Tax-tax-tax, Free-free-free

All government agencies, departments and bureaus, officials and their consultants, are tax-hungry. Health and housing sectors say "we need more money." Infra and agri sectors say "we need more money." LGUs and Police say "we need more money." Military and defense say "we need more money." Basic and tertiary education (DepEd, CHED, SUCs) say "we need more money" and "Free tuition for all students in public schools and universities."

Almost all of them are silent or explicit campaigners of tax-tax-tax pa more. There are dozens of alibi to justify tax greediness.

Among the 122 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines that will give "free tuition" to all of their students, rich and poor alike:

Those who argue "Rechannel ______ (agency) budget to education" are daydreaming. All agencies have their own justifications and alibi that they need more money, so there is no way to significantly cut their budget and rechannel the money to free tuition for all SUCs.

Many NGOs have become government-funded orgs (GFOs). You see them among the campaigners, silent or vocal, of tax-tax-tax pa more.

This is a losing proposition now but I will say it nonetheless: NO to new or higher taxes, there are lots of existing ones already. NO to new expensive subsidies like this free tuition for all students (currently part-subsidies depending on family income of students) in SUCs. If one sees the cars in UP and many other SUCs, one will wonder why these students are getting subsidies. DBM's Sec. Diokno said this welfarist program alone will cost P100B/year.

Among the big casualties of free-free-free, or subsidize-subsidize-subsidize philosophy is the corruption of people's values. Less personal and parental responsibility, more state responsibility. So more parents will be doing pa-inom-inom, pa sugal-sugal, etc. Their children's education from elementary to university is no longer parental responsibility, state responsibility na. Healthcare, state responsibility too.

The number of free riders, irresponsible people and tax-hungry bureaucrats and consultants will increase. For any problem, their "solution" is more government. Then people complain of massive wastes, inefficiencies, robbery and plunder in government. As government expands, stupidity and irrationality expands.

"A government that's big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you've got."