Statistically speaking

The Americans spent 16% of their GDP on healthcare. The Japanese 9%. So statistically speaking, we should spend more on our healthcare. The numbers must be right. Don't compare the lifestyle of the Americans and the chunks of meat, alcohol and tobacco they are consuming. Don't worry about their income level and the carbon monoxide they are breathing in from their 6000cc limousines running on the road. We need to spend more as others are also spending more. Singaporeans should spend $15 out of $100 on healthcare. This is reasonable. For the poor buggers and the losers, who have to spend every single cent of their income every month, $7 out of $100 go to GST. This would mean that for every $100 they earned, $22 must be set aside just for these two items. How much must go to public transportation? Well. this is a first world country. Nothing is for free. And we give good quality. Our medical care is world class. And this is the cheapest we can go. And don't expect our world class hospitals to provide less than world class services and healthcare. For that type of services and quality, please go to neighbouring non first world countries. They are definitely cheaper. And patients are asking for titanium inplants instead of cheaper steel products. That is the quality of our patients and their ability to pay. So medical care must surely cost more.

Let it be other people's problem

See, I don't live in Serangoon Garden. Should I just support the plan and let the foreign workers be housed in that school and the problems stay there? This island is just too small and running out of space. Not there must be somewhere else. Maybe they will house them next to my estate. Ok, I support the location of the foreign workers in Serangoon Garden. Another way of solving the problems of foreign workers is to engage them. Embrace them as your long lost brothers. Organise welcoming parties for them. Invite them to have dinner with your family. Recruit them to patrol and guard the estate. The problem becomes the solution. The people the residents fear become the people to help the residents. What an ingenious strategy. Turning adversity into an advantage. PS. Don't pray pray with unknown elements. My mother told me not to talk to strangers. Old mother's tale.

The heat is on

As the Ahmad Ismail controversy continues to boil, the dividing line becomes clearer and partisan politics is gaining ground. The pro Ahmad Ismail camp is digging in as the other side pushes the govt to take action against him. The frightening picture of May 13 is flashing across many people's mind. Could this be the excuse to thwart Anwar's effort to become the next PM? The Armed Forces Chief, Abdul Aziz Zainal has spoken and calling the Malaysian govt to take stern actions against those stoking racial sentiments. The Police Chief, Ismail Omar, said his men are ready to keep things under control. When the two uniform chiefs are showing concern, things are looking dangerous. Some opportunists may seize this as an opportunity to start a fire. Will Malaysia burn again?

No voice in cyberspace

This is just unbelieveable. The govt has no voice in cyberspace! And cyberspace is now being dominated by the pro opposition voice, the critics, the angry, the cynical and the unhappy. This is surely not looking pretty and very precarious. The govt used to have all the official media to communicate with the people, telling the people whatever their stories, in whatever ways it wants, from whichever angles. And no one can talk back. If there are any token voices from the people, they are likely to be carefully selected for printing in the media forum pages. Now the old media is helpless in singing the songs of the day. Many are not listening and even very critical, dissecting every bit into pieces. Only the converts still read the old media. The troublesomes have sought solace in cyberspace. And that is where they speak out in unison. A different song, a different tune, a different melody, a different sound. What is happening, the govt has no voice in cyberspace? What to do? Can the govt afford not to engage netizens and allow cyberspace to be the forsaken space, no control and no defence? Isn't this an interesting development? A control freak govt having no say in an area that is expanding and growing in importance?

Myth 189 - The Foreign Talent Myth

Myth We have seen Merrill Lynch, UBS, City Banks, Barclay Banks, Bank of Scotland and what else, all needing to be rescued. Then came Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Today we heard that Lehman Brothers, another giant investment house in deep trouble. I believe, not a difficult think to do, that all these banks and financial institutions are run by the best talents the US and Europe have. And they all ran their companies into deep shit. So much talks about foreign talents. Count ourselves lucky that we did not engage the top talents of these organisations and pay them hundreds of millions to run our financial institutions. We would have been broken by them. It is lucky that we only managed to get the 3rd or 4th rate talents. Now, when all these talents loses their jobs, will we queue up to invite them here with handsome pay package as our best foreign talents, just like we went for fire sales for UBS, Merrill Lynch etc etc? These talents must be up for grabs at a discount.