My favorite government official has got it right when he said that almost all our problems are caused by our failure to follow the rules.

Looking at the ordinary, daily events that happen in any part of the metropolis and the rest of the country; watching the nightly TV news forecasts; and reading the news would tell us that this government leader, while not totally original, is making sense.

Traffic accidents do not happen at random; they are caused by failure to obey road safety rules. Do not swerve and change lanes without signaling; do not drive too fast; do not overload your truck; do not drive when you’re drunk — these are not mere suggestions. You are supposed to obey them at all times. Or you are one of those morons who should never be allowed to get behind the wheel. And kept off our streets.

Do not build your houses in swamps and river deltas. Do not locate housing developments and subdivisions in areas that are supposed to be for planting rice and “kangkong.” Do not build your dream homes in places that have a history of being inundated with water.

And if a place is called a “floodway”, it helps being literal this time. It means that that place is a path usually taken by raging water. You know what, you are not supposed to live there.

There is a long list of similar rules that we should always keep in mind and observe. Following these rules is not optional. It is mandatory. Take those rules for granted, we end up stupid, or dead.

He Got No Tweet

Seems like that our government officials and politicians who rail against Facebook and other social networking Web sites do not have a monopoly in boneheadedness.

The National Basketball Association (You remember that organization that used to employ Michael Jordan and Larry Bird?) recently issued a policy banning its players, coaches, and other employees from using mobile phones, PDAs, and social networking Web sites before, during, and after games.

The NBA also said that it leaves it to the team management to develop team policies covering the use of cellphones and social networking Web sites during team events, such as practices and charity events.

The league’s decision might have arisen from too early release of game results that preempt TV broadcasts of the games. Or disclosure of insider developments (hence, juicy stuff) to the public via the Internet.

This corner wishes the NBA good luck. Of course, it does not matter that it seems to be behaving like some local politicians.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.