#civicresponsibility

[thxnews]

Quiboloy Manhunt Intensifies: Davao City Police Vow Action

With a determined air that resonates through the corridors of law enforcement in Davao City, the local police force is doubling down on their efforts to locate Apollo Quiboloy, the religious leader with a burgeoning cloud of legal challenges. The commitment of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) to this cause underscores a steadfast dedication to the rule of law and public safety.  

The Catalyst of Current Events

Efforts Amplified in Locating Quiboloy It was during a recent press briefing that Colonel Richard Bad-ang, the DCPO director, made it clear: the hunt for Quiboloy is more than routine—it's a mission. Following a qualified human trafficking case filed against him, Quiboloy’s whereabouts have become a matter of pressing interest, not only for the DCPO but for the national consciousness.   Collaborative Endeavors and Strategic Operations In a display of inter-agency collaboration, the DCPO and the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) are pooling resources, expertise, and intelligence. Their goal? To serve justice as seamlessly as possible, with a keen eye on preserving peace and preventing any potential for conflict.  

Navigating Through Challenges

The Elusiveness of Quiboloy Despite the comprehensive efforts of the intelligence community and law enforcement, Quiboloy remains elusive. This chase, however, is not just about a man but about what he represents: a challenge to the principles of accountability and transparency. The DCPO’s strategy involves a meticulous examination of properties and potential hideouts, a testament to their resolve.   A Peaceful Resolution as the Paramount Goal Above all, the DCPO emphasizes a desire for a peaceful conclusion. The specter of violence is something they are keen to avoid, with every action taken underpinned by a commitment to protect all involved parties.  

A Brief Dive into the Past

Quiboloy: The Man Behind the Controversy To fully grasp the gravity of the situation, one must consider Quiboloy's journey. From his early days in Pampanga and Davao City to his establishment of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and the controversial claims that followed. His self-proclamation as the "Appointed Son of God" has not only drawn millions of followers but has also placed him under intense scrutiny.   A Call for Civic Vigilance In the wake of the DCPO's relentless pursuit of bringing Quiboloy to justice, this saga compels us to broaden our reflection on accountability, leadership, and the role of civic responsibility. Furthermore, it serves as a poignant reminder of the delicate balance between faith, law, and the enduring quest for truth.   Sources: THX News, Wikipedia, Got Questions, Apolloquiboloy (May be bias) & Philippine News Agency. Read the full article

[sublimeobservationarcade]

Australia Has Set The Bar Too Low

Australia has set the bar too low, when it comes to societal expectations around things like civic responsibility. Decades of neoliberalism infecting our governments on both sides of politics has seen a huge slide in respect for the role of government in managing our social contract. The late Kerry Packer was lionised for his tough talk to the senate on tax minimisation and its merits in Australian life. We now face an impending tax revenue crisis, as corporations continue to dodge their taxation responsibilities through clever accounting practices. Wealthy Australians think that it is OK to avoid paying tax wherever they can. Packer told his audience that smart people don’t pay tax where possible and that government’s waste their money anyway. This has become an established narrative in the Aussie cultural canon.

Photo by vectors icon on Pexels.com

Australian Expectations About Civil Responsibilities

Australia, as a colonial outpost in the new world, was founded on the principles of meritocracy with a few helpings of nepotism and boy’s club corruption. Life was hard in the early years for settlers and convicts. The NSW Corps was a hotbed of military corruption, which has gone on and flourished in many state police forces around the nation. Politicians and parliamentarians established lax rules or no rules for themselves, as we have discovered over the years. The rule of law in Australia is rarely applied to the wealthy and powerful. Despite these oversights life in Oz has developed superficially into episodes of Neighbours for many middle class denizens. A warm climate and sleepy pace of life in the suburbs on the coastal fringes of the great southern land appears attractive on the TV screen. The distribution of wealth has become more inequitable in the last few decades. Billionaires have proliferated at the top end, whilst the majority have seen their economic fortunes stagnate. The promises of trickle down economics have not eventuated, as wage growth in Australia has stalled in real terms over the last 20 years.Robert Sudha hamilton “The wages of Australian workers rose by 2.4 per cent over the past year, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday. But with inflation at 5.1 per cent, real wages are going backwards. “ - (Read, May 2022)

