High Tax Rate-Liberalism: The Fundamental Right to Life, Liberty and Property

Liberalism is the political ideology that put us in an equal state, it simply means freedom. An individual must free to do whatever he/she want for the exercise of their rights for freedom. Liberating is the key to individual success; an individual must be competitive for him/her to attain self-development. People have their own rights and they must able to express it without the hindrance of other. Liberalism is promoting a free market and any individual are freely to engage to it. Economical rights, right to own property is the major concept of liberalism and it is free for everyone to participate in all economic practices. The civil rights, right to live and right to be free for a just reason. In accordance to the political philosophy of John Locke, individuals have its own natural rights and the social contract must be favourably for the people not for the government. The fundamental concept of this political ideology is to have the right to live, liberty and property.

            Taxation is political issue because it involves the state and the people. High tax rate gives a big burden to the people but it is a proper and legal way to protect an individual owning a property. Basically people protest on the increase of tax collection, for my opinion tax collection is the assurance of the people to have a private property. First, the state recognizes you as an individual, if the state don’t generate taxes from the people probably your rights as a person is limited. Second, to have a tax to pay for your property is an indication that the state is protecting and recognize your ownership to that property and the land tax serves as an investment for your security. Third, the tax that is deducted to the people individually is to sustain the government from being established and providing security to our welfare. The people have the right to exercise freedom without the hindrance of the state and by collecting taxes it is indicating that you’re investing to the government to protect your right no matter how much it is.

            Liberalism is the solution for the petition of the people for high tax collection, liberating people’s mind will deliver them to understand on why the government require to generate tax from the people. It is the social contract, the government must provide and give liberal form of governing and the people are obliged to support the foundation of their government. Assuring freedom to the people will make them think that it is worth paying for. The government must be strong and firm and without the tax collected from the people the government it will be impossible. This is the idea, the freedom is provided by the government for the people and the people must be loyal in paying tax to maintain and sustain the vision of the government. High tax collection is not a hindrance to acquire private property; it is an indication that anyone can have a property. Tax is institution to fund all governmental function for the securing welfare, freedom and property.

            Solving the grievance of the people regarding High Tax collection is a very simple task. The government must be informative on why they implement the increase of tax rates and it must be for the reason of public’s welfare. The government must be transparent is the allocation and liquidation of the fund generated thru tax collection. People must have an informative idea about tax collection and the government shall explain the advantages of this increase. The state shall provide improvements that will dramatically experience by the people. The government must gain the public’s trust and for the people not to doubt on why the government suddenly increase tax collection. It must be not the idea of acquiring private property is hindered by high tax collection, instead high tax collection serves an assurance and security to acquiring private properties. The government must be clear on explaining it to the public and no misinterpretation shall be made. The government must always imply that tax collection is for the people and not for some individual, they must lay a concrete confirmation that fund generated thru tax is for the welfare of the public. An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; a villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards (John Locke). Liberalism must provide economic competency for anyone; everyone is free gain something for his/her personal, social, economical development.

State-Society Relation

Political Theory is a critical activity because it only gives an insight on various aspects on politics. Political Theory must analyze the society because the society is the reason why we theorize. The welfare of the society and the social standards to attain welfare, for a diverse culture of people is in the study of Political Theory. Society is a group of people wherein there is an interaction, and according to Aristotle a simple interaction is a participation in politics. The root of all study is the people, so that Political Theory shall deal with the things that are better for the sustainability of the society. Development must be in line with the kind of a society and it must provide welfare to one and another. Politics is an interaction discipline, and forming a society means forming political institutions.

Basically the state-society relation is the major issue to be theorize, the establishment of the government is to secure the welfare of the society. The society vested the authority to the state which will govern them. Political Theory must focus always to the development of the society, because if the society has welfare then it will compliment on other aspects. The state is form because of the needs of the society and the state must do their responsibility. The society must help to maintain the sovereign of the state, that the social contract. The study of Political Theory is a big assistance on what’s either the state or the society to do in able to maintain their establishment with compliment to each other. Political Theory is an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation, therefore , thinking or theorizing emerge through the formation of the society and it must focus on the basic principles to attain a lot huge idea. The basic idea of Political Theory is the relation of the state and the society so it must be maintain that way to attain welfare and development.

