At the rate we are building more flats and buildings across the island,
when every little nook and corner will be scraped so that something can
be built on it, it is frightening. We are going to run out of space for
buildings if we go on clearing and building. We are going to run out of
space for roads and transportation. We are going to be jammed and
paralysed if we don’t stop pumping more people into this small piece of
rock. We are encroaching into nature, robbing every inch of land
available for this thing called economic growth.
Stop while we still can. Stop while we still have the time to ponder and
to save our little land from further exploitation and conversion into
concrete and humanly made objects.
If we need productivity and economic growth, it must be through other
means, through science and technology, through creativity and
inventions, definitely not through adding more people or using up more
of whatever land that is left.
While the rest of the world is crying to save Gaia, we need to cry to
save Singapore before it is plundered to a state of paralysis through a
state of over building and over population. Stop before the state of
mortis rigor sets in. It must not be allowed to, we must not go that
way. Stop while we still can.
What is the point of building and building and to trade our precious
land for cash? What is the point of stuffing this island with more and
more people? Are we insane? Or who is insane?
Our transportation is going to be a gridlock with too many vehicles and
too few roads to drive. Increasing and improving public transportation
are not the solutions if we don’t stop the flow of more people into the
island. Keep raising COE and ERP charges, are they really the solutions?
We are painting ourselves into a tight corner and no where to move.
What is economic growth when our lifestyle is being constraint by rising
cost and diminishing space? There is no need to turn the island into a
Peking duck, to be stuffed to the fullest.
7/30/2013
The Singapore recycling formula
One outstanding achievement of this city that has been overlooked by the
rest of the world is its recycling formula. No, I am not talking about
pulling down good buildings only to rebuild them, or scrapping cars that
were in good working conditions and less than 10 years old. These are
very wasteful things to do and we failed miserably in both areas. Our
successful recycling process is not about little old people picking up
drink cans or carton boxes or encouraging people not to use plastic
bags.
The most successful recycling effort is the recycling human resources into the economy. We are making practically everyone that is economically active into the workforce. Mothers are encouraged to work to contribute to the economy too. Motherhood, raising children and providing a cosy and warm home for the family is secondary. Every adult is usefully employed. There is no waste.
What is more is that the work life of the adults has been extended to beyond 70 or 80. Many oldies that would normally be out of the workforce, retired by 55 or 60, are now recycled into the economy to be gainfully employed. Soon everyone will likely to be working till 80 or 90 years old.
This recycling of the oldies have extended the useful economic lifespan of the people by 30 to 40 years, which means that the people have practically made themselves useful for double the time they used to be. Or the workforce is actually doubled in a way. And if we include the normally economically inactive womenfolk, the recycling is even more successful.
Isn’ t this a great achievement? We never waste our people. Some are squeezed and squeezed to get every drop of juice from them. Some are so talented that it would be a waste to put them away. So they are reused and reapplied to share their talents and experience for the good of the country and its people, I supposed.
PS, We are even recycling the rejects from New York and London and all the Third World countries.
The most successful recycling effort is the recycling human resources into the economy. We are making practically everyone that is economically active into the workforce. Mothers are encouraged to work to contribute to the economy too. Motherhood, raising children and providing a cosy and warm home for the family is secondary. Every adult is usefully employed. There is no waste.
What is more is that the work life of the adults has been extended to beyond 70 or 80. Many oldies that would normally be out of the workforce, retired by 55 or 60, are now recycled into the economy to be gainfully employed. Soon everyone will likely to be working till 80 or 90 years old.
This recycling of the oldies have extended the useful economic lifespan of the people by 30 to 40 years, which means that the people have practically made themselves useful for double the time they used to be. Or the workforce is actually doubled in a way. And if we include the normally economically inactive womenfolk, the recycling is even more successful.
Isn’ t this a great achievement? We never waste our people. Some are squeezed and squeezed to get every drop of juice from them. Some are so talented that it would be a waste to put them away. So they are reused and reapplied to share their talents and experience for the good of the country and its people, I supposed.
PS, We are even recycling the rejects from New York and London and all the Third World countries.
Biden calls for lowering of tension
The American VP visited several Asian and South East Asian countries and
make an appeal for all to lessen the heightening tension in East and
South China Seas. How much to believe him when everyone knows that he
was on a mission to sign military alliances to contain China and to
counter China’s claims to the disputed islands in the two seas?