Photo by Lara Jameson on Pexels.com Privatising Australia Began Our Plummet The privatisation boom was fuelled on the back of promises of reduced energy bills from the utilities that were gobbled up by corporate interests. These have not eventuated and local jobs have gone in these businesses offshore via outsourcing. Telstra, Qantas, CBA, state energy entities, and the list goes on – are all major examples of state owned assets passing into the hands of the private sector. Hundreds of billions of dollars of future revenue gone from the government revenue sheet. If you look at the success of CBA and how much money it has made for its shareholders in the last 30 years it makes for eye watering reading. CBA made $9.673 billion in 2022 alone. Yes, private companies are often run more profitably than government owned bodies. However, they also strip jobs from the local economy and reduce spending there also. Billionaires have been created via neoliberalism, Reagonomics, Thatcherism whatever you want to call it. A super wealthy few at the expense of the many is not good government and not good for society as a whole. The public narrative becomes – you can grow up to become a billionaire. This dangled carrot is based on assumptions of an unfair and inequitable society. The bullshit story tells those aspiring to this status that these extremely wealthy individuals deserve it on the back of hard work and success. However, the truth reveals that people like Packer inherited their opportunity and were able to make the best of it through influence and favour. When privatisation of rich state owned assets happen it is the well placed and wealthy who can afford to buy these golden plums. Ordinary folk never get a look in.

Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com Billionaires Bad For Nations Wealthy, successful Australians tell themselves that they work hard for their money and status. The narrative is that these individuals are somehow more deserving than those who work without opportunity. Donald Trump in America is a prime example of this fictitious story perpetuated upon the general public. Trump portrayed himself as a self-made man but in reality inherited vast wealth from his property developer father. Trump was sold to the American public as a celebrity billionaire ready to make America great again. In fact, Trump was a failed businessman being propped up by Russian money since the 1990s. This is why he has fought so hard to prevent his tax returns from being made public, unlike all other American presidents in the past. The American illustration is pertinent because Australia largely copies the cultural and economic example set by the yanks. Our politicians follow the trends established by their colleagues in the bigger nations. The conservative politicians in Australia would like to see higher education and health privatised like they are in America. This is despite both these systems in the US failing the vast majority of Americans in economic terms. The right wing side of politics is happy for a small elite section of white citizens to become increasingly wealthy at the expense of the rest. “The US healthcare system does not provide universal coverage and can be defined as a mixed system, where publicly financed government Medicare and Medicaid (discussed here) health coverage coexists with privately financed (private health insurance plans) market coverage. Out-of-pocket payments and market provision of coverage predominate as a means of financing and providing healthcare.2 As of 2019, around 50% of citizens received private insurance coverage through their employer (group insurance), 6% received private insurance through health insurance marketplaces (nongroup insurance) (discussed here), 20% of citizens relied on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, and 1% on other public forms of insurance (eg, Veterans Health Administration and Military Health Service ), leaving 9% of Americans uninsured.3” - (https://www.ispor.org/heor-resources/more-heor-resources/us-healthcare-system-overview/us-healthcare-system-overview-background-page-1 )

