We
need population growth to generate economic growth to enjoy a better quality of
life. This is the biggest bullshit to come out from any sensible person. Population
growth is not the only factor that leads to growth and a better quality of
life. The sure things about population growth are inflation, congestion, higher
demand for goods and services and many undesirable social and economic
consequences that cannot justify the little benefits of growth.
Take
a continent like Australia as an example. If with 50m,
they can enjoy the whole continent, be productive enough to grow all the food
and wine to make merry, why do they need to rush the population to 100m? If
without population growth, maintaining at 50m for perpetuity, and they can
produce a bit more for each person to better their life, what is the point of
producing 100 times more to feed 100m people but did not live better except for
a few super rich?
Coming
back to home, if with 2m people, the people can have all the space to live in
bigger properties, and own cars with more roads to drive around, and they could
produce more goods and services to raise the quality of life, why do they want
to push the population to 5m or 10m to have lesser space to live, cannot own
cars but only to work ever harder to feed a population of 5m or 10m?
What
for? Because the economists say there is no growth? If the population can be
maintained at 2m, and everyone has a bigger property and two cars to go with, no
traffic jams, and higher skills of people, goods and services produced are
getting better with higher productivity, who the shit needs another 3m or 5m
people to take away all the land and roads and landed everyone in shoebox flats
and car ownership becomes limited only to a few?
I
think the thinking is too simplified. What kind of growth, what kind of
progress, what kind of quality of life? If every leader in the world subscribe
to the population growth formula for a better life, the whole will be destroy
at double quick time. Nature has ensured that population is controlled and not
allowed to growth indiscriminately by throwing in many measures to keep it that
way. If a better quality of life is simply to have more people, there is no
need to have super talents or smart people to run govts.
The
situation in Europe is slight different. They could continue to have a
good life by being creative, innovative, improving knowledge skill and productivity
with a smaller but able population. But they conned themselves into allowing
less productive immigrants to fill the ranks and bloated the population base. They have reached a turning point where the Caucasian
or Aryan stocks are being depleted by lesser stocks. This will bring about
their demise as a self inflicted cancer. Japan will shrink its population but will continue to enjoy a better quality of life without being adulterated with lesser productive stocks to bloat its population. A smaller and leaner population is good for them.
If we are not careful, we could end up in the
same way as Europe. Irresponsible and mindless increase of population is like drug
consumption.
13 comments:
Like redbean, I am very suspicious of the over importance placed on "growth" arguments to support social engineering govt policies.
Lucky that the nation can produce goods and services, otherwise what you get is a disaster of widespread impoverishment and over population.
Global population is growing fast, no doubt about that. Our future world is going to be crowded. All over the world people are complaining about immigration. Govts are thrown out because their voters reject policies of "forced integration" through unfettered immigration. One example is the immigration of Muslims into Europe.
The Singapore argument is different however. Popluation needs to grow because the locals are not producing enough babies to "stock" future generations. According to the ex-spurts -- if nothing is done, Singapore's population will start to decline in 2025.
And so, the knee-jerk govt policies. Just like the failed govt policy of "Stop At Two" in the 60's and 70's. WTF? Govt failure. Now there's a new policy in place to "repair" the damage done by a previous government policy.
ALL GOVT POLICIES HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
The best policy is no policy. Just allow nature to take its course. If there's a brain drain, so what? If there is a surge in births? So what. Don't fuck it up with subsidies or policies...every action taken by The Central Planners needs another action to counteract the bad effects of unintended consequences.
Then that action also has unintended consequences, so the govt takes yet another action.
Eg. You want to grow the population. So you offer baby bonuses and open the doors to immigration. Then prices go up. So you offer more subsidies and tax incentives. But these have to be paid for. So you need growth. So the population must increase further -- now you cannot wait for babies, you need to insentivise immigration.
...but that drives up prices and places stress on the locals. So you need policies to deal with that. But you also need money to do that...
...ah fuck, the game's up lah.
Sit back and relax. Take advantage of all the fantastic things in Hotel Singapore, where living well IS the BEST REVENGE!
The best policy is no ploicy
Remember these?
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#2 is uncomfortably creepy. You make images like that now, the cops will pay you a visit in the middle of the night and seize your computer, and it will serve you right!
Let's vote in an Opposition government.
Then we will bring in real foreign talents from all over the world to advise our government.
Real experts who can help us with our transport, flooding, security and etc. problems.
Pubic hair...so early kpkb...you must have egg york for breakfast because your bird brain is breaking wind
The STOP AT TWO population policy,carried out in the mid-sixties and left oversight for three decades caused long ,everlasting disasterous and damaging effect on the country
LKY said there is no choice but to import foreigners but he will never repeat never say he was dead wrong,not even over his dead body
Kuan-yew-nomics of crackpot perpetual population growth against the principle of Malthus.
Liar Kuan Yew burn in hell.
Zero population growth policy will force policy makers and bureaucrats focus on depth and quality to economic growth. However, this will be a very difficult challenge to our pampered and very well paid "army General" and academic talents of fake free market credentials.
Just importing many people into a small city state is unsustainable, and maybe a calculated way to perpetuate political power of incumbents. This policy reflects who they truly are and their true abilities.
You forgot they need the growth as their bonus is tied to it.
Saycheese
Their bonus is tied to growth
AND votes.
GE 2016.
Let's out an end to their bonus.
Agree with you. As it is our earth is over populated. All these self center short sighted politicians like PAP still want to add to the Earth's woes by increasing population. We should be proud that our birth rate has slow down - for at least we don't aggravate the population problem world wide.
Go green, save a few sheet of paper and plastic bags. Produce more babies to consume more!
Gaia needs a break. The world's population needs to shrink to reestablish a new equilibrium that is more sustainable for everyone or we will use up everything, burn away everything, consume everything.
If not, armaggeddon is waiting, with a nuclear holocaust when man compete with each other for limited space and resources.
Let's hope the Pro Alien Party is unable to reproduce itself.
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