8/17/2009

Myth 208 - Foreigners taking over jobs and housing

These seem to be the standard complaints of Singaporeans. They are taking over our jobs and our flats. Now, are these happy or unhappy problems? Sell your homes to the suckers. Make them pay you a ransom for them. And with that kind of money, who needs a job, or who needs to work? Pack up and go to Lijiang and enjoy the life of an emperor. Why work, why coop up in a pigeon hole when the whole expanse of mother earth is there for your enjoyment? What are Singaporeans complaining? And there are many Lijiangs around the world where our strong dollar can be converted to buy anything. Singaporeans should seize the opportunity to upgrade their lives instead of thinking of working till they drop dead. Think laterally, think of better alternatives. Ahhhh Lijiang is beckoning. And they will do Singapore a big favour by helping it to renew itself with young and vibrant talents.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

For the First time, You are dishing out good advice.

There are many Lijiang(a rustic settlement in Yunnan China) around the World, agreeable !

patriot

Anonymous said...

Hey, let them come over here while we go over there. Problem solved.

Singaporeans going there are happy. Lijiang people coming here are happy. The Government and employers are happy. Unhappy Singaporeans going over there become happy. Everybody happy. What a happy world this would be!

No need to work anymore lah! No need to save jobs anymore lah! How come nobody thought of that earlier.

IMAGOD said...

No one can simply "take over" your job — your boss has to "give" him a job. Your boss's money and how he uses it is his business. No boss "owes" you a job.

As for foreigners "taking over" property: the property owners can sell or rent their property to whomever they choose. If you don't like "foreigners", don't sell or rent your property to them.

Open borders are good. A free labour market is also good. Singaporeans have long benefited form both these ideas — let's face it, the reason S'poreans enjoy cheap maids is because of the open economy and free labour market.

When S'poreans whine about "foreigners" they sound more and more like the xenophobic rednecks in the western democracies.

Anonymous said...

"Pack up and go to Lijiang and enjoy the life of an emperor."

Being an emperor under not-so-advanced sanitary conditions isn't much of a luxury to me. One man's meat is another man's poison.

Good try at psycho-ing. Thanks but no thanks :D

Anonymous said...

I cannot resist putting this comment here. In the land of the free like Singapore (some may disagree), some who made it materially are so happy, they forget that many else still have not. Ha Ha

Anonymous said...

Mr Wally could be having a lot of fellow Singaporeans as neighbours.
A good development if Mr Wally did not go to Ligiang to avoid from his neighbours in SIN.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

wally was just joking lah. he can't afford to live in lijiang. he is probably more comfortable at changi beach : )

IMAGOD said...

redbean:

> and some will say that those who cannot make it are losers and got themselves to blame, or simply stupid.


And they might be right. Or they might be wrong.

At the fundamental level, reality is obeys the laws of probability. Some people — a minority — will "fail" simply out of bad luck, bad genes etc etc (feel free to get drunk and allow your mind to ponder for "answers").

Still whether it is the unfortunate actor's fault or simply bad luck, and unfortunate and "unfair" as that might be, that doesn't give the hapless actor the RIGHT to claim assistance from anyone, or demand that the state comes to their "rescue".

It is wrong to force people to "help". And it is just plain fucking stupid to expect or demand the the government is responsible for digging you out of the shit.

Anonymous said...

IMAGOD said...

'It is wrong to force people to "help". And it is just plain fucking stupid to expect or demand the the government is responsible for digging you out of the shit.'

What about this suggestion?

We can create an upward movement where the current of our society keep moving upwards. What this means is that anyone that falls behind will be cushion by this upward current movement. We encourage healthy living, prudent and innovative spending, build our future creatively, side aside some money for unknown contingencies and so on and so forth. In this way, our individuals and community will be more positive, more healthy and active.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

hi francis, you have been away for a long time.

no need to worry about the people at the bottom of the food chain. just ask them to tighten their belts or spend within their means will be good enough.

i am still trying to make more money to buy that ferrari or lambo.

IMAGOD said...

To Francis:

In any group — a society is no different — people will "succeed" or "fail" by different amounts and at different times. Practically no one stays "constant" throughout his life — as life has ups and downs.

Also "helping" people to cushion tem from the vagaries of life and the consequences of their own bad choices, rewards irresponsibility and fosters the cultural shift to a belief that "I don't have to worry. If I fail the govt will bail me out. If I prevail, I experience the benefits".

i.e. : you socialise the losses and individualise the gains