Depleting our reserves!

Many jokers are screaming about depleting our national reserves without knowing what cock they were talking about. Do they know how much is in our national reserves, how much is being used for whatever schemes to help the people and how much is being put into the reserves or how much is the reserves growing, and how much is enough? Or are the reserves at such a low level, being depleted by losses that it is in danger of being depleted? As an analogy, if our reserves are $1 trillion, and growing by $20b annually, what is the fuzz if the Govt is taking out $15b to throw at the people? If what is being taken out is less than being put in, how can it be depleting?
 
There are many simple questions that needed to be asked about our reserves. How much is there? Is it growing or depleting? How much is enough? What should the excess be use for? Does anyone know anything about our reserves? Does any joker in Parliament know how much is in our reserves before crying father and crying mother about a few billion being spent? Are they really concern about the big money that belongs to the state and people when they are contented with grappling at this huge grey shadow called reserves but not knowing what exactly it is? President Ong Teng Cheong asked about it, to know how much was there, and only then could he or anyone be making sense in what they are talking about. Tiok boh?
 
Would the Govt of the day make a policy statement on our reserves, how much it is, what is the rate of growth, presuming that it is growing and it should be if the two SWFs and MAS are investing wisely and making profits instead of losses. Would the Govt take a position as to what percentage at what level should be used for the benefits of the people? It doesn’t make sense to have an unlimited number and to keep on accumulating the reserves for the sake of growing the reserves and not benefiting the people?
 
And before another joker scream in fear, until face white white, that our reserves are being depleted please make sure you know what you are talking about. If the amount to be spent is less than the amount being used, it cannot deplete the reserves. If the fund managers of our reserves are making positive contributions with profits from their investments, and with more injections of new funds, the reserves will not be used up by a controlled and limited expenditure for the good of the people.
 
How much is our reserves? Do you know? Don’t be a clown crying wolf whenever someone suggests using some of the reserves or sharing some of the profits from the reserves. It may be time that we grow the reserves at a slower pace with a greater portion of the profits being used to better the life of the people, to let the people enjoy a bit of the combined wealth of the nation.
 
What is wrong with that? You only start to deplete the reserves when you are spending more than you are putting into it? Is the Govt spending more and putting less into the reserves?

CPF is not your money, the drumming starts

NMP Chia Yong Yong’s debutante speech in Parliament is exactly the right kind of speech the Govt is waiting to hear, and must be very pleased with it. CPF money is not the CPF member’s money, or at least not all. Her reason, the employer’s contribution would not be there if the Govt did not legislate it to be there. And the Govt also tops up once in a while. So, the CPF members cannot decide how and when it should take it out and how to spend it. Tiok Boh? See, when the Govt helps you, by topping up your CPF, see what is going to happen to your money? So scary.
 
All the charity organizations in Singapore that I have contributed my $2 to, using the same reasoning, please, the money is not yours and you have no right to do as you please. I want to have a say. All the civil servants and ministers and MPs, your salary is paid by taxpayers’ money and I am a taxpayer, I contributed part of your salary, you cannot anyhow spend your salary without my permission ok?
 
KNN, I am also confused. So, please tell me the money in my CPF account belongs to who? Who has the right to use it, spend it or use it to buy Medishield Life or CPF Life? Oh dear, if the entity that decides how to spend the money must be the owner of the money, then I retract my question. Sorry, take it that I never ask. It just confirms that the money is not my money because I cannot or did not decide or give permission for the CPF to buy CPF Life and Medishield Life Insurance for me. And yes, I also cannot decide when I can take out the money and how much I want to take out for my own use. So, on these grounds it is not my money. Tiok Boh?
 
This is the first time when the ownership of a person’s life time savings is in question, and it seems that the Govt or the CPF has a right to it. Not my money. But why the Govt says it is my money, or at least dare not say it is not my money, or says it is the Govt’s money? Not my money mah!
 
The money in the CPF is like in no man’s land, dunno who is the rightful owner. Got like that meh? While the Parliament is sitting, can the ministers clarify this for once, whose money is it? And if it is the members’ money, what right can the Govt decide how and when it wants to spend it on things the Govt compulsorily made the members to pay for it? Who gives the Govt this right to spend the members’ money on CPF Life and Medishield Life?
 
What do you think? Keep beating the drums that the money does not belong the the CPF members and after sometime the people will get use to it and will convince themselves that the money do not belong to them but to whoever that has the audacity to take it by hook or by crook. A lie when repeated often enough will be taken as the truth.
 
I think a legally trained mind must be cleverer than the ignorant and daft untrained mind. The daft Sinkies must get use to this new interpretation of your money, oops, not your money, but the money in your CPF account, is not entirely yours. Other entities also got a share to it. Maybe the employers can take it back. Maybe the charitable Govt that contributed $200 into it can have a controlling say over it.
 
