Income gap tears at Singapore social fabric [Reuters]
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Good dear! Very creative you sure are.
No doubt I do not like Wee whatever her name, but I do not wish for such international explosure of Singapore on this type of publicity ...
I hope for more positive publicity on Singapore.
Recently, we have got alot of negative publicity .. thats not healthy.
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what is it said?
if you don't want people to speak badly of you, behave in such a way that you are beyond reproach... then they will speak well of you...Originally posted by yuehan:Good dear! Very creative you sure are.
No doubt I do not like Wee whatever her name, but I do not wish for such international explosure of Singapore on this type of publicity ...
I hope for more positive publicity on Singapore.
Recently, we have got alot of negative publicity .. thats not healthy. -
It's because there is a divide between what the state + state media sees as reality, and what everyone else with an ounce of intellect and perception see as reality.Originally posted by yuehan:Good dear! Very creative you sure are.
No doubt I do not like Wee whatever her name, but I do not wish for such international explosure of Singapore on this type of publicity ...
I hope for more positive publicity on Singapore.
Recently, we have got alot of negative publicity .. thats not healthy.
Don't like the negative press, deal with the problems at the root, and not paint them to be the consequence of some uniquely Singaporean phenomenon when we know it's just politically slanted BS.
If the price to pay for critical change is the increased negative publicity, so be it. I'm sure that being an externally-oriented nation/economy, the tipping-point will be reached soon, and certain groups would have to solve problems instead of painting them as wanton feverish imaginations of the international press and all other Singaporeans.
The international press is focused on us because we are a fairly vital cog in the post-WW2 Bretton Woods global system of capitalism and trade.Else, you'd think we'd be as important as Brunei or Kazakhstan to the world.. -
Bravo !Originally posted by fymk:Her daddy is not a Lee
He is only a Wee
Exposed what the elites really see
Told off non relative Wee
as though he is donkey pee
Now she is abandoned by her clan in RJC
If she had been diplomatic
her future will be damn shiny
now her daddy career is abit shakey
Ang Mo Kio not happy
Ai yo..now he has to worry
His daughter made a fool out of PAP
Lao Lee sure bloody angry
66.6% is already very shakey
I only just wait and see
what will the poor girl be.
Because with CNN
Comes International Publicity!
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u think buy pen, books, paper, ruler, clothes gt no gst mehOriginally posted by dragg:actually the GST hike has no impact on the poor. they have no money to spend in the first place. -
mostly no gst.Originally posted by NewAge:u think buy pen, books, paper, ruler, clothes gt no gst meh
only those who registered can charge gst. the minimum revenue must be one million.
i dont think your common neighbourhood stationary shop can make that amount. -
and where they get their supplies from?Originally posted by dragg:mostly no gst.
only those who registered can charge gst. the minimum revenue must be one million.
i dont think your common neighbourhood stationary shop can make that amount. -
Dun worry, GST will be raised next year to help close the income gap.
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Was that sarcasm?Originally posted by ObviousMan:Dun worry, GST will be raised next year to help close the income gap.
Hmmmm...
GST raised to close income gap? -
Oh GST will close the income gap.Originally posted by maurizio13:Was that sarcasm?
Hmmmm...
GST raised to close income gap?
Middle class becomes poorer
and join the poor
That's not sarcasm - that's just a fact . -
I think that both good and bad must be reported, whether internationallyOriginally posted by yuehan:Good dear! Very creative you sure are.
No doubt I do not like Wee whatever her name, but I do not wish for such international explosure of Singapore on this type of publicity ...
I hope for more positive publicity on Singapore.
Recently, we have got alot of negative publicity .. thats not healthy.
or domestically,
They should not just report the good and hide the bad. If they do,
then it is called irresponsible reporting which aims at misleading the
public, just like a bad salesman trying to push for the sale of his
product without any consideration for the customers, which will
definitely backfire on the reputation of his company in the long run. -
Wah lau, I think her father probably kena tekan jialat by the 2 Lees liao.Originally posted by kilua:This article appeared in CNN....Now Wee Shu Min is well known internationally.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/19/singapore.inequalities.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest
As for her, well, I guess she'll have no problems finding work overseas -
OoooOooo, someone's got a soft spot for her.Originally posted by LazerLordz:I'm tempted for a little repartee, but I'll leave her alone for now. Pity her liao. -
Nope, it's called being the real deal. To be able to dole out mercy, beats being merciless in stature.Originally posted by charlize:OoooOooo, someone's got a soft spot for her.
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HeheheOriginally posted by fymk:Oh GST will close the income gap.
Middle class becomes poorer and join the poor
That's not sarcasm - that's just a fact .
There is some fact to that, have GST make the middle class poorer so that middle class becomes poorer and join the poor.
