11/19/2008

Downgrade if you cannot afford

This familiar song has been sung with increasing frequency and the singers are getting much more comfortable singing it. It sounded to me as a cocky and arrogant tune. If you cannot afford 4rm, go for 3rm or 2 rm. And if you are so desperate, don't worry, more rental flats will be built just for you losers. What happens to the more good years and Swiss standard of living? Why are we spiralling down instead of being better off? The losers have been 'encouraged' or dismissively told to live within their means. That is their lot, that is their station in life. But should that be the way to go? Can we lower the prices of flats? We have this game of downgrading. On the other hand there is another game of pushing up the prices of properties. Land sale will be withheld if they cannot fetch high prices to protect prices of properties from falling. Very good reason. Property developers, private or public, privatised public developers, will only have one choice, raise property prices as the cost of land can never come down, and so were other costs. It is forgiveable and unstandable for commercial developers to want to max their profits. But in so doing, they only facilitate the privatised public developers to raise their prices. No need to look at cost. Just look at market prices. Market price up, just up the price accordingly. Then tell the losers to downgrade their expectations. When one side is told to downgrade and the other is running away with higher prices, where will this lead to? Will it snap? Can we ask people who are earning millions to downgrade their lifestyle if they cannot keep up with those earning more than them? Or shall we give in to their demands and give them more money to spend? And mind you, giving money to millionaires is no small matter. They will not accept anything less than a peanut.

3 comments:

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Living within your means is just good common sense.

No one forces you to upgrade or downgrade. Up to you. You like a champagne lifestyle — if you can afford it, good for you. If you prefer a simpler life, good for you too.

What's your problem?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

it all depends on whether it is a cock talking or a duck quacking.

Anonymous said...

We should live our life in our own way. The saying 'cut your clothes according to your cloth' still holds true. Don't be like a wildebeest and just follow the herd. You may get eaten by the crocodiles in the river.