetration is definitely in volume making it not limited to the upper A or B market. With mobile devices getting cheaper and cheaper, free Facebook access, and mobile data becoming very affordable, many are able to own smartphones and be globally connected -- and yet bare basics like food, shelter, education, jobs are a struggle for many to attain.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On the video above, Paul Romer starts with the story of children studying under lamp posts</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">because they don't have electricity in their homes and yet have access to mobile devices.</span></div>
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I admire both proposed ideas from creating competing small cities with autonomy from national policies to giving the developing world new “social technologies” that can be imported just like a mobile device.</div>
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I see the smartphone becoming the strongest touchpoint in empowering and informing the people. Just look at social media's role in the Arab Spring: even the foulest and most feared of tyrants won't live to tell the story of how they underestimated 140 characters.</div>
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And look at other disruptive tech that has so much potential. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebitph"><span style="color: blue;">Rebit.ph</span></a>, a homegrown remittance service that uses Bitcoin, <a href="http://on.wsj.com/1HV33we"><span style="color: blue;">was recently mentioned by The Wall Street Journal</span></a> as "[disrupting] traditional cash-transfer firms by offering nearly instantaneous, zero-cost services." This helps OFWs send money to the Philippines, fast and free. </div>
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This rate of smartphone penetration is an opportunity for policymakers, cause advocates, NGOs, and civil society to help improve people's lives and standards of living.</div>
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It's always been inevitable for technology to be the catalyst in creating a freer and more prosperous society. That being said, it's something we should allow to flourish and not be stomped by red tapes, special interests, or age-old laws that no longer apply today. </div>
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Remember when bureaucrats tried to fight <a href="https://www.uber.com/cities/manila"><span style="color: blue;">Uber</span></a> or <a href="http://www.tripid.ph/"><span style="color: blue;">Tripid</span></a>? The State and its bureaucracies are designed to be self-preserving and to protect their monopoly on industries. They will always challenge disruptive technology that seeks to reclaim power from them and bring it back to the people.<br />
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And we, those who they govern only at our consent, must always be mindful and vigilant in protecting and supporting disruptive technologies that seek to improve the life of the Filipino.</div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-43572663325183772622014-12-18T11:16:00.001-08:002016-04-16T05:07:47.999-07:00Reflections on Healthcare in the PhilippinesEven as a libertarian who embraces voluntary trade and competitive markets, healthcare is a very tempting issue that from time to time skews my principles to lean left. On paper, a program like Medicare (a US public program) seems noble and fair -- healthcare for all senior citizens.<br />
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And hey, how about single-payer or universal coverage? Again, tempting. My cousin in Canada says she didn't spend a single cent on her thyroid operation. In fact, they spent only for the hospital parking fee. They even spend more when they bring their dog to the vet.<br />
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The anti-trust and oligopolies in our healthcare system is disgusting. In a country where some of the premiere hospitals like Asian Hospital, Makati Med, Cardinal Santos are owned by just one man (who happens to also own companies in media, telecom, mining, and other industries), it is tempting to be optimistic that there could be a benevolent governing body, even guided by civil society or NGOs, that could be a watchdog against these kinds of monopolies.<br />
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It's the same with pharma. It's the same with health insurance. My problem is that the State and our model of government actually allows for an environment that encourages monopolies.<br />
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<b>(SEE ALSO:</b> <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-tragedy-of-money-as-we-know-it.html"><span style="color: blue;">The Tragedy of Money As We Know It</span></a><b>)</b><br />
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I care very little about other issues. They cannot skew me. But healthcare talks directly about human life, specifically the life of my loved ones. And isn't this aligned with John Locke's natural rights to life, liberty, and property? Specifically, the right to be alive and to have access to just and fair healthcare and medication. Healthcare and medication that is not owned solely by cronies and oligarchs. Healthcare and medication prices that should be fairly dictated by a competitive market, in a marketplace where wages do not depreciate over time due to inflation.<br />
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You see, there are simple libertarian solutions that could instantly decrease the price of healthcare and medication.<br />
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For example, is it in the interest of the people to place tariffs on hospital equipment and machines that could save lives? How about imported medication that could compete with local pharma to lower prices? Did you know that so many healthcare and pharma companies want to invest here but they can't because of our constitution?<br />
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Proponents of this kind of system would call this protectionism. Makes you question: who are they really protecting? And how much is the cost of this protection? Is it worth a human life?<br />
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And the crony pharma? Should they really be given rights to monopolize a molecule over an arbitrary amount of time? For instance, if you had the molecule to cure cancer, should an unelected bureaucrat be able to grant you monopoly and not allow other pharma to reverse engineer and compete?<br />
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I'm so philosophically desperate, that I would even look into the Nordic Welfare Model -- why not explore and find compromise? I'm not endorsing a full government monopolization. I'm just throwing questions out there to spark discussions all with the objective of having a freer and more prosperous society.<br />
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I think in general, politics and politicians are heartless. And I believe that libertarianism does offer compassionate solutions. I don't know, really. Sometimes, there are circumstances that make me reflect.<br />
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Apologies for any typos or factual errors, my secret santa got me a bottle of Jack D and I decided to enjoy some of it myself for an above-average nightcap to forget how disgusting our healthcare system is.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-33659184998169002812014-12-17T04:04:00.001-08:002014-12-17T04:04:51.063-08:00The Tragedy of "Money" As We Know It<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
My aunt gave me 100 US dollars yesterday. Christmas present, I presumed and cause she's always been nice to me.</div>
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This sparked a discussion between my father and I.</div>
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"The [US] dollar is the world's reserve; wag mo papalitan." he replied after I expresed intentions to convert it to Bitcoin or bullion (kahit maliit lang ang value).</div>
