Imagine a world without government, without tax, without corruption, without leaders initiating wars. Do you think it would be a better place?
Imagine your neighborhood being responsible for roads, traffic, laws, prices, distribution of goods, peace, order, and justice. Do you think your community can manage all of it? Maybe.
While we always make our concerns and complaints known about our governments, about how they run the country, and about our dissatisfaction, we forget the good that a government brings.
The government was established based on the human need for stability. To survive and thrive, a form of leadership and means to deal with any chaos. Without it, living could be immensely difficult.
This makes us dependent on the government for almost everything that ensures we live our lives peacefully. We look at the leaders, some watch them like a hawk, to solve our problems. We vote, for democratic countries, those we think could take us to a better future (or those we just simply like for whatever reasons we have).
Despite this need, we still complain. We still disobey rules. We cheat. We ask for more. We are never satisfied with what we get. Because, well, we as humans are impossible to satisfy. Our need to survive always comes first.
Country as a business
In my opinion, the greatest and most valuable asset of a country is its people. Whatever a country is exporting and selling to another country, without its people, nothing can be sold or traded with another country.
Never mind the oil that OPEC nations sell. Never mind the gadgets China creates and branded by the US and sold thereafter. Never mind the crops South East Asian countries sell. Or even the nice tourist spots that Europe has that showcase valuable historical representations of culture and society.
The people of the country make it happen. Everything is just a by-product.
And for the government to produce products to sell and trade, it needs to take care of its people. And I think this is what most leaders are striving for, to ensure that a country has a very strong population. Strong meaning its population can produce the needs of the world.
Behind this goal, money enables it. The government needs money to finance its projects such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, security, and order. These are the things I think the government needs to provide. To finance it, the collection of taxes is imposed.
But, collection of taxes is unfair when those earning more through business can work their way around it and pay a small amount while the majority of the working class pays an average of 25% of their gross income to the government.
Recently, the Philippine government has announced that the Maharlika Investment Fund is to be signed into law. This is to provide means for the government to finance various projects without relying on debts abroad or just from plain tax.
(I do not know much about it so feel free to read and research)
If this turned out as it is supposed to be, it could really help uplift the capability of the country and be able to support its population to be a productive member of the society.
Still close to Spanish era
125 years since we have been independent from Spain. Over a century ago when our heroes fought for our freedom.
And the same question is being asked over and over again…are we really free?
Well, free to decide on our own, to run our country, to create businesses and jobs for our own people, to live as we deemed fit, to have our own laws. Yes, we are free.
However, we are still stuck in seeing other countries better that our admiration turns into learning the English language fluently, or Korean now with the advent of K-pop. Or not watching locally produced shows because those produced in Hollywood are so much better. (Well, they are, story and script-wise).
Being such a fan of other countries, we turn our hate and anger back to our government. Looking for the heads of our country to lead us just like how it is happening in other prosperous countries. Hoping to live the way they live – big houses, healthcare, clean street, state of the art armed forces, etc.
But unlike our heroes one hundred years ago, we do not have the drive to fight for it anymore. We are okay with what we have. Some just leave and work abroad. Some never come back.
So in simple terms, either the government provides what we are looking for or we just get it from another country. Or, for majority of us, wait and hope for things to get better.
Power to the people
Cryptocurrency brought two great technological advancements – blockchain and smart contracts. The first one can be a very useful tool to govern a country, especially a democratic one.
Blockchain exchanges can only be completed if there are enough nodes that agree with the transaction. One more time, it needs approval from a number of individuals before the transaction push through. This ensures that the exchange is valid and true.
What if we use it to empower the people to run the country? What the majority says will happen and will benefit the many instead of the few. Would that be better? In the true sense of the democracy, the country will be really by the people for the people of the people.
I think it could be messy at first but it could work. The only question would be who would hold people accountable and how will assurance that agreement will be implemented? Which, if that could work, someone governing is still needed.
I am not advocating letting what the government do what they want. We just forget the benefits that we receive from having one. Behind all the corruption and self-interest, I think generally, the welfare of everyone is still being addressed. A change of leadership may be the answer but, when did that really make things better when we always find fault?