Photo by Steve Weir on Pexels.com Thankfully, terrible conservative leaders like Tony Abbott failed in the bid to further lead Australia down the privatisation rabbit hole. Medicare is not perfect and it has recently been revealed to be full of holes and widely being rorted by its providers but it is a sacred cow in Australia. Similarly, charging huge fees for higher education saddles young students with debt and reduces opportunities for poorer Australians. Private enterprise does not automatically make a better economic fist of running all sectors. Health and education are industries not best served by the profit motive first and foremost. The privatisation of skills training and the dismantling of the TAFE system in Australia has been a huge failure. Privatisation lacks oversight here in Australia and globally. Government monitoring bodies have been toothless tigers and largely ignored by the sectors supposedly under their sway. We have seen this in banking, gambling, aged care, and disability – with dreadful outcomes for those vulnerable Australians at the mercy of the market driven players running things. Another popular narrative employed by conservative forces is to whip up public support for pillorying the ‘dole bludger’. Every society needs a whipping post and the ‘so-called’ welfare cheat is a favourite in Australia. The lazy good for nothing Aussie who won’t work and takes government handouts is top of the pops with the media pandering to social conservatives. Linked to racist attacks on Aborigines not so long ago it popularises the story that there are legions of bludgers out there destroying the fabric of our society. This is complete BS, with the number of individuals actually filling this bill miniscule. Similarly, shock jock attacks on the LBGQTI+ community and transexuals in particular is another rallying cry for social conservatives. This has been borrowed from the American playbook with bogus claims of educational material featuring same sex characters brainwashing innocent kids at school and legions of transexual athletes invading women’s sport. Fascists always have enemies of good upstanding socially conservative citizens at the ready to drum up support for their messages. Pointing the finger and dog whistling are strategies long employed by right wing parties in their bid for popularity and getting their candidates elected. The dole bludger is an easy target, as these individuals on welfare are generally poor and have no organisational structure with which to fight back. Social conservatives love a soft target. Interestingly, we don’t hear about tax avoiders damaging the fabric of our society. When economically they do far more to reduce the social cohesion of our communities. If governments cannot raise enough revenue from taxation they cannot run the social programs the community desires and requires. The narrative surrounding those conservatives on the right tells us that ‘they will pay for the things their families need and that they don’t require governments to do it for them.’ This citizen state ethos only works for those who can afford to pay for these things and not for the poor and the vulnerable within our nation. The strong survive and thrive and the weak go under in this Ayn Rand philosophy. What is actually required is a fairer Australia for all. We are not all competing on a level playing field.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Australians need to do more and demand more of their fellow and sister Australians. It is not enough to work and live in your own little realm, we are all part of a broader nation. It is not right that corporations and wealthy individuals manage to avoid paying their share of tax. This needs to be voiced by ordinary Australians and governments need to take heed. The growing inequality and inequity in Australia needs to be addressed. The price of neoliberalism must be examined and held accountable to the country and its citizens. The ridiculous property prices in our cities, which have greatly amplified the economic divide, have to be reined in. It all began with former PM John Howard. “Similarly, at first the Howard government thought that rising home prices was good news: “I haven’t found anybody stopping me in the streets, shaking their fists and saying John, I’m angry that the value of my house has gone up,” said Howard during the first years of the housing boom, a tone that would change later as housing affordability became a vexed political issue. While the government’s early attitude was blasé, and while some of its measures, such as cutting capital gains tax, could be said to have exacerbated the problem, the key factors driving the boom in house prices were not the government’s doing. They arose from a combination of unmet demand, increasing aspirations for better houses among those who already owned one, low interest rates and the relatively easy availability of money from lending institutions. Even a government determined to restrain the increasing prices would have had limited capacity to do so.” - (https://insidestory.org.au/the-howard-impact/ ) The gutless core of Australian governments of both political persuasions would do little or nothing to address runaway property prices over the next 25 years. “On housing affordability, Howard introduced the capital-gains-tax concession; bolstered the first-home buyers' grant; and boosted immigration – all putting pressure on housing demand. Investor entry into the housing market took off from the moment the capital-gains-tax concession began. We wallow helplessly in the backwash of these idiotic decisions. Speaking of tax, Howard introduced the over-60 superannuation tax holiday, other super concessions, family payments to middle-income households, age-based tax concessions, and lots of income-tax breaks for middle to higher-income households. These have been difficult if not impossible to wind back and have increased inequality in Australia. In short, Howard squandered the mining boom on buying votes and allowing miners to be lightly taxed.” - (Hull, SMH, 2017) Yes, those big mining companies that never seem to pay tax in Australia. Glencore, Exxon Mobil, Santos, Ampol, Shell, Woodside, and loads more generate billions but pay little or no tax. “Almost one-third of large corporations paid no income tax in Australia in 2020-2021, including more than half of the nation’s major mining, energy and water companies, a new report shows. The Australian Taxation Office released its annual tax transparency report on Thursday, which reveals the amount of tax paid by 2,468 large and medium corporate entities. Of those, 782 (32%) paid no tax at all in the financial year, down from a high of 36% in 2015-16.” - (Knaus, The Guardian, 2022)

Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS on Pexels.com Our federal and state governments repeatedly do deals with these fossil fuel corporate giants and allow them to do business here without paying any where near their share of tax. Why? Why do we allow this to go on when we face some very tough times just around the corner. It is OK for the little gal and guy to suffer high costs of living, record low wage growth, an RBA jacking up interest rates but successive governments won’t touch the big corporate players because they can bite back politically. Our monitoring bodies are toothless tigers stripped of power after decades of neoliberalism delivering real power to private interests. Our governments are likewise wishy washy camera hungry paper men and women walking on a shaky bridge. Real power does not reside with these individuals. Elected officials don’t really rate up against those invested in making large amounts of money for powerful corporations. Australians have been fooled into deriding their governments by narratives set out by those heavily invested in making serious money. The political parties are controlled by their campaign donors and there is an endless merry-go-round of appointments to industry for retiring politicians who have done the right thing by their corporate mates. This has been going on for decades and very little changes in Australia at the top of the tree. Witness the resistance to creating a federal independent commission against corruption by successive governments. We have one at last and it will be interesting to see if it is more than just another toothless tiger. Australian apathy is well known when it comes to doing anything about endemic problems. The friendly climate and inviting beaches welcome avoidance and the illusion of being on a permanent holiday. However, as economic issues begin to bite the injustices and inequalities may prove to be more provocative than before. Serial tax avoiders may come into sharper focus if an independent media can continue to gain public attention over the poisonous Murdoch empire. The ABC has been made more submissive by repeated conservative government beatings and cuts. The media landscape in Australia is  tame and largely follows a path set out by its corporate masters.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Nothing much changes in Australia with timid governments and a media riddled with public relation driven narratives. Australia has set the bar too low when it comes to the civic responsibilities of citizens and corporations. The narrative of private interests driving the main game has been at the forefront for too long. The pandemic was an opportunity for community interest to gazump that of the individual – and we saw those who marched in the streets in protest. Right wing groups with their demands for citizen rights, unwilling to make any sacrifices for the vulnerable among us. Rights vs responsibilities. There are times when what is owed to the many is greater than what is owed to you. Civic duty is not a trendy idea. If we continue to set the bar too low in Australia, we will only see more inequity and extreme social and economic divides. It is time, we stop lionising those with lots of money and start questioning how they managed to get hold of it. What pathways led them to their pots of gold? It is not an even playing field on which to compete. Indigenous Australians are coming from a long way back because of decades of state and social neglect. Women have only recently broken free of the shackles of discrimination and are still not paid an equal wage in many fields. Those Australians with a disability are still fighting for access to opportunity. Minority groups remain excluded from the most fertile opportunities, as cliques of white Australians reserve the best for themselves. These are the facts of life in a modern Australia. Read the full article

[brianbachochin]

Did you? #supertuesday #civicresponsibility #privilege #vote (at Franklin, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9SJ9I8H90Amk1AdtA0dCoVGKe-cuZXAOti31U0/?igshid=18a03kxu96q8

[shopwildcactus]

I like this quote versus all other quotes— female/male, nationality... im@not always political in posts— but this is the truest and best way to be.. : : : @politics #chicago #pinktax #opportunist #historyx #civicresponsibility #criminalstatistic #prejudice #socialinequality #poverty #bullshit #civilrights #selfdefense #excessiveforce #society #respect #education #nature #beauty #love #equal https://www.instagram.com/p/B4baynOhqfz/?igshid=zml32kpl47cv

[thoughtsmag]

That #drip is legendary 👀💦 @sofiarosegross @aspillane wrote a case study #CivicResponsibility The Power of Companies to Increase Voter Turnout - engagement and #participation is what SweetWyrdness is all about. Looking good, feeling good and doing good for self, family, community and the world 🌍 One breath, One Trybe, One Vybe #art #culture #lifestyle https://www.instagram.com/p/BzN8mujFl82/?igshid=15bltxqn5e9aa

[epdogsontherun]

Come show us your voting sticker and get a free baby cone! #vote #civicresponsibility @epdogsontherun (at Dogs on the Run) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2FdraA7SX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5a862kmuyda7

[ecsarts42]

American citizens, DO YOUR DUTY tomorrow! Preferably by voting blue, but that's just my hope (and desperate plea). #vote #midterms2018 #civicresponsibility #fuckapathy #everyvotecounts #yourvoteisyourvoice #speakup2018 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0rb5VFt9b/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ibzk7nxh915k

[texasbeck-blog]

Last day for #earlyvoting #govote #george4lsc #civicresponsibility #georgeedwardsjr (at Cypress, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpsABm3g9e7L7-_lzaiE1nxz8YUt5nQpsY01Ks0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jwxp4f7fpxr5

[smurfette38105]