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I showed him Geithner's signature on the paper note (former US Sec of Treasury). "You really trust this guy?" He chuckled and filled his glass with wine.</div>
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We continue to talk about Goldman-Sachs, bailouts, inflation, and the 07-08 recession.</div>
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You see, in 1971, during the Bretton-Woods agreement, most, if not all, of the world's monies were stripped of its equivalent or representation in gold reserves. Its worth now comes from the sheer edict of government (fiat currency).</div>
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This means that markets do not dictate the value of money or of interest rates. This discretion now resides among a group of a select few -- merely appointed and never elected; often times having ties with the administration and its cronies' companies. For the PH, it's the people over at BSP.</div>
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They are the esteemed 'expert' econometricians whose job is to plan and fix economies. This arrogance is partly what F.A. Hayek referred to as The Pretense of Knowledge.</div>
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I ended our conversation with my favorite ender for these kinds of arguments: "What is money?"</div>
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It remains mysterious and baffling, even to me, but he replied with a textbook answer: "it is a medium of exchange. Without central control [of the US, EU, local governments, etc.], that would mean chaos."</div>
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But could it really be that simple? If we look at history and if we try to define money and its qualifiers, we're bound to be taken aback. [recommended readings: The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Great Depression by Robert Murphy, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes by Peter Schiff]</div>
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It's appalling, really, especially for those who are not part of the oligarchy; for those who have nothing to eat or have no 'money' for education and whatnot.</div>
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I had the US paper note exchanged this morning and the long line made me reflect. </div>
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Just my two cents. </div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-23028638727621326712014-12-06T22:22:00.001-08:002014-12-06T22:34:28.610-08:00Bakit Ko Po Kailangan Pumunta sa East Ave. Para Kuhanin Ang Lisesnsya Ko?I surveyed 10 friends and 9 out of 10 of them agreed that their main motivation to bribe a traffic enforcer is to avoid the hassle of going through the process of getting your license back. First and foremost, for most cases, you have to go to East Ave. in Quezon City to go through your punishment and claim your license. And with the red tapes of bureaucracy, incentives are created for fixers thus creating another motivation of going around the law.<br />
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Which brings me to my main question: <b>ano nga po ba ang rationale kung bakit kailangan sa East Ave. ko kunin ang aking lisensya? </b><br />
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Ako po ay nahuli sa C5 toll gate sa kasong "obstruction". Hindi po ako nag-bribe (to be honest, wala kasi talaga akong pera noon). But, again, why is it that I have to go to East Ave? There are 3 LTOs near my area: Susana Heights, Alabang Town Center, and Las Pinas.<br />
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Masyado na pong 90's ng term na "computerized"; "cloud" na po ang gamit ng mga tao ngayon. Hindi po kaya pwedeng ma-integrate natin ang iba't ibang LTO at iba pang ahensya sa pamamagitan ng "cloud" upang hindi na kailangang mapalayo ang mga nagkasala sa batas pang-trapiko? Hindi lang po ito sa hassle. As mentioned from my survey, this could decrease the motivation for bribery. <br />
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There are merits to decentralization. This is something I've reiterated in my blog over and over. There are merits to using technology -- in fact, it is inevitable for technology, if we allow it to freely flourish, to curb the unnecessary red tapes and abusive power of the government as a whole -- not just LTO.<br />
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On the video below, British prime minister David Cameron shows several case studies on how different governments are using technology to abolish unnecessary red tapes, bureaucracies, and government spending. "How do we make things better without spending more money?" he asks: <br />
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Technology and a bit of common sense could actually streamline government red tapes, limit corruption, and take money and power away from the government and give them back to the people.<br />
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At dahil po "computerized" na ang LTO, I see no reason why this process has to be centralized and monopolized by East Ave. LTO.<br />
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I'm no expert in Philippine public administration or what laws require this frustrating need to go to East Ave. If you do have the rationale or any related information please do let me know. What do you think?harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-36628450615681636882014-11-14T21:44:00.005-08:002014-11-14T22:04:03.282-08:00Bitcoin and Rothbard's Proposed Society During the late 17th century, the anti-abolitionists would argue that society will not be able to function without slavery — a concept that was, at the time, institutionalized by the State and enforced by law. The forumla, it seems, is 'how will society function without [insert State function here]'?<br />
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Bitcoin has always been thought of, at least by its proponents, as disruptive technology that will change this mindset about government monopolized money and that, yes, society will continue to function even without fiat currency or a central bank. But it could actually go beyond that...<br />
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<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102178309"><span style="color: blue;">An article on CNBC</span></a> sparked some really interesting conversations on the local <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/bitcoinph"><span style="color: blue;">Bitcoin PH Facebook community</span></a>. It revolved around the blockchain and how this technology behind Bitcoin could potentially go beyond digital currency. And I quote: <i>"[Bitcoin's blockchain technology has the] potential to greatly reduce or even eliminate the need for litigation and courts [and this] may be the most attractive feature of smart contracts," wrote Houman B. Shadab, co-director of New York Law School's Center for Business and Financial Law.</i>"<br />
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(<b>SEE ALSO:</b> <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2014/09/meet-frontliners-of-bitcoin-in.html"><span style="color: blue;">Meet the Frontliners of Bitcoin in the Philippines</span></a>)<br />
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And as much as there is still a lot of debate on whether these uses could exist with or without Bitcoin's utility as currency, the idea or possibility itself is what entices me.<br />
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As mentioned above, the anti-abolitionists who had no comprehension of modern farming technology would have been as silly as to argue that the cotton industry would die without slavery. It's this same kind of fear mongering that holds back statists today — some go as far as aruging that economies will crash and that society will be in chaos and destruction if its functions were to be abolished or transfered to the market (ie. money).<br />
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In Murray Rothbard's <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://mises.org/rothbard/newlibertywhole.asp">For A New Liberty</a></span>, the latter part discussed how a society could function (even more efficiently, he argues) without the government's role in laws and courts. These functions are actually already available in the market through private arbitration. It's just that seeing emerging technologies like Bitcoin and the blockchain concept emphasizes even more that this kind of society is possible not just in principle.<br />
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There's really more to it than most of us know (even myself, actually). It goes to show that when disruptive technologies such as Bitcoin is allowed to flourish, it will lead to innovations and justify a freer, more peaceful, and more prosperous society.<br />
<br />harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-3290758665334897772014-10-23T02:42:00.002-07:002016-07-17T10:23:42.386-07:00Using Radian6 to Monitor Local Social Media Sentiment On PovertyI used the social listening tool <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/radian6"><span style="color: blue;">Radian6</span></a> to scan local mentions for a specific keyword: <b>poverty</b>. This tool uses publicly available data on social media to gather buzzwords or trending topics about that keyword that I chose. Here are the results I got (30-day data; the bigger the word, the more the mentions):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguklfXfHPlKoKSYd0KCba6scuyugk1PFOJg8zszdZ7bDG-of-f1-DgbQj9UmTAUvTqrVAyw36twloYUvQ7NyTWylDoL7X2_kIlB2zJ1tGqyk_3yZus8HViyziRgmvZz838sTkkF4NtDvU9/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguklfXfHPlKoKSYd0KCba6scuyugk1PFOJg8zszdZ7bDG-of-f1-DgbQj9UmTAUvTqrVAyw36twloYUvQ7NyTWylDoL7X2_kIlB2zJ1tGqyk_3yZus8HViyziRgmvZz838sTkkF4NtDvU9/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social Media Mentions About Poverty</td></tr>
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The main takeaway here is that there are a lot of people that mention words pertaining to religion or spirituality when talking about poverty. A great deal of this is also Catholic in nature as the Pope's official Twitter account is mentioned several times. This is very reflective of Filipinos being 80% Catholic (<a href="http://web0.psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2014%20PIF.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">source</span></a>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mto-MYUATa3jGo-KsClZDBYk1bQPClSveN3_mYbVAMAij3B3J7igt2_I4z1XnO9qVQtoG3oHmHwNHBtb9HuAT0YSdKUY0Krzxu9yz9Jh13j_EUW9d5nmMGX9kgboyW1PmWEaMyLeutwu/s1600/asd.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mto-MYUATa3jGo-KsClZDBYk1bQPClSveN3_mYbVAMAij3B3J7igt2_I4z1XnO9qVQtoG3oHmHwNHBtb9HuAT0YSdKUY0Krzxu9yz9Jh13j_EUW9d5nmMGX9kgboyW1PmWEaMyLeutwu/s320/asd.PNG" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official Twitter Account of the Pope: <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex">@Pontifex</a></td></tr>
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It is noteworthy that religious keywords are way more prominent than keywords such as education or entrepreneurship. Words such as policy, governance, or infrastructure do not even make the buzz.<br />
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I'm not saying it's wrong but it does make me a bit worried that we think more about church or spirituality when engaging in conversations about poverty.<br />
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Also, I wonder what kind of trends will appear in other countries, especially those who are not as impoverished as us. I wonder what kind of campaigns we can push to shift conversations and extract solutions from these data.<br />
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During one of my classes for the <a href="http://www.imadigitalmarketer.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Certified Digital Marketing Program</span></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ninaterol"><span style="color: blue;">Niña Terol</span></a> talked about how they used Radian6 and other social listening tools to get insights for the campaigns of Senator Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan. <u>Politicians are already taking advantage of these technologies.</u><br />
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It is a double-edged sword, I know, but looking at the glass half-full makes me imagine the many potential uses of social listening for government and civil society.<br />
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Emerging technologies are always very exciting. We just have to make sure that these are used in the interest of a free and prosperous society.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-79417648299922257552014-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:002014-10-17T21:40:22.435-07:00Hong Kong Should SecedeThe one thing we can learn from the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/events/scotland-decides"><span style="color: blue;">Scottish Referendum</span></a> is that the right to secession is not a farfetched concept and that it could be achieved through a peaceful and democractic process. In fact, it should be an ideal concept for a free society — a society where governments only rule at the consent of the governed. And this is why I believe strongly that Hong Kong, and any country or region for that matter, should have the same right to a referendum on independence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dg8G-fbdcU8zOJ8nFsBAkerJooTjETOvFx8OD3zE3woFZAuzYIEDVBFVMT2gG3jsUj1J1E6I5S7LP-duz3ULax5yNLzbTr2w7_9-zwHb4Q6la4Psm2Vto2j9hnFTmlbvnGZ8pdLrPsJb/s1600/456253984.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dg8G-fbdcU8zOJ8nFsBAkerJooTjETOvFx8OD3zE3woFZAuzYIEDVBFVMT2gG3jsUj1J1E6I5S7LP-duz3ULax5yNLzbTr2w7_9-zwHb4Q6la4Psm2Vto2j9hnFTmlbvnGZ8pdLrPsJb/s1600/456253984.0.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: http://bit.ly/1sRkr3v</td></tr>
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You see, Hong Kong is a very important country for libertarians like me. This is something I've reiterated on this blog several times. It is the closest to a real-life demonstration of what we refer to as a <i>free market</i>. On the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/"><span style="color: blue;">Index of Economic Freedom</span></a>, Hong Kong is considered to be the freest country in the world.<br />
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Check out this excerpt about Hong Kong from Milton Friedman's documentary Free to Choose:<br />
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On the video above, Friedman talks about how Hong Kong has almost no natural resources. In spite of this, it is now one of the most prosperous and peaceful societies in the world. It exemplifies the power of a competitive market not stifled by government bureaucrats and red tapes. It shows that prosperity and peace can be achieved without the need for an <i>iron hand</i>. </div>
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But then would Mainland China recognize the result of a referendum? My short answer: it doesn't matter. It would be the same arrogance of how they do not recognize the independence of Taiwan. In fact, it would be an example to the authoritarians in China that it is their power, and their greed for it, that lacks recognition.<br />
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Just my two cents.<br />
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Recommended reading:<br />
1. <a href="https://mises.org/books/instead_of_dictatorship_hazlitt.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">Instead of Dictatorship by Henry Hazlitt</span></a></div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-49472235518128687342014-10-07T09:22:00.003-07:002014-10-07T17:04:50.505-07:00My Two Cents on the E-PesoHouse Bill 4914 seeks to create the E-Peso, a digital currency that will ideally be recognized by the government as legal tender. “The bill mandates the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to explore and study the technology of “bitcoin and post bitcoin cryptocurrencies” to expand the knowledge base…” says a report.<br />