Rational Critics: Private-Public Partnership

The economic programs of Pnoy’s Administration are overwhelming, the public-private partnership. The government owned properties will generate profit through the lease of private investors. It is for increasing the budget for a better allotment to every Filipinos. It is not new that the Philippine has a big deficiency when it comes to accomplishing the grievances of every Filipino people. Pnoy had said that public-private partnership is the solution to end poverty and to attain economic development.

The programs of Pnoy’s Administration are very ideal but he did not consider the effects of this public-private partnership to other aspect. If these acts are tolerated, probably the private and the foreign investors will dominate against the government or these investors are probably political animal themselves.  The profit generated through this partnership may invite more corruption; instead this “P.P.P.” will help to secure the interest of our poor people it will probably satisfy the hunger for greed of an individual. The private sector may be the authority and the government are just a puppet run by this powerful sector. This is the political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx that the rises of capitalist will disregards the interest of less-privilege class. The rule of democracy will vanish and the few/oligarchy will take over the authority. In are present state, these facts are happening and in the future it will be worsen. Only the wealthiest will rule, it’s just the rule of money that can manipulate and control everything.

In other view, in generating profit through “P.P.P.” our yearly budget will dramatically increase and these political animals will also increase. It is a lot more huge temptation to our public officials; we cannot eliminate corruption until we have a concept of money and power. We are not mature to observe formality in our political system, besides we are enjoying performing informal political norms. Public officials will be labelled as the most profitable profession and only few will benefit from it and most of us will suffer.

A view of a realist, the Philippines is a weak country but has rich natural resources. These investors will only generate profit from our own land and will make us slaves forever. They look at us as a menial race of people and we are very glad to be labelled like that. These partnerships are made only to fulfil the interest of other countries while we will be undeveloped with their interference in our economy. It is true that foreign investors are a big help to boost our economic competency but as I see the investors’ gets richer and Philippines gets poorer. We have a law regulating foreign investors but these just simply use Filipino businessmen to invest in the Philippines.

Instead of creating partnership between public and private sector we must develop the things that we are known for, like agriculture. We must focus on ourselves; we must not rely to other countries for us to be able to survive. We must know what are the things that we want to prioritize most and concentrate to that. Our government must always advocate the idea of patriotism and not promote imported goods and culture by letting our domestic product rule our market. We must set our mind to one goal for us to have an order and have a clear draft of our aspiration. Instead of questioning the government, support them. We don’t have any problem in the structure of our government, the problem lies into the diverse culture of the people.

Rise of the Capitalist: Socialist Revolution

Socialism is the Political Ideology that fits the Philippine context, because it compliments with our tradition and aspirations. Basically socialism criticized by people who are liberated because of its characteristic. The idea is to create a united community to work and cooperate together for development. Socialism is either Social-Democracy or Marxism, and they both offer equality to the people by means of all property is community based. This ideology eliminates economic inequality and provides an opportunity to every individual to exercise their freedom without the concept of property. No individual can abuse the use of his/her property to disregard the interest of others. Eliminating hierarchy and balancing the economical status of all.  The primary concept of it is to share and cooperate, as a farmer they must harvest not to gain profit but to supply the demands of the community. All things are not profit based, instead to distribute or allocate the needs of the people appropriately. Equality will be served into any classes of people, no discrimination and isolation of poor and rich. All people have an equal economic status. It avoids disparity and goods and service will be offered at the market for all. It gives an equal identity to an individual unlike in liberalism; you have the privileges to exercise your freedom by means of your economical status or the property you own. The idea of liberating people is letting them to abuse their freedom and disregard the interest of other people.

