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1/18/2009
Charity, charity and charity
Singapore has been a good world citizen. Whenever there is a natural disaster, our govt and people are likely to dig out some cash to help the victims. The tsunamis, the earthquakes, flood and drought, we will share the suffering and pain with them.
We have set up agencies with full time staff to go to the aid of the world, especially neighbouring countries. We even give generously to students to study here on scholarships with full expenses paid. We even helped the rich countries when their financial institutions were at risks of collapsing.
Is it too much to ask the govt to help our aged, those who are unable to work, or those who are in their 70s, 80s or older who have no dependents to fall back on and no savings left? These are our citizens, people who have contributed in one way or another towards the growth of the country.
Can the country provide the bare minimum during their dying years. They don’t have much time to live and don’t need much to survive. A roof and 3 square meals would not cost too much, with some basic medical care, will be more than anything that they will ask for. Why must they be made or expected to contine to work to their last days? For those who want to, fair enough. For those who are just too tired, toiled enough, a retirement to watch the world goes by is a little reward for a hard life that they have gone through. We need to show a little love for the old ones.
Can the govt take on this responsibility, show a little kindness and compassion, to care for the oldies for once? Put them up in old folks homes in HDB flats with meals provided. No need to beg or sweat for a living anymore. No all the oldies will want to rely on the govt. Many will be able to take care of themselves or be taken care off by their families. Only those that have no one to look after them will need this kindness. No need mean testing to qualify them. Make it a simple ruling of age and if they ask for it.
Asking too much? What is one family? What is a caring govt for? We should stop giving to others if we can’t even give to our own.
Charity begin at home.
ReplyDeleteOur world class PR machinery needs a constant stream of great news,beaming to the whole world,therin lies the secret of an greatly admired PAP all over the world,and their never ending boast that the whole world love to learn fr us!One as recently as 3 weeks ago by PM Lee after returning fr S.America.
ReplyDeleteHelping the Ah Peks,Ah Sohs?frankly what value does it add for the PAP?
So no need to guess what shall happen!
Sinner-Spore
Being a lao ahpeh myself, I qualify myself to say, on behalf of the ahpeh and ahmmm, that we old farts never did ask this govt for help. Not directly and personally. Our children too, normally strive to best of ability to keep us alive. And we are happy. But then the divine powers decided that begging is a crime, HDB flats are worthy properties which make us all, old and young, property owners for 99 years. GST. These are our govt's assistance to old folks and the poor in cash and earnings.
ReplyDeleteNOW do we cry for further assistance? WE are not stupid! WE ask for nothing. WE just plod on, waitng for the 'head' of Sg Inc to give up his helpful ways and let us true, matured Singaporeans find our own life through this tsunami.
It is not the business of govt to provided 'charity'.
ReplyDeleteCharity is a value afforded to private people who find the joy in DIRECTLY helping those who deserve to be helped.
I don't agree that everyone who claims a need needs to be helped.
i rather like to see that those aged who have no one or nothing to fall back on be taken care of by the state. deserving or not deserving is another issue.
ReplyDeleteand there are not many of them and they would not need the help for long.
No one is "cared for by the state". It is money taken by force from certain people and re-distributed though an "agency" (the govt, middleman) to other people.
ReplyDeleteIf you prefer the old folks to be cared for, well and good for you. You can voluntarily pay for it.
I however, disagree. HOW COME I have to pay for it too (through compulsory taxation). Surely that cannot be fair... of forget 'fairness', let's try 'justice'. This would therefore be unjust because I'm forced to pay for something I disagree with.
However, if you are so bent on the oldies getting help, there is NOTHING stopping you from helping them by contributing, voluntarily of course, your own money and property to these needy people.
• What's stopping you?
* Are you are person of CHARACTER? * Can you do yourself by voluntary effort what you are asking the govt to do by force?
Show us what stuff you're made of!
you talked about how great the australian social security scheme is. despite the high taxes, you can go on the dole.
ReplyDeletewe also pay taxes. can't we expect to be taken care of when old and have nothing to depend on? and not everyone is going to go for it if they can look after themselves.
what is the difference? unless you are telling me you will not take any charity from your govt when you are jobless or retired and need money to survive.
we do pay taxes you know. we can demand some form of assistance from the state as our right.
you don't expect the state to do anything after collecting taxes and you demand an individual to pay for the needies? come on, think again.
> you talked about how great the australian social security scheme is. despite the high taxes, you can go on the dole <
ReplyDeleteYou are totally mistaken. I never supported the Aust tax system nor have I ever even remotely supported the dole system.
The average rate of individual taxation is near 60% — taking into account income tax, GST, taxes on savings, investments and credit, taxes on pension accounts, capital gains taxes, fuel taxes,... etc. taxes on nearly everything considered an 'economic activity'.
Tax law trivia: If a certain activity is considered a "Revenue Event" it can be subject to tax.
> you will not take any charity from your govt when you are jobless or retired and need money to survive. <
I'm not kidding when I say this: Personally I won't and I don't. Not because my 'principles" are that important to me that I try to convince others how 'saintly' I am, but on another more realistic level:
Everytime you ask the govt for ANYTHING, you are in the system FOREVER.
Very Important point: To get ANYTHING from the govt, you have to prove to them what a useless loser you are, and that it is so fucked up for you, your friends and family can't even help you get back on your feet. You are a basket case, worthless cast-off, stuck up shit-creek, without a paddle!
If you are a privateer like myself, who's rich bowl depends on reputation, an official govt stamp — which stays FOREVER— on the fact that I'm a useless, worthless loser.
No way.
OTOH, I don't generalize on those who receive govt benefit. Some of those people are useless bums, some others simply got hammered by their govt's inflation of the money supply, political meddlings and exploitation by their govt.
My point about taxes is that it is IMMORAL to force people to pay for 'charity'. If you force 'charity' then it takes all the spiritual goodness of being benevolent, generous and charitable.
The reason people these days seem to be self-centered and selfish and not care for their fellow man is because the govt has been more than willing to show itself as the 'saviour', and has proved that it has no problem relieving the producers in society to give to those in some sort of "need".
Those in "need" can be old people, or jobless people. But they can be also "needy" corporations, businessman and other cronies.
Once you start govt "giving" there is no stop to it. There is no difference between the govt giving to the "rich" corporations or the "poor" old folks, because being "poor and old" is not morally superior (or 'superior' by any rational standard) to being "big and rich".
People have to help each other voluntarily. And they will but ONLY IF you take the "easy way out" which is "govt assistance" out of the picture completely
your logic doesn't gel lah. you do not want a govt who taxes the people to help the people but you want corporations and individuals to pay for it?
ReplyDeleteyour australian 60% tax is chicken feet compares to ours. the official rate may be below 20%, but how many percent of tax do you think a person pays when he has no income? he stills pays the 7% gst. in percentage to his income which is neglible, you can imagine the percentage, definitely higher than 60%!
this is a myth that singaporeans is living with. your unemployed and children don't pay tax. our babies pay tax because they consume milk an medical services and all are subject to gst.
You really don't know what you're talking about, and are not writing logically.
ReplyDeleteTherefore instead of wasting my breath debating someone who is not up to the mark, I'll agree to disagree with you.
hahaha....
ReplyDelete