Electing socialists

In one of my various discussion ygroups, there was one proposal to support a politician from the left-leaning BAYAN MUNA (country first) for Senator because she's a fellow UPSE alumni.

I have to spoil the party, err the proposal, as always. Electing to a higher legislative office politicians who believe that price control (petroleum, medicines, house rental, etc.) is good economics, is not a wise move.

Any candidate campaigning on near-socialist economic agenda, we should junk. Unless people think that socialism and forced collectivism is good. Socialism simply means that they will socialize health care, socialize education, socialize credit, socialize pension, etc., including socialize our pockets, socialize our personal bank savings, socialize personal efforts and ambitions or the lack of them.

Modern socialists don't even call themselves as such. But one can easily identify them through their words and actions:

* More and higher taxes to provide welfare and subsidies to the poor -- even if poverty is caused by plain laziness and personal irresponsibility.

* More business regulations and costly business compliance processes, more rigid labor laws to protect workers from "capitalist exploitation" .

* More financial regulations to "prevent" future financial crisis.

Such socialists serendade us during elections. Some socialists work in multilateral institutions, oppose any significant income tax cut but themselves are not subject to mandatory and confiscatory income witholding tax.

Double talk and hypocrisy is also very evident in the minds of those socialists. For instance, they shout "cheaper medicines" but are totally silent, if not absolutely supportive, of continued taxes on medicines (5% import tax + 12% VAT + other fees) that contribute to expensive medicines.

So, whether they are fellow UP alumni or not, if they act like modern robbers who, in the name of "welfare for the poor", would confiscate more from our pockets, or force private enterprises to provide mandatory subsidies to the public while collecting endless taxes from such enterprises -- what exactly happened with drug price control and oil price control -- we should junk them.
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Two political quotes:

(1) "As a politician, these are my principles!
If you don't like them, well, I have others."
-- Groucho Marx

(2) "If it moves, tax it.
If it keeps moving, regulate it.
If it stops moving, subsidize it."
-- Ronald Reagan

The 2nd somehow alternatively defines what socialism is. The politicians who make promises along those lines, often implicitly, may call themselves "Bayan Muna", or "Dyos Muna" (God first), "Nacionalista" , "Liberal", "Nationalist People", etc.

But their mark or signature is one and the same, regardless of their label or political party: they just love more regulation and more taxation.