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I quickly look up the bill’s author online and saw that she has a Twitter account. I tweet her and in just a few moments, she replied:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn1hPZM1G9Z1WzocRhi_pBaiQiJ7NWJcSD2VbfXuQEgIGL0TG74BBFMphEF-_oem4nhUpHWR8Yu1a_Or5hP9sv_sTkYvic4f2zkaqvkNmsBhD4wvNHH_5qKPbglqX3VLdv2xhjCpfWZng/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-07+at+11.20.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn1hPZM1G9Z1WzocRhi_pBaiQiJ7NWJcSD2VbfXuQEgIGL0TG74BBFMphEF-_oem4nhUpHWR8Yu1a_Or5hP9sv_sTkYvic4f2zkaqvkNmsBhD4wvNHH_5qKPbglqX3VLdv2xhjCpfWZng/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-07+at+11.20.11+PM.png" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’m not entirely sure what kind of global precedent this has or what her political views are but the fact that she’s on Twitter and personally engaging with me is an instant plus. I’m still waiting for feedback regarding a copy of the full bill but the fact that she acknowledged my tweet made me feel like a satisfied citizen for a while. I’m not even in her district (meaning, I have no say in her re-election) and yet she took time to engage my Tweet.<br />
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Politicians should really add more importance in managing their social media presence. The days of “call your congressman” is over. These days, we can Tweet them or send them a message on Facebook.<br />
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(SEE ALSO: <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/05/public-service-through-social-media-why.html">Public Service Through Social Media — Why Governments Should Emulate Globe Telecom's Social Media Initiatives</a>)<br />
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You see, the concept of competing currencies, as popularized by F.A. Hayek, is one of the main reasons that libertarians like me are attracted to Bitcoin.<br />
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There are probably many things I'd disagree with about HB 4914. Yes, it could have many pros such as being able to track transactions in a public ledger. It could make taxation and government spending more transparent. But along with its many promises come the fact that it is still monopolized by the central bank.<br />
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This is where Bitcoin has its strength. It is decentralized. It needs no central planner or authority. It is apolitical – apathetic to the greed for power.<br />
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One thing is for sure though: I welcome the ideas this bill brings to the table. It opens up a discussion on monetary policy and, inadvertently, could make many rethink banking, money, and liberty.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-41784553105862396632014-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:002014-09-08T11:07:05.339-07:00Meet the Frontliners of Bitcoin in the PhilippinesDo you remember the struggles of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates back when no one believed in the concept of a <i>personal computer</i>? The sentiment feels the same when people hear about this "digital currency" we call Bitcoin. And yet every local meet-up of the local community, I feel more and more hopeful about this revolutionary technology. I meet people who are not just passionate about it but are also making things happen in spite of being against the flow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuycKqfYa83rTuzH-1w5cVV7863hqlhEb-g2Q8BG0WIJ8Gzsxxt6HFJ7x4hIMd5JRwvFl9XAftYj-d9BeOTjgjNwuiYDUt52ZyBN8PGcQJTRIbUUymk_anCNU0gBDhanD_pxCBt0bsXbfi/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuycKqfYa83rTuzH-1w5cVV7863hqlhEb-g2Q8BG0WIJ8Gzsxxt6HFJ7x4hIMd5JRwvFl9XAftYj-d9BeOTjgjNwuiYDUt52ZyBN8PGcQJTRIbUUymk_anCNU0gBDhanD_pxCBt0bsXbfi/s1600/image.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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A gathering of local Bitcoin enthusiasts I attended last weekend</div>
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The crowds that come in to events nowadays are so eager to learn more about Bitcoin and are very optimistic about the eventual adoption of this currency. It's staggering and definitely a far cry from the handful of people that atttended the very first meet-up around a year ago. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXcXsAOFzDR1-Z9s48TDGGGQGUSX091fEhs13BkL8EGRpcoUmWDbOfxTq119eEZ6y5aOO5iRzKW-WD7lM-v3GN28qbZ15jrvfEcOX-GSS7WfepiYbaPkPVgYFx4wkZ6AFsYr8vOFohvza/s1600/20130713_191925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXcXsAOFzDR1-Z9s48TDGGGQGUSX091fEhs13BkL8EGRpcoUmWDbOfxTq119eEZ6y5aOO5iRzKW-WD7lM-v3GN28qbZ15jrvfEcOX-GSS7WfepiYbaPkPVgYFx4wkZ6AFsYr8vOFohvza/s1600/20130713_191925.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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First Bitcoin PH meet-up over a year ago</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">There were pioneers there such as <a href="https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=88320.0">Mang Sweeney</a> who was one of the first to leverage on using Bitcoin for remittances. At the time, the main agenda some of us agreed upon was to create a Facebook group where we can all share news and ideas about Bitcoin. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Now, the online group has over 3,300 members, several Bitcoin-related start-ups have emerged, actual brands and merchants are accepting Bitcoin, and there's a discussion on creating a neutral association of different stakeholders who will lobby and address policymakers or agenicies of the government. It's really an exciting time to be a spectator and see all these entreprenuers and coders collaborate and create disruptive products and technologies. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYjCfJdwR3_5FveQ0I1Ao946pkAzn3gWi1D95LKEccQXK6KCrp2AnX73I142TV2BfQ1D4a-_JxP6pgQUaKIZ3OguQtKEoTn3QjrNWK5m0B0gTPuz95b9cSulUGukRGuXyF0Jz24DXCF2r/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYjCfJdwR3_5FveQ0I1Ao946pkAzn3gWi1D95LKEccQXK6KCrp2AnX73I142TV2BfQ1D4a-_JxP6pgQUaKIZ3OguQtKEoTn3QjrNWK5m0B0gTPuz95b9cSulUGukRGuXyF0Jz24DXCF2r/s1600/image.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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(from left to right) Joseph Michael Galero or <i>Mikong </i>talked to me about developing a tool/website that will allow learners and educators to connect with each other. Jardine Gerodias, co-founder of <a href="http://sci.ph/">Satoshi Citadel Industries</a>, talked to me about creating 1btc = 1php type of currency that could potentially make government spending and taxation transparent. JM Malapira (to my left), someone I worked with during my internship, now works for <a href="http://tagcoin.org/">Tagcoin</a>, a locally-started and rewards-based cryptocurrency. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCfUT1fYRnV6lKEd0pqalGR_BgcjcAPadrvs5i7coWnJdRLjLeCjxSRB-Xu3ASmgwVJ7NzWy0AAAXSjYYtsnsV5PwKLkXCbYv9Elsok79K0aI5o1E5JcqM5eIhuk_R9KIYuHKR2IttfXw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCfUT1fYRnV6lKEd0pqalGR_BgcjcAPadrvs5i7coWnJdRLjLeCjxSRB-Xu3ASmgwVJ7NzWy0AAAXSjYYtsnsV5PwKLkXCbYv9Elsok79K0aI5o1E5JcqM5eIhuk_R9KIYuHKR2IttfXw/s1600/image.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">(from left to right) James Florentino, co-founder of <a href="http://buybitcoin.ph/">BuyBitcoin.ph</a>, Miguel Antonio Cuneta, co-founder of SCI, Luis Buenaventurra III, Head of Product of SCI (he writes really compelling stuff about Bitcoin; follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/helloluis">Twitter</a> or check out <a href="https://medium.com/@Cryptonight/">his blog on Medium</a>), and Sam Kaddoura, CEO of BuyBitcoin.ph (thanks for the shirt!).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnmPuOm6SobCvNVEaCjRYFgmiVYsZsFGOec9YBk9LF_es8jhAKy6uqVCOe413qnJpgtwYiLlPxtfkL0z3tfyVtquLlEOmM7abTW0P01mUJWnkWThogCEzqVrAcq0KZA2wMDUtZqk1Aa4c/s1600/10549690_540349339428160_3053675508991482296_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnmPuOm6SobCvNVEaCjRYFgmiVYsZsFGOec9YBk9LF_es8jhAKy6uqVCOe413qnJpgtwYiLlPxtfkL0z3tfyVtquLlEOmM7abTW0P01mUJWnkWThogCEzqVrAcq0KZA2wMDUtZqk1Aa4c/s1600/10549690_540349339428160_3053675508991482296_o.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And yes, as you can see above, Bench/ lifestyle + clothing started accepting Bitcoin, a strong win for <a href="http://coins.ph/">Coins.ph</a>. Persuading these big names in the market to adopt Bitcoin, will, in my opinion, help push the needle forward.</span><br />
