Pork Barrel - Good for People in Developing Countries

You read it right - pork barrel is not evil. To be blunt, pork barrel makes things happen. It's a lubricant. Pragmatically, it may be viewed (in a cockeyed way) as a key survival ingredient in a developing society that depends mainly on agriculture for a living. From another angle, pork barrel  is the first step to the more insidious practice developed western societies refer to as "lobbying."  Hell, that's like telling the thief to wear a tuxedo while he/she plies his/her trade!

With pork barrel, the recipient of benefits is the unschooled hoi polloi  and, of course, the politician who decides who gets what and how much. Consequently, much of the pork barrel funds is spent on local projects that have nothing to do at all with promoting national progress.  As a result, the agricultural system is prolonged through this system of patronage. On one hand, the politician who dispenses the wealth grows in influence and power with the unthinking mass obeying his/her bidding.

Pork barrel must be distinguished from bribery, however. More on this later.

Meanwhile, in the agricultural world, time will come when succeeding generations will start to lose interest in tilling the soil, seeing it, correctly, as too much work for very little returns. More and more rural yokels will migrate to the cities, attracted to the urban settings where opportunities for advancement (and failure) abound. Many who turned their backs to the farm will ultimately fail and congregate in slums while a lucky few will find chances for some self-improvement through better training in schools.

Fast forward to a more advanced time where some manufacturing (low level types) exists. The rural populace sees their kin who moved to the city have become better off than they who were left behind in the farms. More and more find it tempting to cast aside the plow and move to the city in search of employment. The number of factories increase. More schools are opened. Back in the farms, life goes on without any progress to speak of. In this scenario we still have the politician who desires to perpetuate himself in positions of power and influence. That objective requires money... lots of it! As a result, petty bribery (and rackets, too) become rampant. Corruption escalates but the popularity of corruption has an expiration date. Complaints will rise in volume. This is a natural law.

Move forward some more to a very advanced society with tentacles reaching across the seas and oceans. This society, to a certain extent, has slowly distanced itself from a corrupt society by labeling such activities as serious crimes.  The kettle is not comfortable being seen as made of black iron and decides to wear stainless steel. Here comes  a new invention: lobbying. It is bribery in a different form. Beneficiaries of lobby money are politicians who craft "laws" that will benefit the business sector.  It doesn't take too much imagination to see this as a disguised form of bribery. Who cares about the public? They can, when things turn sour, go to a soup kitchen or line up for food stamps.

Now, which is preferable: pork barrel where wealth is distributed among the masses or, lobbying where the politicians alone get the money? Who pays for lobbying in the end? The consumers (you and me) of course, as a result of the new "laws" the "leaders" enact.

Twisted conclusion: people who still live in an agricultural society must take advantage of the pork barrel system. It will become less popular and pervasive as the country progresses if our ignorant hoi polloi (love that Greek phrase!) cease electing to public office entertainment personalities (Vilma Santos, Joseph Estrada, Fernando Poe, Jr., Nora Aunor, Ronald Reagan, etc.), family members of deceased politicians (Meldy, Bongbong, Gloria, Noynoy) and pseudo politicians(Yoyoy Villame, Ben Cosca, etc.). Someday though, they'll be complaining about the rich who owns much of the land being tilled. That's lobbying by the people! Label it "people power" and get a bishop to be the poster boy for the movement and it might work. Threaten violence and the courts and Congress will declare land reform!

In the meantime, pork barrel is beneficial to the poor people of undeveloped countries such as the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, etc. It's alright to aspire for the status of the US, UK, Vatican and France but don't hold your breath, honey - they still have corruption over there. For the moment they labeled thievery "lobbying" to make it a respectable profession - just like licensed prostitution.