Your smile as legal tender

A poster on the wall of a government treasurer's office says: "Pay your tax with a smile." The government continues to urge us to pay our taxes with a smile even if it knows the BIR prefers cash.

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Pay our taxes with a smile? A smart aleck asks: "Since when has a smile been accepted as legal tender?"

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"In this time of financial hardship," says Richard Lanus in his e-mail, "who can afford to smile when paying one's taxes?" Not even if the smile has become legal tender?

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Reader Richard adds: "Even the corrupt politicians who earned their millions without shedding a sweat can't smile ... They need their ill-gotten millions for their reelection."

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Richard Lanus said he ran for mayor in their small town in the last local polls. Many others ran for the post. "I was the only college degree holder," he said. "The incumbent was an owner of a vulcanizing shop, the others didn't even go beyond sixth grade." He was beaten as in badly beaten. "Crushed" was his word.

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Of the six who ran, Richard landed sixth. Richard said in his e-mail: "I was beaten by a bulkit man, a goat herder, a basketmaker, a jobless house painter, and a sacristan. . . I'm now in Manila where I feel I'm needed more."

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A text message passed on to me by my friend and newspaper colleague Ben Ypil says the United States is supporting Dick Gordon's candidacy out of respect for his great-grandfather, the great American folk hero named Flash Gordon.

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The ukay-ukay business is still going strong. While some prexy wannabes are promising the marginalized voters decent clothes on their backs, the ukay-ukay traders have long been doing this. With only 25 pesos a poor villager can wear imported jacket that actually cost some 200 pesos in the garments market.

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Thanks to all those who sent me e-mails. I have been indisposed for a long time and many messages have gotten stale. I'll try to comment on those that are still a little fresh.

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Email: [email protected]