There was no tension, or at least the tension in the two seas were minimal with all sides not trying to provoke each other or trying to out shout the other and brandishing their guns. East Asia and South East Asia have a span of 35 years of peace after the Americans evacuated from the war in Indochina. The Americans have been fighting one war after another from the Korean War, Vietnam War, wars in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya, in Syria, in Bosnia and in Latin America since the end of World War Two. Wherever there is war, you can find the Americans as the main combatants or supporting and financing the war. The track records of the USA is about wars, making wars, provoking and inciting wars.
Now the Americans are coming back to Asia and moving ahead of their arrival is heightened tension and increasing prospect for wars. Are these just mere coincidences or an indication that the Americans are behind all the tension? And they are calling the Asian countries to lower tension!? What hypocrits!
Every country in Asia knows that the Americans are the main cause of increasing tension and behind all the provocative acts of otherwise docile little countries. Today they are all talking like they are America, the number One superpower and happily challenging a bigger country like China to war. Without the Americans instigating behind the scene, would these pesky little countries dare to act in such ways? With American backing they are going to challenge China in all kinds of claims as they have nothing to lose. But I am not too sure about this nothing to lose mentality.
Who is raising tension to incite wars? One thing for sure, when there is war, the Americans will be around and will be a major player. And the USA is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean but is deploying its armed forces in many bases on the western Pacific, for peace so it claims.
There was no tension, or at least the tension in the two seas were minimal with all sides not trying to provoke each other or trying to out shout the other and brandishing their guns. East Asia and South East Asia have a span of 35 years of peace after the Americans evacuated from the war in Indochina. The Americans have been fighting one war after another from the Korean War, Vietnam War, wars in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya, in Syria, in Bosnia and in Latin America since the end of World War Two. Wherever there is war, you can find the Americans as the main combatants or supporting and financing the war. The track records of the USA is about wars, making wars, provoking and inciting wars.
Now the Americans are coming back to Asia and moving ahead of their arrival is heightened tension and increasing prospect for wars. Are these just mere coincidences or an indication that the Americans are behind all the tension? And they are calling the Asian countries to lower tension!? What hypocrits!
Every country in Asia knows that the Americans are the main cause of increasing tension and behind all the provocative acts of otherwise docile little countries. Today they are all talking like they are America, the number One superpower and happily challenging a bigger country like China to war. Without the Americans instigating behind the scene, would these pesky little countries dare to act in such ways? With American backing they are going to challenge China in all kinds of claims as they have nothing to lose. But I am not too sure about this nothing to lose mentality.
Who is raising tension to incite wars? One thing for sure, when there is war, the Americans will be around and will be a major player. And the USA is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean but is deploying its armed forces in many bases on the western Pacific, for peace so it claims.
The open door immigration policy of UK under attack
Immigration in many countries used to be a natural thing when the number
is small, manageable and at the comfort of the host country. The host
country will determine who can come in, how many and from where. When
immigration becomes a kind of economic pep pills to boost a country’s
economy and the number allowed in has reached a level that is
uncomfortable to the natives, immigration will gradually become a sore
point. It affects the social and economic fabric of a country and its
people. It will become a full blown political issue.
Britain, being an ex empire, has been quite liberal with its immigrant policy with respect to its ex colonies. Many have since made Britain their new found home with new found hope and a better life materially. But things are not looking good now and the Brits are starting to protest and demanding a slowing down in the import of foreign labour through immigration.
The Govt complied by making promises and announcing policy changes to tighten immigration. On the ground, the number of immigrants continues to swell and the Brits are not stupid not to notice the ever rising presence of more immigrants. Now they don’t even believe their govt and the statistics the govt puts up.
Let me quote Chris Bryant, an opposition Labour MP. ‘…the report showed the govt’s assertions on immigration could not be trusted. We should be able to count people in and out of this country…If the govt is going to boast about having cut net migration then you would think that the statistics would be reliable ones. The truth is, they’re not.’
How could govt statistics be not reliable, untruth? It cannot be, the govt are made up of righteous and honourable people with great dignity and trustworthiness. How can they not be trusted? The govt should be even more reliable than the main media as they are the govt, people of high morals and conscience. How can the people say the govt statistics cannot be trusted?
But that is Britain. Our govt statistics definitely can be trusted. Our main media too, producing news by professional journalists and reporters, men and women with great integrity, well trained and with reliable sources, and with facts and data vetted and double and triple check for accuracy. But we are Singapore and they are Britain. We can be trusted, they cannot.
How can they rank our media at 149th? They must be joking.