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Of course, it is truly hard to explain the concept of a decentralized currency that can be "mined" using computing power — the semantics alone is a quick source of misunderstanding. "<i>Is it an actual coin?"</i> a TV5 reporter once asked me in an interview.<br />
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But you see, the innovation doesn't even stop in money. Oftentimes, those who critisize Bitcoin don't have a single clue about the technology behind it or how the <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Block_chain">blockchain</a> works. It is always an "end" for Bitcoin for every bad news they see online. It is always just another ponzi scheme for those who haven't read a single paragraph about how it works.<br />
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I always have two routes when trying to explain what Bitcoin is to people. The first, an empirical route where I ask them to do things like Google the keywords "1 btc" and make them see how Google has already prepared to treat this like money. You know, show people how other markets are already using it and other worldly evidence of its value. The other, a more philosophical route: I encourage that, instead of the continuous wonder about what this elusive Bitcoin is, they ask a more important question:<br />
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What is money?<br />
<br />harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-30255284124032938512014-06-28T21:12:00.000-07:002014-06-28T21:43:47.000-07:00Bonifacio Global City and Competitive City-StatesI go to BGC most times of the week for work and to be honest, as compared to other places I've worked before (Makati and Ortigas), there's something very different and refereshing about BGC in Taguig.<br />
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BGC Skyline (photo source: http://bit.ly/1k0KnzJ)</div>
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It's amazing how much investment, development, and job creation has been created in less than a decade. Around over a decade ago, this place was government owned, nothing but empty land with no use except for training (and allegedly hazing) of our military. You can really see how much more productivity can be created when property is in the hands of a competitive market as compared to a monopolized control of government.</div>
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The elites own most of it, sure: Ayala Land, Evergreen Holdings, Campos Group, Metro Pacific, etc. Bascially the oligarchs or the select few families that own and control most things in the country. Regardless of this unfortunate circumstance, the benefits of the development are undeniable. And what more if we allow more competitors to enter the market and go against the oligarchs? </div>
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But you see, as usual, this is a question and matter of policy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinp0OpxkkNgu7ttj4SvHtbCNOt2lfwD6MsjFQ6YODFrkfT2qsPSArcC4AaOWMzb24q0PntxmElYzdpxFfIE49zC9Dg3XTvaOmZ0j8_g_L9iF1IGvcnakKtbp8iqd2Rc-C-LQYHjxgUtoUY/s1600/123.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinp0OpxkkNgu7ttj4SvHtbCNOt2lfwD6MsjFQ6YODFrkfT2qsPSArcC4AaOWMzb24q0PntxmElYzdpxFfIE49zC9Dg3XTvaOmZ0j8_g_L9iF1IGvcnakKtbp8iqd2Rc-C-LQYHjxgUtoUY/s1600/123.png" height="320" width="284" /></a></div>
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Taguig Proud of Its Business-friendly Policies</div>
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I'm sure you've seen signs like the one above all over BGC. The two main points I love about them are lower taxes and business-friendly. This refers to taxation and redtapes that add cost and difficulty for competition to enter the market. Taguig claims that their policy with regards to these are better. This is reflected by all the businesses who have moved or are moving to BGC. <i>People vote with their feet</i>, said esteemed economist <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/search/label/milton%20friedman">Milton Friedman</a> (when asked about mainland China vs Hong Kong).</div>
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And so why don't we make policies more competitive? Why don't we decentralize power from the national government and allow for city-states to have more autonomy so that policy can be competitive? In this way, good policy will emerge and be contagious and bad ones that don't work will be scrutinized and demanded to be abolished by their constituents. We do it now with prohibition of plastic -- some cities do it, some don't. </div>
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If we want development, if we want to alleviate poverty and create jobs, why can't we make business-friendly policies like lower taxes and streamlined bureaucratic red tapes more contagious? Why don't we transfer more government owned property that's not being utilized to the private sector? Better yet, why can't we let more foreign investors enter and compete against the oligarchs?</div>
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In BGC, you don't need no MMDA to regulate traffic (or make things worse). In BGC, most services and infrastructure are private and not eniterly a burden to taxpayers. And yet there are those who passionately argue that lowering taxes will mean that there will be no infrastrucure or that the economy will collapse. The role of the government should be to be profitable and not dependent on productive taxpayers because if so, then they have no incentive to improve since year in and year out, billions from productive citizens are coercively collected anyway.</div>
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And how do we allow more investment and development to commpete against the oligarchs? Let's look at the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/">Index of Economic Freedom</a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuntYLpZUWcfekYnstYUpqawhgBG1Ok8wVl3rjWlmt2me-ysGnh4atbRui5VbO_-CNbB18rgBU05wxKuFdWOSa7L2GiAUpLFSRdbvcr_OKUa0D1rV2yKEfXdiTL94iL811wI3bv497cIh/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-29+at+11.52.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuntYLpZUWcfekYnstYUpqawhgBG1Ok8wVl3rjWlmt2me-ysGnh4atbRui5VbO_-CNbB18rgBU05wxKuFdWOSa7L2GiAUpLFSRdbvcr_OKUa0D1rV2yKEfXdiTL94iL811wI3bv497cIh/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-29+at+11.52.00+AM.png" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
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Above are the countries rated with the highest economic freedom, meaning less protectionist policy, less taxes and regulations, less barriers on trade, less red tapes to enter the market, etc. Just look at Hong Kong and Singapore that both have almost zero natural resources and yet have gained so much prosperity and have very little poverty. They both have the lowest and fewest taxes in the world. And as an archipelago, we have so many islands that could be potential Hong Kongs or Singapores. And how will infrastructure be created if there are low taxes and minimal government support? The same way it happened in Hong Kong and Singapore. Read a bit of their history and you'll see for yourself.<br />
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Another one is Gurgaon City in India, one of my most favorite real-world examples (see <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/gurgaon-city-indiagrowth-and-progress.html">my blog post about it here</a>) that has almost the same story as BGC only better because there was even more economic freedom. Infrastrcuture and productivity is not dependent on government, it is dependent and most effective in places where policies encourage a competitive marketplace.<br />
