On election truth, economic growth, ethics and faith

Three bits of news caught this writer’s eye last week, all with more than just momentary social impact: the reportedly slow count of the just-tested Precinct Automated Tallying System (PaTaS), the slower Philippine growth forecasts from credit rating agencies, and the American Supreme Court slim majority ruling compelling all US states to allow same-sex marriage.

First, PaTaS: one newspaper headlined the slow pace of counting, as if speed were the big issue in considering alternatives to the current Precinct Count Optical Scan. In fact, the main concern about PCOS is lack of transparency leading to easy manipulation. Its critics point out that it is impossible for all but the computer-savvy to personally verify if votes are being counted correctly.