Annuity and char kway teow logic

What is annuity? It is like taking a big sum of money to give to someone to invest for you and promise to pay you a small sum till you die. So Ah Pek will take his $100k to an insurer to manage and invest for him with a promise. In the meantime Ah Pek must hope that the insurer will not go bust or run away. And also the insurer is smart enough to make more money than he can afford to pay his management fee and Ah Pek. If the insurer lost money in his investment, then trouble starts. Buying annuity requires a lot of faith and hope. Is it really worth it? And how much does it cost the govt to look after some of the oldies who are above 85 years old? Not every oldie will need govt charity. Only some. What does the statistics of today's oldies above 85 say? How many are dependent on charity or have their own means of living? I think one plate of char kway teow will be enough to provide for all the oldies that are destitutes and without any dependent to fall back on.

Singapore Malaysia Relations

The problem is not with Singapore but Malaysia. This is the view expressed by Anwar Ibrahim at a seminor at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies yesterday. Some may not agree with him, but reading his comments carefully, there is a lot of truth in what he said. We are two closely knit neighbours and we could benefit a lot by working closely together. He admitted that Singapore can be very tough in negotiation. But that is negotiation and should not affect the relations between the two states. Malaysia can also be tough when negotiating with Singapore but both can find common ground instead of inciting racial hatred between Malays and Chinese. And this racial element is not only affecting relations between the two states but also the internal politics of Malaysia. Malaysia has a lot to gain by working closely with their Chinese and the Singapore Chinese instead of silly bickering for political mileage.

Howe Yoon Chong - His own man

'One of the lessons which he impressed on me was to be true to yourself, to say what you believe in, even if it means being disagreeable.' Vivian Balakrishnan. The above was what Vivian commented on Howe Yoon Chong. And from the other comments of personal experiences by other politicians, Howe Yoon Chong was indeed his own man. He did not minced words and he said what he meant. And for that, he naturally would find being a politicians difficult. And for that it is an admirable quality of a man who was true to himself all the time. No hypocrisy, no double talk. Just stuck to his principles and what he believed in, come what may. How many politicians can live to be like Howe Yoon Chong and be their true self? If we cannot respect such a man, what else can we respect?

Annuity - Nagging questions

How many people will live more than 85 years? How many of them will be destitutes and need charity? Can the govt afford to pay $300 pm to these octogenarians? Why go to all the trouble to implement a scheme that is unpopular and will only benefit a very small number of people? Please don't give the crap that all these old people will be dependent on welfare. The bulk of the lost generations, the uneducated, penniless, homeless and unemployable will be over in 10 or 20 years. The generations after them are not so desperate. Most would have something to fall back on. Those who still have to depend on charity will be those that have nothing in their CPF for the govt of hold back and neither would they have any HDB flats. These will be the new dropouts of society, the drug addicts, the loafers, etc, a small minority. And people are working longer from now on. Why are we doing all these? The problem so serious?

Quick, raise the lawyers' salary

Another lawyer has disappeared with client's money. Now, when are they going to learn? This is another vindication that the pay them well policy is the solution to prevent such problems. Quick, quick, increase their salaries....