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But again, it's a question of policy. And so the system itself has to be changed so we can implement these policies. Our constitution, for instance, has the noble intention of making sure all companies are 60% owned by Filipinos, something that is masked with nationalism and pride -- but really, all it's doing is protecting the elites and the oligarchs. Look at the countries above that are the Index of Economic freedom or Gurgaon in India and compare the policies for yourself.<br />
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You see, one problem with arguing libertarain policies and Austrian School of Economics is that most of us root from the philosophy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxeology">praxeology</a>. Basicaly, in Immanuel Kant's choice of words, we focus more on <i>a priori </i>knowledge than the empirical. Empirical data could easily be mistconstrued or misinterpreted and skewed to defend any political philosophy. I'm glad, though, that most times, emprical data solidly backs the libertarian's claims. The only problem is, really, that we have to deal with arguing against people who don't even take time to look into history and economics and jump right away to proposing policies they think will work.<br />
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One of my main motivations to write and analyze policy is because I know this is key in alleviating poverty and creating a more prosperous and sustainable future for our society. Most of my recommendations, at times, may sound against conventional wisdom. My only hope is that you take time to research and learn more about them because in the end, don't we all just want a better world for us and for the future generations?<br />
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Peace out,<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/harryinitiative">@harryinitiative</a></div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-10422187435654962532014-06-03T09:27:00.002-07:002014-06-03T11:23:42.306-07:00No, Aquino, Heavy Traffic Does Not Reflect A Good Economy<b>Correlation does not imply causation.</b><br />
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But hey, there's no use explaining that to anyone. PNoy's communications group seems to have such a brilliant PR and marketing team that they know exactly how to spin something like heavy traffic as a reflection of a good economy. And the sad fact? There are those who will believe this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BPsIv56WG0oIWMmVBxW29kwIt387BguFkYutnv5tHBp3WtN0dCapRsd6zPoeOLFbp7mF4hJkiCnp-9kphW_-fsrlPmFJeLi52ua_b3mYA9JWFTxLK5QMUXt7x9GfzD8sCDuZo1HhJ_aj/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-03+at+11.31.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BPsIv56WG0oIWMmVBxW29kwIt387BguFkYutnv5tHBp3WtN0dCapRsd6zPoeOLFbp7mF4hJkiCnp-9kphW_-fsrlPmFJeLi52ua_b3mYA9JWFTxLK5QMUXt7x9GfzD8sCDuZo1HhJ_aj/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-03+at+11.31.07+PM.png" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
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#SMH</div>
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<b>Broken Window Fallacy:</b></div>
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But the correlation vs causation isn't even the most important fallacy reflected here. In his book <a href="http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf">Economics In One Lesson</a>, libertarian economist Henry Hazlitt discusses the broken window fallacy at the very first part, a term popularized by the classical liberal Frédéric Bastiat's in his book <a href="http://mises.org/page/1434">That Which Is Seen And That Which Is Not Seen</a>. </div>
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This fallacy illustrates how destruction, or allocating money to rebuild from destruction, is not actually a net benefit to society. Simply put, if I throw a brick at my window, it implies that it's good for the economy because it will stimulate certain sectors of the economy like window builders, glass builders, etc.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJVR23Hip_NSpbitjji_INZN9h6Nk9Bmt2ttc8k4zH9uRVEkg-WcW-eZvp5o1EBpw3Fo6RlW-K5hNVArCnv6AcMyl7yndQ6fFO3T4xbGR2GfdSu_M8orGLclXd3tKp_TvdvchYpjzvcyT/s1600/3pdn8t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJVR23Hip_NSpbitjji_INZN9h6Nk9Bmt2ttc8k4zH9uRVEkg-WcW-eZvp5o1EBpw3Fo6RlW-K5hNVArCnv6AcMyl7yndQ6fFO3T4xbGR2GfdSu_M8orGLclXd3tKp_TvdvchYpjzvcyT/s1600/3pdn8t.jpg" /></a></div>
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Lord Keynes Himself</div>
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And you hear this kind of argument from most educated economists most of the time. And this is all because Keynesianism or Keynesian economics as popularized by John Maynard Keynes prescribes this in his doctrines are at the core of almost all economics courses from undergrad to doctorate level. </div>
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As puzzling as it sounds, they see good in in things like war or natural disaster because it will boost GDP. In the same manner, traffic means you consume gas and will eventually have to maintain and spend for your vehicle or that public transport is making money. There is <i>stimulation</i> that leads to <i>high consumption</i> that leads to a <i>good economy</i>. The same Keynesian rhetoric in almost every scenario. </div>
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But you see, there is another side to the coin.</div>
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<b>The Austrian School of Economics:</b><br />
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If you don't even know Keynes or F.A. Hayek, it really says a lot about how much you know about economics. And, obviously, many are engrossed by all this clutter I call folklore economics. Many times, I find myself just shutting my mouth because it's almost impossible to arrive at conclusions from arguments that are not based on real economic principles and political philosophies. As a prerequisite, I would recommend the PBS documentary The Commanding Heights (a title that references Lenin's speech about the State controlling key sectors of the economy) as a good introductory video:</div>
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The Commanding Heights Episode 1: The Battle of Ideas</div>
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But because I know the attention span of most of you will not be able to bear how seemingly boring the above documentary is (although, I swear, I highly recommend it), here's a short 10-minute parody rap video that summarizes the differentiations of the economic philosophies of Keynes and Hayek (obviously I'm on Hayek and the Austrian School's side):</div>
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<b>But What Good Economy?</b></div>
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We see good news all over focusing, again, on what Bastiat referred to as <i>That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen</i>. We still rely so much on foreign remittances. Foreign investment and job creation is not only prevented by heavy red tapes and regulations but also by the constitution itself. Growth is not inclusive, as you usually hear in the news. Growth is only for the rich as the poor get poorer and the middle class unable to save because of inflation (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/03/on-wage-labor-and-invisible-tax.html">On Wage Labour and the Invisible Tax</a>).</div>
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Growth is almost only limited to Imperial Manila. Oligarchs remain empowered while most provinces remain stagnant. And the problem is systemic and constitutional.</div>
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<b>Back To Heavy Traffic:</b><br />
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That's why in my article <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-two-cents-on-mmda-coding-scheme.html">Treatment Vs Cure: Addressing the Economic and Social Issue of Heavy Traffic in Metro Manila</a>, I go backwards unlike the President. I look at improving the economy by decentralizing power and abolishing discouraging laws that prevent both foreign investment and local new players to enter the market, especially in provinces, to mitigate congestion. And from there, not only will heavy traffic be lessened -- society's quality of life in general will greatly improve.</div>
