Viewpoints

By September 30, 2006Archives, Opinion

User

By +Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

Elementary decency says that people use things—not other people. Using people is not only offensive to their inherent human dignity but also rejective of their inherent human rights. When someone uses people, this is basically to further his or her selfish interests and egoistic objectives—conveniently forgetting that the user and the used are exactly equal in their intrinsic human nature and pursuant basic human prerogatives. That is why when they die, masters and slaves are all converted to ashes or reduced to dust equally and infallibly.

There are marked indications that the present administration appears to becoming an expert user of people. It has the obvious tendency to use the citizens of this country more and more—instead of serving them as it again and again claims “ad nauseam” on all possible occasions it proclaims that there is no time in the day, there is no day in the week that the administration is not “working” for the common good. This self-appreciation with the consent praise releases are however flatly denied by the daily worsening socio-economic condition and moral degradation of millions all over the land. Stark realities flatly belie the blissful claims.

People are used to get exacted on taxes for what they eat and wear. People are taxed for the electricity they use, the water they drink, the jeeps and buses they ride. The present administration already taxes one upon his birth for the cotton and diapers he uses, the milk and vitamins he drinks. He is then taxed for the clothes and shoes he wears. He is further taxed for the school books, pencils and papers he needs, if and when he finds work, he is taxed until he can work no more. When he is sick, his medicines are taxed. And when he finally dies, he is still taxed for the funeral services.

People are also used by the present administration as foreign market items. They become dollar earners for the government that is why the country is admittedly still kept somehow economically afloat. The administration even officially goes abroad to market Filipinos specially in the persons of domestic helpers and laborers, care givers and nurses, this is also why the same admirations came up with the “inspired” idea of preparing and deploying abroad the so called “super-maids”.

People are further used by the incumbent government to raise gambling revenues through “legal” gambling. It does not consider enough the multiplication of casinos. It is not even contented by marketing Bingo, Lotto, EZ2. It has even legalized Jueteng by the introduction of the Small Town Lottery.

A flagrant user of people—this is the present administration!

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments