Give now talk later

In this extraordinary time while many people are still gasping for breath chasing at runaway prices of basic necessities, PN Balji suggested that the govt should consider a new approach, a give-now-talk-later way. During Hsien Loong's ND Rally speech there were a lot of giveaways, but all came with a series of conditions. These may not be good enough when some people need an immediate jab of morphine to be revived. This formula of giving with conditions, a proven formula to underline the need for self reliance, that nothing comes freely, has worked for some times but needs to be tweaked. It will also show a little more caring and compassion and less calculative. This is only one aspect to look at the govt. But how could this give-now-talk-later style match up with mean testing? The principle of mean testing is to take as much as you can. Check and see how much he has left for you to take. It also goes against the principle of thrift. When inflation is eroding the value of money so rapidly, when things are getting more expensive by the days, everyone is fearing that his/her little savings may not be enough. But the principle of mean testing wants people to spend and eat sharksfin if they have a few dollars more is really bad. What the govt needs to do is provide the medical services that the people want and willing to pay for. Not the type of services that people want but cannot afford to pay or services that people do not want but must want and pay. Somehow it is like take-now-talk-later instead of give-now-talk-later.

Age is Anwar's best defence

At 60 or 61, Anwar can easily walk into a clinic and ask the doctor to certify that he is suffering from ED, Erectile Dysfunction. Period. No more case. Just a little embarrassing on his manhood but solve all his problem. Someone can whisper this to his advisors : )

A place for our own children...in our heart.

Why would parents care for their own children, love them so dearly even though some may be less than normal, even unbearably handicap? This is the unexplained greatness of parental love. My child, and I love my child regardless of anything. Some spent a fortune, gave up jobs, sold all their belongings, just to look after the child, against all odds. There is no such thing as giving up on the child once brought into this world. They would not trade anything for the child, even if someone would to offer them a beautiful child in exchange. Parents will not abandon their own children. My child is everything. There is an emotional thing involved. Reflect on this and the concept of foreign talent. Why are we indulging and dotting on foreign talents and neglect our own children just because they are less talented? Why are we splashing valuable resources on foreign talents, not our children, and not using the same resources on our not too gifted children? Have we gone crazy? If foreign talents are so important, and no talents or lesser talents, even if they are our very own, are less regarded, would we one day exchange all our children for talented foreign talents? Would we forsake and trade our children for other people's children? Our parents will not. We, if we become parents, will not. We wish the talented children of other parents well. But foremost, we will care for our own children first, with everything we got. Don't get carried away with foreign talents. If this necessity is the way to go, culled our own less able children and replaced them with talented foreigners. To live with this logic of pragmatism and survival of the country, we cannot afford to have laggards even if they are our children. It is survival of the fittest. No feelings, no emotions, no attachment, no self. Just simple economics of survival. Take in only the best. Is this the way to go? Why do we called ourselves Singaporeans and this island our home?

Some still disagree with Hsien Loong's liberalisation

The ink is still wet, or the sound of clapping is still reverberating in the ears, and we are hearing the old message again. Hsien Loong has given the go ahead for netizens to blog about politics, even race and religion as long as they are treated respectfully. Now Baey Yam Keng is saying that bloggers reporting on govt issues should be regulated like traditional media. Did he attend Hsien Loong's rally? What is more ludicrous is that he waved the flag of objectivity and responsible reporting as the outstanding trademarks of traditional media when traditional media was not only bashed in cyberspace for its stupidity and highly biased reporting recently. What kind of objectivity are we talking about? And responsible to who? He added that the regulating of bloggers could happen in the future, but not now as the govt would not be comfortable. Is this the confidential thinking of the govt and regulation is only a matter of timing? Maybe it is only a personal view. Lam Pin Min 'was "not aversed" to credible bloggers covering press conferences to engage them in feedback.'

Notable quote by Philip Yeo

'Make sure that our young people are hungry. If our young people are not hungry enough, bring in hungrier ones from overseas. Make them feel hungry, increase the hunger index.' Philip Yeo This may be a magic formula to keep our young competitive and not becoming complacent. Get hungry people who are willing to do more for less, who wanted to do more just to make their lives a little better, bring them here. One very difficult task, and very formidable task, is to make people who are very full to feel hungry. One contradiction is that while everyone knows and can see that these very full people are very full of everything, they sincerely believe that they are very hungry and wanted to have more, but not to do more. This is the biggest challenge facing paradise. The money not enough is not a problem of the poor. It is the problem of the rich. Everyday they kpkb, money not enough.