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Honestly, I just hate traffic so much because it wastes so much time. In fact, contrary to what the president is saying, it is detrimental to the economy. What do you think makes more sense? </div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-75030790876698849942014-04-25T11:29:00.000-07:002016-04-25T10:02:50.708-07:00The Marketing of PoliticsIn the video below, <a href="http://www.learnliberty.org/">LearnLiberty.org</a> explains the <b>median voter theorem</b>. In a competition where you want 50% + 1 of your target market, if you actually want to win, you will be forced to skew your political positions in such a way that it appeals to the demands of the majority.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">This is why most politicians don't really stick to principles or political philosophies because this usually entails career suicide. Especially here in the Philippines where you can get away with simple copywriting like <i>Erap Para Sa Mahirap</i> or <i>Ganito Kami Sa Makati</i>, most don't really care how or why you will alleviate poverty or how or why you will make provinces have the same infrastructure and services as Makati — what matters is you communicate the core message effectively.</span><br />
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And it's not just for the Philippines. In the US, having a simple selling point like <i>Yes We Can</i> or <i>Change We Can Believe In </i>works. Platforms or policy pledges don't matter. It doesn't matter if Obama enhanced Bush's foreign policy or kept the same macroeconomic and monetary policies, what matters is you differentiate Obama from Bush in the eyes of the public. It's all branding and packaging.<br />
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In a country like ours where there are more than two parties, it is actually worse. If, let's say, PNoy wins 30%, Erap 25%, Villar 20%, Gibo 20%, and 5% abstained then PNoy actually wins with 30% and the rest of the 70% of voters are alienated from the decision. <b>Plurality</b> is not the same as majority.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMnaIUqUowE/U1qlN2cW_vI/AAAAAAAABy4/XPgU1MIss0U/s1600/political-parties-in-the-Philippines1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMnaIUqUowE/U1qlN2cW_vI/AAAAAAAABy4/XPgU1MIss0U/s1600/political-parties-in-the-Philippines1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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You have logos, colors, jingles, advertisements. It's no different from brands, really. In all seriousness, especially here in the Philippines, it doesn't matter what party you are in. Political parties are a matter of money, connections, and convenience. Again, nothing to do with principles or political philosophies. It's merely a machinery and a recruitment system to sustain influence.<br />
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Also, it doesn't matter how intelligent or "qualified" your favored politician is. It's not about the ideas that he/she represents or how these ideas will be cultivated and executed. I'm sick of people talking about candidates who are more qualified because of intellect or schooling or similar arguments. We should instead be debating platform, policy, ideas.<br />
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Again, always something I remind my readers: the solution is to rethink the role of government, to take away power and money from government and give it back to the people, and to decentralize and abolish the incentives that feed these monstrous machineries.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-70081754474097800612014-03-23T05:23:00.004-07:002014-03-23T05:24:41.471-07:00Reflections on CrimeaIn his article <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/mar/01/ukraine-haze-propaganda/">Ukraine: Through the Haze of Propaganda</a>, historian Timothy Snyder told a moving story about the protests in Ukraine. This was a story that was told through different yet very personal perspectives. One of them about how investigative journalist Mustafa Nayem used social media to gather students in Kiev. It was a story of people that just wanted freedom from a corrupt government. And don't people deserve the right to be free from a corrupt government?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not only was it immoral as tens of millions were stolen, Yanukovych used some of the money to build himself what Snyder referred to as some of the ugliest in architectural history.</td></tr>
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Russian State-sponsored media news channel RT told the story from a different perspective. It showed a violent struggle between gangs of neo-Nazis and the Ukranian State's police force. It showed people who wanted to protect their lives and properties. And don't people deserve the right to protect their lives and properties? Also, if we agree that the government is only governing at the consent of the governed, then shouldn't we believe in the right to secede through a democratic referendum?<br />
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RT Documentary on Crimea<br />
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VICE News' Simon Ostrovsky tells the story from yet another perspective, from people in Crimea who have gathered together to protest against secession. The journalist points out the irony that if Crimea is transferred to the State of Russia, these kinds of protests will not be permitted. It is a story of the minority struggling against the tyranny of the majority and the intimidating Russian State soldiers on the ground. </div>
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VICE News Showing Pro-Ukraine Citizens in Crimea<br />
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Obama and his allies agree that the democratic referendum was illegitimate. He then imposed economic sanctions on Russia. Frederic Bastiat once said that <i>if goods don't cross borders, armies will</i>. It is the greatest tension between the US and Russia since the Cold War. </div>
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As I read more about it and watch more reports and documentaries, the more I am confused as to what's really going on. And all perspectives go back to ethics and principles of justice -- when is the use of force ever justified?</div>
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If you liked this post then you might also like:
<br />
1. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2012/11/history-dictators-and-blowback.html">History, Dictators, and Blowback</a><br />
2. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/08/reflections-on-morality-syria-foreign.html">Reflections on Morality, Syria, Foreign Policy, and Miley Cyrus</a><br />
3. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-two-cents-on-spratly-islands.html">My Two Cents on the Spratly Islands Conflict</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-13263777146806891072014-03-18T01:15:00.002-07:002014-03-18T01:24:03.460-07:00Libertarianism vs Conservatism Debate Between the Interns of Cato Institute and The Heritage FoundationIn the video below, interns from <a href="http://www.cato.org/">Cato Institute</a> and <a href="http://www.heritage.org/">The Heritage Foundation</a> have a debate on whether it's libertarianism or conservatism is a better political philosophy.<br />
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I've talked about the importance of think tanks in giving libertarianism (or other libertarian-leaning ideologies) a more organized and formal voice that can be significant in changing public policy. In the video above, they gave young interns a chance to talk about ideas and political philosophies that are rarely talked about in the academe or in mainstream media.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPWvsHmPMqeg1W-RBOTPG1IFH4PuVbPSoGpNjlgawXXjuIN0D4-TkoUWnLmymaOV3D2LR5niaWHx684TwRu8H4FqipKiRTN1gXP5qLdmho6DZYSxv35xO5KT4b1YOXS4rkZl4HdHvV7Pt/s1600/x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPWvsHmPMqeg1W-RBOTPG1IFH4PuVbPSoGpNjlgawXXjuIN0D4-TkoUWnLmymaOV3D2LR5niaWHx684TwRu8H4FqipKiRTN1gXP5qLdmho6DZYSxv35xO5KT4b1YOXS4rkZl4HdHvV7Pt/s1600/x.png" height="155" width="320" /></a></div>
