Pretend - Flairs

Dead Air

It's really intriguing, the whole mystery surrounding that missing Malaysian airplane. A lot of questions are unanswered.

But I got to say though, all this non-stop media attention is irritating. It seems like it's the only thing the folks on CNN care about. Everyone in the media is hyping this up. It's excessive coverage past the point of exploitation. It's tragic but come on, do they have to entertain every "expert" and conspiracy nutjob out there?

Personally, I don't want to hear about it anymore, at least, not until all the facts are straight. It could take a really long time; time that this info-starved, instant, 24 hour news cycle world can't wait for. That's OK.

Or wait for the inevitable Hollywood cash-grab movie starring Liam Neeson.

Tax Burden to Bear

The Bureau of Internal Revenue is getting a lot of heat these days. It's odd that people would rather raise a stink over the BIR's latest "shaming" advertisements than the Commissioner's questionable policies but we are a culture that focuses on the trivial so let's have at it.

The picture above shows a doctor riding piggyback on a teacher. The figures show that the doctor earns more but pays less in taxes while the teacher earns less but pays more. The message below is that if you don't pay your taxes, you're a burden on poor old Mrs.Sandoval, breaking her back as she teaches the impoverished children of classroom Bayabas in Smokey Mountain Elementary. 

What teacher makes more than 750,000 pesos a year by the way?

Anyway, I can see why people are upset. It's kind of insulting to doctors don't you think? It's pretty condescending too. To make matters worse, the equations on the chalkboard are all wrong.

My take on this won't sound good; in fact, it's very politically incorrect. The doctor isn't a burden. Your contributions to society aren't solely limited to tax money. At least a doctor heals the sick. No, the real burdens to taxpayers are the masses of poor people who don't pay any taxes, probably live rent free by squatting on private property and who are the main beneficiaries of welfare programs and "free lunches" funded by taxpayer money. Does "Conditional Cash Transfer Program" ring any bells, El Presidente?  It's easy to pick on professionals but God forbid that the government actually try to tell the masses to shoulder some of the slack, stop having children they can't support or clean up after themselves.

We live in a society where relatively few people pay much of the taxes while a large portion are "underground". This is what economic inequality really looks like. It's an economic tyranny where the wealth of the few is taken by government to be siphoned off by corrupt politicians. The leftovers are used for playing Santa Claus by giving stuff to the poor non-taxpayers in exchange for their votes. The poor act all grateful towards big daddy government, blissfully unaware that government corruption and mismanagement are to blame for their own poverty. Yes, I'm aware I'd be lambasted as a selfish bastard and yes, it's a little hypocritical on my part but it has to be said. Don't shoot the messenger.

To be fair, the poor don't have anything for the government to tax. BUT SURELY, YOU CAN AGREE WITH ME THAT THIS IS AN UNSUSTAINABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS? This is why I was glad the former President signed the VAT tax. At least that's a way of taxing them, albeit indirectly. This is also why I approve of the Philippine lottery. It's a sick, twisted way of taxing the poor.

Is it too late to start drinking?

Tingle

Sometimes I feel weak like I have no energy. However, I have found that exercises that stretch the back and spine work really well to energize the body.

Need to get that spinal fluid moving.