Britain, being an ex empire, has been quite liberal with its immigrant policy with respect to its ex colonies. Many have since made Britain their new found home with new found hope and a better life materially. But things are not looking good now and the Brits are starting to protest and demanding a slowing down in the import of foreign labour through immigration.
The Govt complied by making promises and announcing policy changes to tighten immigration. On the ground, the number of immigrants continues to swell and the Brits are not stupid not to notice the ever rising presence of more immigrants. Now they don’t even believe their govt and the statistics the govt puts up.
Let me quote Chris Bryant, an opposition Labour MP. ‘…the report showed the govt’s assertions on immigration could not be trusted. We should be able to count people in and out of this country…If the govt is going to boast about having cut net migration then you would think that the statistics would be reliable ones. The truth is, they’re not.’
How could govt statistics be not reliable, untruth? It cannot be, the govt are made up of righteous and honourable people with great dignity and trustworthiness. How can they not be trusted? The govt should be even more reliable than the main media as they are the govt, people of high morals and conscience. How can the people say the govt statistics cannot be trusted?
But that is Britain. Our govt statistics definitely can be trusted. Our main media too, producing news by professional journalists and reporters, men and women with great integrity, well trained and with reliable sources, and with facts and data vetted and double and triple check for accuracy. But we are Singapore and they are Britain. We can be trusted, they cannot.
How can they rank our media at 149th? They must be joking.
7/29/2013
A brilliant solution to shortages of hospital beds
An American associate professor, Sean Flynn, is so impressed with our
medical and healthcare system that he is going to use our system as the
model to reform the US system. Actually no system is as expensive as the
American system and thus must be better. The professor also
acknowledged that a big problem facing our system is the shortage of
hospital beds. His natural reaction is prices as our hospital beds must
definitely be cheaper than those in the US and there is a lot of room
for the price to go up.
I quote the professor, ‘One way to get rid of the shortage of B1 beds would be to raise the price…But this is difficult for politicians to do and if they had to vote on it every year, politicians don’t like to raise the price of anything. So a simple way to solve this problem is to just have everything indexed to inflation, so the prices of things would just go up automatically every year.’ I must say this is a brilliant idea and it only takes a foreign professor to teach us how to do it.
Wait a minute, I thought we did something very similar, like the minister’s salaries being pegged to the market, like HDB prices being pegged to market price, and so on and on. And the salaries and prices just go up automatically. No need to vote in Parliament to raise salaries and housing prices.
Now who is learning from whom on this brilliant idea? The unmentioned effect of hospital bed priced to inflation is that those who cannot afford it just don’t use it. Thus the demand will definitely come down. In fact this solution should be extended to all medical services and healthcare, then the queue for medical services will be shortened. And the undertaker’s business will flourish as more will not be able to afford medical treatment and can go to see their maker earlier. This makes great economic sense. The sick will save on the money that they would otherwise have to pay to the hospitals. The rich who can afford the higher price services will have all the services at their convenience as long as they can pay for them. Utilitarianism at work, pragmatism at work, economics at work, and prudence at work and the result is simply an efficient and effective healthcare service.
What say you? I really like this recommendation.
I quote the professor, ‘One way to get rid of the shortage of B1 beds would be to raise the price…But this is difficult for politicians to do and if they had to vote on it every year, politicians don’t like to raise the price of anything. So a simple way to solve this problem is to just have everything indexed to inflation, so the prices of things would just go up automatically every year.’ I must say this is a brilliant idea and it only takes a foreign professor to teach us how to do it.
Wait a minute, I thought we did something very similar, like the minister’s salaries being pegged to the market, like HDB prices being pegged to market price, and so on and on. And the salaries and prices just go up automatically. No need to vote in Parliament to raise salaries and housing prices.
Now who is learning from whom on this brilliant idea? The unmentioned effect of hospital bed priced to inflation is that those who cannot afford it just don’t use it. Thus the demand will definitely come down. In fact this solution should be extended to all medical services and healthcare, then the queue for medical services will be shortened. And the undertaker’s business will flourish as more will not be able to afford medical treatment and can go to see their maker earlier. This makes great economic sense. The sick will save on the money that they would otherwise have to pay to the hospitals. The rich who can afford the higher price services will have all the services at their convenience as long as they can pay for them. Utilitarianism at work, pragmatism at work, economics at work, and prudence at work and the result is simply an efficient and effective healthcare service.
What say you? I really like this recommendation.
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