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And even though these organizations are focused on US policy, they have partners all over the world that help share ideas and jumpstart libertarian organizations. And as you watch the interns debate in the video, you can't help but be hopeful that there are more of these young men and women and will one day have influence in policymaking and public opinion.</div>
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Obviously, I agree with the libertarian side but this does not mean that I should shun The Heritage Foundation completely. In fact, I've cited their researches several times already in this blog including their <a href="http://www.heritage.org/index/">Index of Economic Freedom</a>. In the same manner that I don't shun the Cato Institute just for having ties with the Koch brothers. A diplomatic and open-minded approach is always a better way to grow intellectually. </div>
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1. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/09/ideas-malaysia-ceo-wan-saiful-wan-jan.html">IDEAS Malaysia CEO Goes to Manila</a><br />
2. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/10/who-are-libertarians-and-where-are-they.html">Who are libertarians and where are they in the political spectrum?</a><br />
3. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-meeting-kevin-duewel-of-students-for.html">On Meeting Kevin Duewel of Students for Liberty</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-90222787688490090442014-03-17T05:05:00.002-07:002014-03-17T05:25:23.188-07:00Engaging the Top Libertarian Influencers on TwitterCathy Reisenwitz favorited my tweet and retweeted it while Julie Borowski replied to the tweet where I shared <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2014/03/cathy-reisenwitz-vs-julie-borowski-on.html" target="_blank">my most recent blog post</a> regarding their short debate on Stossel.<br />
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Both Reisenwitz and Borowski are ranking on <a href="http://toplibertarian.com/twitter/followers/" target="_blank">TopLibertarian.com's</a> list of most followed libertarians on Twitter. Reisenwitz writes for her blog <a href="http://sexandthestate.com/">Sex and the State</a> while Julie is known for being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TokenLibertarianGirl" target="_blank">The Token Libertarian</a> girl on YouTube. Both are very popular political commentators who also contribute for several known columns and think tanks. Here's a screenshot of the conversation:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52JxHAB3iVlcJjWZwyQFCzYt4_hnDLozgcIVF0zIhe-BrREP8iSuvBEVgQxzZohzqo-AamQXqkCGkZ-bge0XlKRUc-tw8OxK7hgkct4_b975KgDltUuMQm-1qXlRr9xpNdcAPxSBoF2ec/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-17+at+7.33.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52JxHAB3iVlcJjWZwyQFCzYt4_hnDLozgcIVF0zIhe-BrREP8iSuvBEVgQxzZohzqo-AamQXqkCGkZ-bge0XlKRUc-tw8OxK7hgkct4_b975KgDltUuMQm-1qXlRr9xpNdcAPxSBoF2ec/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-17+at+7.33.10+PM.png" height="400" width="377" /></a></div>
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In the Twitter conversation, Borowski seemed to avoid the issue but I'm not here to discuss their debate as I've already posted my thoughts about it. I just want to point out the power of blogging and social media. This kind of reply from social media influencers can increase your followers and at the same time drive significant traffic to your blog. Being re-shared or replied to by social influencers can help increase one's reach to significant audiences.<br />
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This is a good way for me to not only have a voice in a global platform but at the same time be rewarded by income through advertisements posted in my blog and those generous enough to support by donating <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/search/label/bitcoin">Bitcoin</a> (there's a button below the post and on the upper left side of this blog where you can donate).<br />
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Aside from engaging social media influencers, you can also share your thoughts on hashtags like #tlot (top libertarians on Twitter), #liberty, #libertarian, etc. to be able to engage random people browsing through them.<br />
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My stats and analytics can only show me how many people viewed me (which is quite scary when I think about how many would actually use their time to check out my thoughts) but at the same time sharing on social media and engaging influencers helps amplify my voice to those who actually care or who might even have influencer in changing policy and public opinion.<br />
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Social media is helping shape the global landscape of politics and society (ie. Arab Spring). And I'm not really as annoyed as some people when <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/makati-city-philippines-declared-selfie-capital-world-171608201.html">a study showed cities in Manila have the most selfie posts than in any other part of the world</a>. I just hope the more use it to share ideas for a freer and more prosperous society.<br />
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3. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2014/03/metrodeal-now-accepts-bitcoin-beware-of.html">Metrodeal Now Accepts Bitcoin</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7161240902161212286.post-54189551305139364982014-03-16T00:14:00.003-07:002014-03-16T00:14:33.430-07:00Cathy Reisenwitz vs Julie Borowski on How to Convince Others to Look Into LibertarianismLet me begin by saying that I love these two girls dearly. Cathy Reisentwitz writes on her blog <a href="http://cathyreisenwitz.com/blog/">Sex and the State</a> while Julie Borowski makes viral parody videos on her YouTube channel as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TokenLibertarianGirl">Token Libertarian Girl</a>. These two have served as an inspiration for me and I've learned a great deal of political philosophy from both of them.<br />
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Reisenwitz makes the case for using the "check your privilege" argument to promote libertarianism which Borowski disagrees with as this seemingly goes against the philosophy of liberty -- we should see people as individuals and not as a group or class (a common position of proponents of the left-wing). </div>
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I never took Julie Boroski as such a purist. I don't think there's anything wrong with changing an argument's tone or semantics in order to find compromise with non-libertarians. </div>
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I think it's all about classic marketing principles. If you want conversion then find your target market, analyze the demographic they're part of, dissect their wants, needs, and beliefs, and hit them on their soft spot or where it matters most. I think this is main point of Reisenwitz for using the check your privilege position. </div>
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In her Facebook page, there was one post about how what matters is not the arguments that converted us but the arguments that will convert others. It's all about tackling what benefits others most. It's classic marketing. You have to segment your target market into more specific groups and point out the benefit of what you are promoting in accordance with their needs. Taking the moral high ground of not altering your message to cater to certain demographics and psychographics will lessen the effectivity of your arguments.</div>
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But it doesn't necessarily mean you should always use the check your privilege position. What I'm saying is that it's worth using when needed.</div>
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