The radical rise of the capitalist seems to be a political problem, in the Philippine setting, capitalist are dominant when it comes to political, social and most of all economical aspect. Imagine the profit gain by these animals, they have a lot profit than we imagine. Many have observed that rich people can only participate in local and national election. Where is the essence of democracy in the Philippines political system? Yes we have election, but these elections are the only thing that keeps them more powerful and that’s why it is institutionalized to protect the interest of higher-class. Majority of the Filipino are poor, and yet our government focuses on securing the private property of the higher-class. This setting shows the disparity, there is a rich and there is a poor. These capitalist engage in the world of politics so they can protect their property, the wealth of our country are concentrated to these animals. How can the poor be competitive economically if these people can’t share the wealth that they have? As I observed, majority of our politicians came from rich, elite, cacique and well-known families and they are only few who rule our government. This is a dynasty of rich people to our political system. The results of these are justice imbalances, mass poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity for the less-privilege class. These few can manipulate everything even justice, so that poor people are not properly serve just in violation with law. It create biases, opportunity will be distributed unequal. Poor people can’t always participate in every elections; it is because rich people can exclusively avail to participate in election. Inequality because the freedom is based on the property you own, less-privilege can’t exercise their freedom on what they will eat, on where they want to study or how they can support and sustain their families. Rich will be always on the top and as the time pass by they are getting more wealth and power, enough to rule us all and to protect their property for drawing it out on the circle of the elites and riches. Exercising freedom seems very hard to find in our setting, freedom is a multiple choice to pick from while the truth in our nation is freedom is exclusively for those who have wealth. The rich will become richer and the poor will become poorer if we tolerate and not act. We will be domain by rich people and they will not stop to extract all our wealth until they are the most powerful and wealthiest of all. Our setting is the people are used as materials and utilities to generate profit by the ruling class.

For me Socialism can provide a remedy to our grievances, we will attain equality without disregarding the sake of others. Socialism intends to offer equalization in terms of economical aspect. Basically economical status is a hindrance to exercise our freedom and worse we are being disregard because of poverty. We are being discriminated because of our economic status, so that socialism serves as a cure for our inequality. Clever capitalist won’t make any space if we first accept it. We are known for our good qualities as a nation, Filipino help each other that’s why socialism is fitted to our traditions and culture. The term “Balikatan” shows that we can really achieve progress and development through unity. Our tradition really fit the ideology of socialism, cooperation and sharing. No competence and taking advantage of each other, we will be a community that contributes his/her deeds not to gain profit but to satisfy the needs of our people. Democracy leads to other path, our conservativeness are fading because we are liberating ourselves too much. Equality will be served if we only entertain socialism, hierarchy will be eliminated. This is my deepest concern on why I choose this ideology, to reunite our aspiration for us to have a better nation. Our resources must be allocated for us and not for other countries. Development in a socialist nation would be rapid, because of the concept of cooperation and sharing. Our nation is in agony; we must learn and think on what’s the best for us. We will never be Socialist like China, Russia, Cuba or North Korea because we are a lot different from them; Filipinos have many good qualities to customize the idea or the traditional socialism. We will have a very unique type of socialism and equality will be observed.

Democracy is the road to Socialism, we are free to execute and form a revolution. Equality and freedom is gained through revolution, not in election. Revolution is the key to have equality, we must eliminate the present government and form a community based government. Eliminating private property and allocating the wealth of our nation to each and everyone equally. Because people own the nation not the government or riche people, the government is just an instrument to secure us from foreign nation. Revolution is the process on which our aspiration is combined together as one to set a community that will protect us from disparity and inequality. After a revolution, we must establish a government that is appropriate to our aspirations and desires. Transferring the wealth of the rich to the less-privilege for us to attain economical equality and to assure that there are no abuse of wealth to disregard the sake of other.

We must educate all our people to be conscious on this idea, for us to be able to know what’s for us and what’s not. Education is the key to accept this concept and to fight the ruling class by this ideology. The image being thrown to us will be shifted and the things that we presumed right will lift and ignite ourselves to form a revolution. If we are educated, we can question the unjust ruling and governing of these greedy animals. We will see that the government we dreamt and aspire can be experience in a Socialist setting. We will realize that Capital is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks (Karl Marx) and eliminating the idea of nothing can have value without being an object of utility.