Myth 195 - The American Myth

Singapore is, and still is, the ideal convert of the Great American Dream. Everything American is good, except the bi party system. We adore all the big names, the great talents and the American melting pot. We plugged into America more than just to the world. We aped almost in entirety, the American financial system and their greed. And we are the first to pay the price of our childish phase of growing up. Big names, tested names and great talents cannot be wrong. Just pay them as much as they asked for, for they are worth every cent of it. We have seen many American myths in the past that went up in smokes. But those were totally ignored. Now this final disclosure of the colossal mismanagement and cheating by the financial whiz kids and their dirty dealings that cheated a whole nation and the world being opened up for all to see. Real talents would not have dug a hole that is so big to bury America and the world. Million dollar and billion dollar talents are everywhere on the streets of New York. Are we eagerly waiting to grab them to create our own myth? We have been conned by the juicy big apples of big names like Merrill Lynch, Citibank, Goldman Sach, Morgan Stanley etc etc. I too thought it was a great idea to put a stake in these great banks. I too was conned by this American Myth. Shall we continue to go along as a bright eye kid and saying yes to anything America? Pay big money for big talents, buy up big American banks and duplicate American financial systems and practices without a second thought to their relevance and extravagance?

A trial balloon or a genuine intent

This talk of a single party political system, is it real or just a trial balloon? If it is real, if the ruling party thinks that this is the way to go, I think we really need a referendum on this. The political system of the country must be decided by the people, not by a small group of wise men who thought they are wise enough to decide the future of the country and the lives of the people. From the way TOM is generating more news that favours such a system, it gives the impression that there are people who seriously believe in it and wanted to change it. And the sleeping opposition parties and all the learned men in our midst are also sleeping. Would there be any learned man of some stature who dares to speak out on this foolish idea?

A home song - 6

Eternal Child For 2000 years I have no intent of returning The ethereal world was all peace and harmony All sound and light and no fury Nothing to stress out, nothing to fear Now I am told and on my way To the earthly place I bear no memory I descend through the layers of time and space The scents of matter bring me to my sense Oh mother earth, here I come Your eternal child of another time Bless me with all your loving kindness For a life within your arms I’m now hovering on the ceiling Staring at the lights I’ve long not seen Bright lights that blind, brightness of a different kind The woman lying there, shall bear me a new beginning Why shall there be so much agony, and pain Even before I set foot on earth again I hear her cry, my spirit shivers and wants to die This is not the place for me to start again Oh mother earth, don’t wait for me Your eternal child of another time I can’t bear to know what lies ahead for me I shall miss this reunion and return to where I rather be The above is copyrighted by redbean

Tan Kin Lian offers a great opportunity

The declared intent of Tan Kin Lian to enter the political arena offers a great opportunity for our political system to progress to the next level of maturity, a multiparty system with equally good men and women from both sides. If another 20 people of Tan Kin Lian's calibre will to step forward, then we will see more genuine representation of the people's interest at the national level. Politics will could or should become less abrasive but more sophisticated, a big departure from the gutter politics that we see today. The future of Singapore lies in its ability to evolve and adapt from the best political systems that are available. Under the present mindset of I am the only solution, the thinking is so skewed to the extent that people could not see any further than two fingers ahead of them. We are hearing views that either we have a one party or multi party and nothing else. We are what we are today because of our adaptation to what is available. We should seek to embrace the best of different systems as all have their dangers and flaws. A one party system is as treacherous as a multi party system. Flirting with the thought of a one party system at this point of our political development can only come from a inflexible mind. We are a multi party system but with a strong leadership to see things through, without going too far like an authoritarian state. If we become a one party state, things may not be what it is like today. It is scary that people are denouncing the merits of a multi party system wholesale and the choice is either or. Quite an extremist and naive approach in my view.

$42b in reserves

When I read this in the old media, I was thinking that this must be gov'ts money. Actually it is not. It is the people's money in the Medisave. Singaporeans have $40b in their savings parked in the Medisave. Now why is this called 'reserves?' Your money, my money, my money your money? Is it not wrong for people to understand that when we use the word 'reserves' we are referring to the general public or govt's money in the national reserves. Why are the people's money in the CPF or Medisave referred to as 'reserves' and not the people's savings? Ok, it did mentioned that it was both. Here is a clip of the press statement. SINGAPORE: Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said healthcare costs will not be a problem during this recession. Speaking at the NHC Time Capsule event on Saturday, he said most Singaporeans have sufficient savings in their Medisave accounts, and hospitals will be more generous with Medifund applications during these hard times. The total reserves for healthcare stands at S$42 billion, 14 times the annual health expenditure. S$40 billion is parked in citizens' Medisave and it is growing at S$2 billion a year with contributions from workers.... Copied from CNA.