Do you want more money? What a silly question. Do you want growth? Another silly question. But beware of what you are asking for. Many a time a dollar given can end up returning 90c or more. Money given must come from somewhere just like money taken must also come from somewhere. Money does not appear from nowhere except printing or OPM.
As for growth, there are many consequences for creating growth. But what is important is whether it is real growth or growth on one hand and higher cost on the other. On face value growth is desirable. Is growth the only panacea to all our ills? We laugh at the Japanese for more than 20 years of negligible growth while we keep growing every year. Should we be richer than the Japanese by now? And richer in what? Unfortunately no.
Japan is still the most prosperous nation in Asia or the world, with no growth. And they are able to maintain their high quality of life, graciousness, discipline and a good life, and a people that is proud to call themselves Japanese. And they will look Japanese.
What have we achieved with all the fantastic growth numbers? Yes, we are growing richer, and some extremely richer. But we are facing with greater and greater social and political cost. There were improvements in the quality of life but in some areas things are getting worst. Some of the not too desirable things are the adulteration of a population that was moving slowly to nationhood as a people, more graciousness, discipline and a cleaner environment to one that is less gracious with the social fabric being threatened. Many people are feeling alienated and marginalized in their own country. The pride of being citizens is now being questioned and ridiculed.
Compare to the no growth Japan that we are sneering at, you don’t see the same kind of silly and unnecessary problems that we are facing.
Some suggest that the Japanese must also adulterate their population, even bastardise them, but the Japanese choose to be otherwise. The freak nations of bastards are beginning to turn into a mess and will eventually be torned apart by the differences in the composition of their population. The greater the mixture, the more complex will be the problem and the pulls to different directions will be greater.
We used to have primarily three major races and a smaller Eurasian community in our mix and the issues of inter racial co existence may not be too arduous a task to deal with. If we continue to dilute this mixture and mess it around with all kinds of concoctions, we are only adding more problems for the future generations to deal with. And we are doing all these in the name of growth.
Will our model be more superior to the Japanese model? Will the model of China/India eventually prove more resilient that the mixed broth in the USA or UK?
By the way, there is no need to keep increasing the population just to register growth in the GDP. The goal is a better quality of life for the people, not GDP per se. The Japanese have proven that they can do that without crazy growth numbers. Maybe their politician’s salary is not linked to growth numbers.
"When the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see every problem as a nail."
ReplyDeleteAbraham Maslow
The Party Against People is in reality a one-trick pony.
Headed by an idiot savant.
When the salary of the rulers in Sin rises, Singaporeans' living also rise with it, in the 50s, five storey buildings are considered high, now Singaporeans can live in 50 storey buildings.
ReplyDeleteWhen the salary rises, water shortage problem also solved becos water rises too. Ponding everywhere frequently and Singaporeans can get water free delivered right into them. They can use it to wash their cars, dirty walls and maybe collected in future for supply to households.
The only regret Singaporeans have is that the rise in their salary is out-matched by rising inflation. Such is the situation that the rise in salary is no match to rise in cost of living for the general public.
And funnily, with rise in growth, happiness level dips in tandem.
Btw, Transitioning Org is having a protest event at Speaker Corner(Hong Lim Park) on 11th Feb 2012 at 1730 hrs. Let us visit the Event to spend a meaningful Saturday Evening.
patriot
This is no laughing matter.The sooner we wake up or we're doom in our own land.
ReplyDeleteSingaporeans must quickly wise up to this foreign menace. Yes, it is no joking matter. The sooner this song is killed the better.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that this country belongs to you and and children. Don't forget CPF is your money.
Go and support this cause for your own good and the good of your family and children.
Say no to foreign trash.
You must be joking lah. Japan is facing some deep shit, ney.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the government doesn't interfere too much, and also doesn't expand money supply and credit, natural non-inflationary growth is modest and sustained. If everything is working properly, most of the growth will express itself in the expansion of the middle class -- in numbers and in overall and average wealth.
Nowadays something else is going on -- due to massive government meddling in the economy and the amount of toxic credit and expanded money supplies.
The middle class is losing its purchasing power, and debt levels are increasing, savings decreasing -- in the general case.
However at least there is still a middle class. If no growth, kiss your middle class goodbye!
Japan has no growth for more than 20 years. The middle class are kicking and kicking very well.
ReplyDeleteHere no growth means no money to pay million dollar salaries. Japan no need to pay million dollar salaries, so very safe.
We do not need more babies so that more people are there to buy more cars, more iphones, more TVs. What rubbish!
ReplyDeleteWhat we need is improvement in the quality of life of the general population and lower cost of living.
Redbean,
ReplyDeleteyou are worried about future problems but they worry that they lose control over people who make this a nation and are more cohesive. We have more than 5 million now and we do not need more to replace unborn babies when 2 million was too many not too long ago.
They really believe that Singaporeans are daft but they are pushing their luck if they think that by saying we need more immigrants, we will feel the pain of overcrowding less. But perhaps they know that there are less true blue Singaporeans supporting them and so they have to bring in all these so called talents to shore up their support base?
Whatever may be the actual reasons for flooding this red dot with new immigrants, this policy shows that they are still too arrogant and selfish - "you die, your problem".
Saycheese
The Stop At Two Measure was a huge blunder.
ReplyDeleteThe huge importation of foreigners
to settle in Sin WILL BE A FATAL MISTAKE!
patriot
Hi Saycheese,
ReplyDeleteSingaporeans will not listen and have stop listening since the last decade. No one in the ruling party has the charisma or commanding the respect of the population to be able to say and do what he wants.
No one now has that. Not even LKY today. He has lost it over the last few years while the rest are not what the people would listen to or would rally to their calls.
This is the new situation. From my assessment the ruling govt is finished. But many may still disagree and think GE2016 will still be in the pocket. I differ in my assessment.