myth 141

Peasants are inept to understand This is a glaring fact and is proven everyday. The latest call by Lim Hwee Hua to raise taxi surcharge is the most effective and practical solutions to get taxis running on the road again. Peasants just cannot appreciate the real meaning behind the proposal. How so? The current rate is too low, so too many calls and all the taxi drivers have no problem taking one call and follow by another in quick succession. So why should they be so stupid to drive around and burning petrol dollars? The surcharge should be raised to $50. Then only those few who can afford to pay for the surcharge will call. Bet you, the calls will drop to 1%. And all the taxi drivers who think that they will can get continuous calls will think twice. For they may not even get one call a day. tan ku ku. And when the calls are not coming, and when they have to pay the rentals, oh yes, the rentals must go up also, they got no choice but kuai kuai ply the roads and rush for passengers. Then they cannot afford not to drive the taxis and wait at home for calls. It will create a real buzz on the roads with taxis zigzaging every where for passengers. I support the $50 per call surcharge.

MSM in 2015

Could it happen, that comes 2015, the msm will be renamed The Money Times? And the style and vocabulary used will be distinctively monetised. For example, $10 million visited the US and was greeted by $2 million. And $10 million, being thicker in the pocket, and definitely thicker also in the head, gave a pat on the back of $2 million for doing a good job. And before leaving the US, $10 million said he approved of how $2 million was handling the terrorists crisis around the world. And he left some good advices for $2 million to ponder over. Back home, $10 million was welcomed back at the $500 million airport by hundreds of $100,000 and $200,000. And lining the roads were thousands of $10,000 and $20,000 cheering and waving when the motorcade of $10 million drove by. Names are more difficult to remember huh? Digitising is much easier for the computers to recognise.

The best govt

We have the best and a world class govt that the world admires. Citizens of our neighbouring countries and far and wide all had a Christmas wish, that they could have a govt like ours. And the govt has pledged to the people that it will look after the people, no man will be left behind, all the policies are for the good of the people. Now the paradox. Increasingly the mood is that the govt is no longer the govt for the people. It may be just a perception. It may not be true. It may be a false reading by the ignorant and not so talented citizens who are not up to it to understand what the govt is doing for them. But it is their perception, like it or not. When the people think otherwise, does it matter?

Means testing already in practice?

Is this true? Mrs Yeun Yik Kwong wrote to the ST forum page on her personal encounter with means testing at a polyclinic. All we have been hearing is that means testing is still an option in govt hospitals. OK, polyclinic may technically not be a hospital, it is a clinic. So has means testing been introduced into polyclinics and not in hospitals? Whether it is introduced in polyclinics or hospitals, would it make a difference that means testing is already in practice? What is the truth? Administratively it is brilliant, worthy of the high pay for talented minds. If a referral from a polyclinic is the first door to a hospital admission, and if this door is closed, no further need for means testing in hospitals. Now is this true or false? Simply brilliant.

market economy, consumer choice

When the market was booming and demand for condominiums was high, many developers, including HDB, responded by building more condos. When the market was weak, HDB changed policies to build more 3 rm flats. This is not only being responsive to the needs of the people, it makes simple commonsense. Provide what the people want and can afford to pay. Read in the papers today that C class hospital wards are in demand. This simply says that people cannot afford better class wards or do not want them. And this is expected. According to the distribution of incomes, only 10% are at the top and another 20% are reasonably comfortable. The bulk of the populations are just struggling and trying to make ends meet. C class wards would be appropriate for their pockets. Hospitals should provide the different classes of wards according to the income of the people. The number of A and B1 wards must reflect proportionately the income distribution of the population. A responsive govt that thinks for the people should provide goods and services according to the needs of the people. So, are we going to see more C class wards being provided by the hospitals? Or are we going to see means testing being introduced to cut down on people opting for C class wards? Or the charges of C class wards will go up to cut down the high demands for them. Whatever, those who have to be hospitalised must quickly get themselves admitted and take advantage of the current situation.