For a new 5th article

We are all unequal before the law.

The brazilian republic constitution states, in its fifth article, that "all are equal before the law, with no distinction of whatever nature" (todos são iguais perante a lei, sem distinção de qualquer natureza).

But if I read this town (Porto Alegre, RS, state capital) city hall website, I find news telling that families under 80kw/hour/month energy consumption have the right to enlist their names to pay less for the very same energy. People are not equal before the law.

Some other news tells that the IRS new rules in Brazil will let people pay in eight months what is due to the federal government. (The incomes table of values should be made up to date; as incomes got better wthin the years, to cope with inflation, so, many more people are paying, every year more, because IRS officials do not change the incomes levels of salaries before the tax.)

There are three levels of personal income tax. None, horrible 15%, a looter’s 27,5%. People are not equal before the law.

So it is impossible not to conclude that the government officials are day after day violating the most cared item in our republican constitution (dated from 1989, after 15 years of military government, starting at 1964, with amnesty act in 1979).

Those examples are just a few amongst tens, hundreds, thousands maybe of acts statint people’s diferences before the law. In whatever nature stated by state burocrats.

Being that the case, humbly this blogger proposes a new form for our [brazilian] fifth article.

"All are unequal before the law, with distinctions by any nature, to be stated by the state bureaucracy."

It sounds awful. But will cope with reality.

- the author is owner-partner of the monthly newspaper Folha do Porto, a supporter of freedom and capitalism (the system of the free mind). He is not a native English speaker. Never lived in a country like this, so he begs your excuse, in using, or misusing, some terms. Thank you. And hope eventhough the message was conveyed.

Follows the same - with a few changes - in Portuguese.

Segue-se o mesmo - com algumas mudanças - em Português.