Nick Cave: Feat. exhibit 10 Nov 2017 - 24 June 2018 . . . #nickcave #nashville #fristcenter #mustsee #equity #soundsuits #socialjustice #race #civicresponsibility #nashvilleart (at Frist Center for the Visual Arts)

[stankoniajones]

The duty after work but before the Work. #voting #ivoted #sorainy #civicduty #civicresponsibility

[happytobdee]

Did my grownup citizen thing today! #Ivoted #adulting #civicresponsibility

[anyaayoungchee]

I think it's safe to say that before going to #BurningMan I had a very skewed understanding of what it was really about. Yes it's a festival of sorts, there are non stop parties, it's wild and over the top in many ways... but in its essence and at its best it can teach us what our societies could actually look like. . The Ten Principles of Burning Man represent a core structure that when heeded create a temporary existence many of us envision for our own worlds. . #RadicalInclusion #Gifting #Decommodification #RadicalSelfReliance #RadicalSelfExpression #CommunalEffort #CivicResponsibility #LeavingNoTrace #Participation #Immediacy . #BurningMan2017 (at Black Rock City)

[growinguponom-blog]

I am rarely in the city on July 4th (and yes, I am one of those painfully self-aware obnoxious New Yorkers that refers to this one tiny city as the city). Yet this summer, I had so much travel planned before and after the holiday weekend that I knew I’d need to spend this holiday weekend at home…and it was just so fabulous! Walking around New York and simply living my life minus the massive crowds in the heinous humidity and work / giving myself the abundant permission to relax…it was just what I needed. I went in with very few solidified plans. It turned out that most of my friends were in town as well and equally excited to take advantage of the manageability of this usually chaotic urbanity. Being patriotic and therefore consuming media and doing activities that encourage critical thinking and deep questioning about the country we live in can – and, I think, should – be done all year round. Take what you like from this post and do it / consume it any time of year.

This Fourth of July weekend,

I ran…

The Rise Up 5K

I’d been training for this 5K for a few months now and am so humbled by and grateful for the process of steadily improving at something with a beginner’s mind (post on why I run forthcoming). I did it with my friend E and we accomplished our one goal: to run the whole way. As we exited Corona Park, we reflected on how great it felt to run for such a good cause (the proceeds / registration fees for the Rise Up 5K go to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Immigration Law Center, the Trevor Project, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. I can only assume that they’ll continue happening across the country and cannot recommend it enough (lots of people walked the whole way as well – it’s a 5K that’ll meet you where you’re at)!

I did yoga at…

Laughing Lotus and taught yoga at Harlem Yoga Studio.

the lovely Laughing Lotus welcome area

I lounged in…

Central Park’s Great Lawn.

  I ate at…

Community Food & Juice (for that post-run brunchy brunch) and Sweetgreen. I love the summer seasonal menus at both of these spots!

I listened to…

This OnBeing episode on the power of telling all of US history, especially the parts white supremacist culture has tried to hide all these years. It blew my heart and mind wide open all at once.

image by Titus Kaphar / Jack Shainman Gallery, via OnBeing.org

The Hamilton Mixtape. Not gonna lie. I was pretty hardcore about having this playing the entire Fourth of July. The Hamilton Mixtape takes history – a complicated, convoluted, amazing, and often deeply problematic set of narratives – and breathes life and power into it so that we can use a recognition of history on our own terms to understand how to shape the future. BTW, “Helpless” by Ja Rule and Ashanti is my absolute favorite.

Civics 101 (Podcast). This podcast is amazing! In short (10-15-minute long) episodes, Civics 101 is a podcast from NPR that explains the roles of various jobs in the White House and essentially, how our government functions (both in its intended ways and in the inadvertent roles it takes on).

How did you spend your Fourth of July weekend? What are the ways in which you stay civically engaged? … What’s your favorite song on the Hamilton Mixtape?!

The Yoga Teach Recommends: How I Spent My 4th of July Weekend I am rarely in the city on July 4th (and yes, I am one of those painfully self-aware obnoxious New Yorkers that refers to this one tiny city as 

[eyeofty]

You're in a #FactsMatter Zone - Today's features: 🌟#3BranchesOfGovernment & their #powers 🌟 How #laws are made. #TeachYourself #TeachYOURKids #SchoolhouseRock #USGovernment #EyeOfTy #TysMeditation in #CivicResponsibility

[theperfectcomic-blog]

Donuts