Avoiding the topic of welfare- a Disaster for Singapore.

• bic_cherry

  1 Nov 05, 20:45

  Avoiding the topic of welfare- a Disaster for Singapore.
  
  “…people demanding state to provide essential services and aid even at the expense of state going bankrupt…”… “clutch mentality”—true? http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:UJIvzgmT7eoJ:info.channelnewsasia.com/bb/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D16559%26+welfare+resource+singapore&hl=en
  
  As an average citizen- I’m faced with several concerns/ perspectives... some of which others might share – (concerns which may have implications for the future of Singapore.)
  
  The 2 main concerns are ‘1.welfare’ and ‘2.social cohesiveness’- that (1)govt has put inadequate consideration into welfare and that (2)Singaporeans are NOT a cohesive community.
  
  My observations are that
  ‘Welfare’ isn’t transparent as it should be- in so- leaving the questions about what subsidies are available grossly unanswered:
  i.e.- eligibility/ subsidies/ assistance pertaining to:
  a) Child born with birth defects/ compromised intellect/ cancer/ special education.
  b) Bankruptcy/ Poor.
  c) Homelessness
  d) Orphans.
  e) Ex-Convicts seeking employment.
  f) Unskilled worker seeking jobs (structural unemployment).
  g) Serious disease- cancer, heart disease/ requiring transplants/ HIV
  h) Those severely injured in industrial accidents.
  i) Injuries etc due to National service.
  j) Elderly sick with no care giver/ relatives.
  k) People abused by their spouses/ other abused persons.
  l) Compensation due to assault/ robbery by unknown assailants.
  (i.e. I find no comprehensive webpage detaining the qualifying criteria/ available help wrt a/m problem cases.)
  
  Misfortune strikes anyone, anytimeÂ… and Singapore doesnÂ’t seem to have a publicized and transparent rescue package for those inflicted by misfortune.
  
  People in general- frequently fear the unknownÂ… answering these (dreaded) concerns in advance would therefore put many SingaporeanÂ’s minds at ease should misfortune strike. (Or should individuals consider our society to be one with NO second chanceÂ…)
  
  Already people are complaining- high costs of living- for profit public transport, high medical costs, high housing costs, loss of jobs to foreigners etc. – that many might consider SG to be an ‘incorporated company’- ruled by an authoritarian govt.
  
  So it is the challenge of the govt to infuse confidence into the minds of Singaporeans that there IS ENOUGH WELFARE should citizens need it… because otherwise in times of misfortune/ when the terrorist strike… people will run amok in all directions… because they would be people who think that the gov doesn’t care/ won’t provide welfare to victims… Because in Sg… there are NO SECOND CHANCES- under ‘SG govt incorporated’!
  
  AnyhowÂ… the consequence of a fearful (NO 2nd chance) citizenry would be-
  1) Lower birth rate then is already- 1.05(2005est)- [ranked 224/226 in the world])- http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html
  - Because people are afraid that their progeny/ their lives might suffer. / would having a mentally subnormal child be a painful and expensive affair?
  - Uncertainty about competency of SG govt in view of it’s vague standpoint on ‘welfare’
  2) Lower entrepreneurship because of fear of misfortune.
  3) Lack of commitment to the sovereignty of Singapore because Singapore govt is perceived to care adequately for the needy. (accentuated by perceived SG govt’s ‘incompetence’ regarding ‘welfare’/ in regulating living costs )
  4) Rich vs poor gap increases- will cause social instabilityÂ… many people disenchanted Â…and maybe religious violence also?...
  
  Everybody is borned with potential powers of doing good to others.
  Let us bring them out so that other people can enjoy their brightness and warmth.
  Late Venerable Yen Pei, Founder- http://www.sbws.org.sg/
  
• Ito_^

  1 Nov 05, 20:48

  how about tax?
• ShutterBug

  2 Nov 05, 06:46

  Quite agreeable to some of the points you have posted, but what can we do if THEY don't see the way we see things?
  
  They are very apt at sweeping things under the carpet - particularly unpleasant and embarrassing things....
• Cindyfeh

  2 Nov 05, 18:57

  I am puzzled by your essay.
  
  Isn't welfare everywhere?
  
  1. ERP - Welfare to the environment
  
  2. NS - Welfare to singapore males' health
  
  3. Jobs retraining - Welfare for the senior citizens' minds. Reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer
  
  4. Reduction of Employer CPF - Welfare to biz, so that they can still employ some people (never mind that mostly they employ foreigners)
  
  and so on
• orwell76

  3 Nov 05, 09:59

  You forget our favourite welfare Corporate Welfare.
• ShutterBug

  3 Nov 05, 10:11

  CinyFeh, I hope you will "nevermind" that one day the company you work for, replaces you with a foreigner.
  
  
• robertteh

  3 Nov 05, 10:45

  SINGAPORE SUCCESS STORY
  
  Welfare is bad,
  
  This is what they say,
  
  Because it saps the country of resouce,
  
  Because it makes people too lazy to work,
  
  Because it makes countries bankrupt,
  
  Singaporeans took a different route,
  
  They were sold hook and sinker,
  
  Into believing that welfare is bad,
  
  To make Welfare scare,
  
  Governance turns into Tax-and-recovery regime,
  
  Where all departments recover all costs,
  
  To the fullest of consumables and non-consumables,
  
  Lands become consumable because leases can expire,
  
  Lands paid by citizens were not spared.
  
  From charge-back to citizens at market price,
  
  Every service becomes a business,
  
  Medical, Housing and Transportation charged at premium,
  
  The talk about Swiss standard never mateirialises,
  
  But costs of living rise to first world standard,
  
  High costs from double charges on land
  
  Triple charges on transportation become the norm,
  
  CPF evaporate on asset enchancement gamble,
  
  Citizens sapped of whatever meagre earning left,
  
  More high costs and high is not enough,
  
  Through corporation and privatization schemes,
  
  Essential and unessential services got corporatised
  
  Launched into big government businesses,
  
  More tax and recovery,
  
  More charges at legitimately full market prices,
  
  This is the Singapore success story,
  
  Tax-and-recovery builds billions in surpluses,
  
  Which leaders claims as their making
  
  Which leaders assume as their success.
• dragg

  3 Nov 05, 11:02

  our govt says
  
  there is no free lunch.
  
  what if we have trade deficit?
  
  
• robertteh

  3 Nov 05, 11:20

  Originally posted by dragg:

  our govt says
  
  there is no free lunch.
  
  what if we have trade deficit?
  
  

  Will there then be free lunches to be distributed from people's surpluses ? Cut-Waste panel was supposed to curb free or small lunches but how about the big bonuses or peanuts. Are they free lunches one would suppose?
• dragg

  3 Nov 05, 11:25

  Originally posted by robertteh:

  Will there then be free lunches to be distributed from people's surpluses ? Cut-Waste panel was supposed to curb free or small lunches but how about the big bonuses or peanuts. Are they free lunches one would suppose?

  rules work differently for them and the people.
  
  
• Cindyfeh

  3 Nov 05, 14:07

  Originally posted by robertteh:

  Will there then be free lunches to be distributed from people's surpluses ? Cut-Waste panel was supposed to curb free or small lunches but how about the big bonuses or peanuts. Are they free lunches one would suppose?

  Don't forget it is our great leaders who permit the cut-waste panel to exist. 40+ riot police could have arrested the panelists during their meeting have it been not the intervention of our great leaders!
  
  Without our great leaders foresight to allow the panel to exist, you wouldn't be talking about cut-waste here. So isn't it justified that their bonus should be big?