Tiok Boh? This must be another uniquely daft Sinkie thinking.

Mysingaporenews Collection – Book launch update

Hi everyone,

Let me say thanks to all those who have made their orders for the book, slightly more than 40 copies so far and a very long way to the 300 books target.

I hope everyone can help to spread the words. And it would be good if someone could sponsor the printing cost, or partially, $2,000 should be enough to get the project going.

In the meantime please keep the orders coming. Every book counts.

Thanks again.

Redbean

SMRT breakdowns are becoming routine

5 breakdowns in 9 days! This is going to be better than in 3rd World countries man. And because of the regularity of train breakdowns, everyone is getting use to this new normal and life goes on. No one seems to be feeling the heat anymore. If this is going to be the trend, in 90 days there will be 50 breakdowns, in 365 days there will be 203 breakdowns. Of course this is only statistically speaking or straight line extrapolation. But it would be useful for people who like to use statistics to attack people, in this case SMRT.
 
It will not be the case. 5 breakdowns in 9 days is just one of those once in 50 year incident. The pain is that it must happen at a time when we are trying to celebrate our 50 years of Independence and being a world class city that prides itself that everything works here, with the flip of a switch. This train thing is going to be a little bit embarrassing, and the bad part, it cannot be swept under the carpet. Every time there is a breakdown thousands of commuters will be affected, businesses will be affected, the economy will be affected.
 
I think they are going to appoint a COI to investigate why breakdowns is a daily affair. Or would they be hunting for a foreign talents around the world to take over the train management? Our local talents are looking like not up to it. Maybe they should bring in a team from Mumbai. They have the experience to do the job. They also go MRT, I think.
 
What is the point of writing this? I think we should not blame the SMRT management. This is what you will get when the system is overloaded, over used. The important point which I think people must learn from these breakdowns is that it is a warning sign, it is telling us what to expect when the population hit 6.9m. This is only the tip of the problem. When the population is 6.9m, imagine what would happen to the train services, the public transport system and other supporting services? Can this island take the stress and strains and demands of a 6.9m population when we are starting to break down with 5.4m?
 
What, 10m also can? Everything will be fine with our superb planning skills and our super talents at work. I just have one comment. Please make sure the system will not fall apart like the SMRT now. If this is going to be the new normal, 6.9m would be a daily nightmare.
 
Believe me, trust me. Or you want to believe the super talents? The breakdowns are a peek into the future on how things would be. Be grateful for the early warning signs. Would the govt take heed.

Tharman’s budget – Handouts or welfarism

For once I share the pains of our Ministers and MPs in Parliament for speaking out against the angpow budget pushed out by Tharman. We have resisted 50 years not to turn our country, sorry, not sure if it is still a country, into a welfare state. We have carefully planted in the minds of our people that welfarism is bad. It would lead to a crutch mentality when the people become too dependent on the Govt for handouts and refuse to work, become lazy.
 
This Tharman budget is exactly that, a welfare budget, leaning to the left and like what NMP Chia Yong Yong said, would lead to nothing left in our reserves. How can we empty our reserves and turn this island into a welfare state? This is not sustainable. Where is the money going to come from? The recipients of welfare would lose the drive to work. This is very dangerous.
 
Look at our Ministers and MPs, no welfare or subsidies except their million dollar income and $16,000 allowance and they could live well and never bother to ask for welfare or subsidies. And they are still working so hard, never loosen their work ethics despite the big handouts, oops I mean pay and allowance. See the point?
 
It is not the subsidies or welfare. It is how much they are getting. The solution is simple. Give the people enough like the Ministers and MPs and they would scorn and talk cock about the danger of welfarism. They would go to the street to demonstrate against welfarism and handouts. They would throw out any govt that proposes the easy way of going left.
 
Maybe giving the people millions would not be sustainable. A few ministers getting millions is surely sustainable. How about $16,000 to the MPs or more political appointment holders, more mayors and ministers of states? Sustainable? Where is the money coming from? How come no MPs asking any questions whether these largesses are sustainable? Silver Support Scheme not unsustainable? Maybe $3,000, yes $3,000 is just right. I think if the Govt were to give the people $3,000 each, no need $16,000, they would be so happy and would tell the Govt to do away with all the subsidies and handouts. And they would surely work as hard as the Ministers and MPs. The more entitlements or handouts, the harder they will work. The Ministers and MPs are testimonies to this formula. See how hard they are working despite their high income, not handouts? See, no crutch mentality right?
 
To those who are talking against the handouts or welfare state mentality, I think they are wrong. People work harder with bigger handouts and welfarism. When they are earning millions, working is for fun and they are enjoying every moment of their life, working or talking cock doesn’t matter. The trick therefore is to make the people rich and fat and they would all be happy working and enjoying life. No more needs for subsidies and welfarism.
 
Tiok boh?