This government is an entirely powerful establishment and to say, everything is actually being “micro-managed” is not an overstatement. It is how things really happen.

Congressmen are deprived their district allocation if they do not kowtow to the whim of the president and will have very little, if any, slice of the budget pie.

Committee chairmanships go to the more vocal apologists of this regime. And more ‘things’ are allocated to them.

The AFP and the PNP are horses with blinders and so giving them one whip at a time and more “feeds” on the other give their trainers the tamed behavior they expect from these horses.

Well, there is simply no way at the moment nor will there be one before 2010.

It is hard enough to defend democracy on a daily basis when some are paid to do the contrary role – each day of our national life.

from where i stand democracy is always changing. Often you spend a lifetime so opposed to the other person’s point of view because of fundamental difference and in any given day either can find themselves an audience willing to listen or to ignore you.

From the outline, 1984 – this Orwellian nightmare – has long arrived the day GMA becomes ascendant to the presidency.
Their official acts have been meant to gag us.
I fondly remember how Prof. Randy David has been shoved off, taken into a car, and detained for a while by the arresting PNP.

and still few people are willing to raise up to the occasion and run for public office to /change/ the game. people are more willing to let others run the show. a lot because well politics is just a dirty game, others because they don’t want to engage in it. So i’m thinking for all the talk people give about change, it is just that. talk. That 1984 is what people want. heh. what will unshackle this apathy?

i don’t know.

Their official acts have been meant to gag us.

I fondly remember how Prof. Randy David has been shoved off, taken into a car, and detained for a while by the arresting PNP.

These people who try to stop the flow of public
opinion are living in the World of Self Delusion
and World of Self Denial. They cannot accept
change, insomuch as they are confused by it.

Who really complains here of democratic space being limited, crowded, unfair, et cetera? Them?

They have even greater resources than anyone else so why do we allow them to cry wolf? They always do as though they were onion skinned individuals and as though they are not deemed fair play for criticism inasmuch as they are our employees, we pay them out of taxpayers money.

They better behave and behave they must. They cannot bite the hand the feeds them. Besides, it is not true that the playing field is not even.

thanks for the well considered reply.

i also find it heartening that you don’t mention ‘curtail press freedom’. i just don’t see it as a reason…

second, if everyone does it, then the bill does nothing to the status quo. no one is hurt.

your main argument is, its a tax on the effort of govt to include this in its ‘things to care about’ list.

i like this argument, but only if this bill indeed diverts resources away from important things. i cant see why a well crafted bill should do that.

the govt doesnt fund anything here. there is no extra spending by govt…

the other interesting argument is that the bill as it stands is poorly worded. thats not a death sentence tho. just change the words!

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. – francis bacon, of studies

i find that more and more we are forced to dumb down everything. is it government’s business to dictate that the other side should be presented? even if it is in the “interest” of “fair play”, shouldn’t people recognize what they’re reading, listening to or watching for what it is? shouldn’t people be more discerning?

in a democracy, everyone is free enough to publish a counter argument or be interviewed or show that the other side is wrong. people do it all the time anyway. why is government wasting time on such measure when there are far more pressing matters to attend to?

you know like actually giving people jobs. or cleaning up education so that people can actually face tomorrow much better than they are doing right now. surviving isn’t enough, should never be enough.

is this measure pretty useless? yeah it is. it’s not like we aren’t in a democracy, you know? There are more pressing matters to attend to.