Didn't know they are so creative!
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When you buy stationary from supplier, they already charge you GST, considering that you have to pay GST for utilities, petrol, food, etc; the price of the stationary will take into effect the cost of the other GST increases, the proprietor will raise the price to reflect the GST he has to pay.Originally posted by dragg:mostly no gst.
only those who registered can charge gst. the minimum revenue must be one million.
i dont think your common neighbourhood stationary shop can make that amount. -
Well, what else can they do? Introduce western welfarism into Singapore? The common arguement is that this will disintegrate peoples motivation to work and be a disinsentive for investments. So, helping the poor and down trodden of society is a just cause, no one sane can argue can against it. However, the question lies upon how we are to pay for it. Juxtaposing the above strategy with the increament of the GST, I'll say that the height in indirect taxes serves the cause and cushions any social impact in the alteration of policy. While some will argue that the GST taxes the middle class and in fact, worsens the plight of the poor, an introduction of western welfarism will lead to a fall in investments which will ultimately mean lesser jobs for Singaporeans and in the end make us all less well off. I am argueing this in the context of our current situation, of which, I might not be exactly the biggest fan of. However, reality precedes idealism and I hope we can have an objective discussion on this topic. To those who have taken offence to what I've written, I apologise.
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I am curious, what is Western Welfarism?Originally posted by Quincey:Well, what else can they do? Introduce western welfarism into Singapore? The common arguement is that this will disintegrate peoples motivation to work and be a disinsentive for investments. So, helping the poor and down trodden of society is a just cause, no one sane can argue can against it. However, the question lies upon how we are to pay for it. Juxtaposing the above strategy with the increament of the GST, I'll say that the height in indirect taxes serves the cause and cushions any social impact in the alteration of policy. While some will argue that the GST taxes the middle class and in fact, worsens the plight of the poor, an introduction of western welfarism will lead to a fall in investments which will ultimately mean lesser jobs for Singaporeans and in the end make us all less well off. I am argueing this in the context of our current situation, of which, I might not be exactly the biggest fan of. However, reality precedes idealism and I hope we can have an objective discussion on this topic. To those who have taken offence to what I've written, I apologise.
I am not against the rise of GST but I would hope the "very good" brains which the country are paying would try to find another mathematical solutions that will benefit both the poor and the mid class in short term and will able to benefit the "elite class" in the long run. I am not a high paid "brian" therefore I am not sure if there's any possibility of it happening.
ps: just hope the very good brains of the garment will not be lazy -
Ahah.. better to be loved than to be fearedOriginally posted by LazerLordz:Nope, it's called being the real deal. To be able to dole out mercy, beats being merciless in stature. 
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wonders how she looks like.Originally posted by charlize:OoooOooo, someone's got a soft spot for her. -
The PAP leaders keep on claiming that increase GST wont affect the poor n that it wont widen the gap between rich n poor,but it was totally bullsh!t!!!!Like i said before,if the PAP want to close up the gap between rich n poor,they should increase income tax,not GST!!!
If they decrease income tax n increase GST,rich ppl like those PAP leaders n businessman will have to pay less money to tax,n it will only widen the gap between rich n poor n raise more discontent between majority Singaporeans.It will also increase the risk of chaotic situation n unstability in our country.
A person can tell lies to other ppl,but they cannot change the "fact".He can lie to the kids that this world is "square",but he cannot change the fact that it is "round".Those PAP leaders only know how to tell lies,but they dont have the ability to change the "fact".And besides,dont their parents caution them not to tell lies when those PAP leaders were still kids......Or they dont have parents at all? -
There are many critics to the govt tactics. And there is really no clear right or wrong. It is quite clear that promoting elitism in the country is not something socially acceptable here. On the other hand, the govt realises that we only have people as our precious resources so we need to harness the best to boost the country economically. This leads each and every person to think that they don't owe anybody a living since they are performing and earning their own keep.
The unfortunate by-product of elitism and the rest has to be addressed separately in the social fabric. Currently, we don't see a lot of high-profile plans and steps in place possibly because the govt (community devt ministry) either have not thought about it yet in detail or is still at the planning stage. But we don't have to wait for the govt to do something. The Wee case is something that was done by the ordinary citizenry without any govt facilitating, right?
In the long term we may be seeing a lot of cases of young pple behaving similiarly as the PAP MP daughter. Not very sure how the older folks may look at this. In actual fact, S'pore may not be a very good place to retire when u grown old. The way the taxes, medical schemes and the policies are in place, unless you have spent at least 2 terms in parliament, it is not very encouraging for an elderly person to spend the golden years here. -
If there's a high chance of working way past 40 years old...Originally posted by yuehan:I am not sure which country have pension policy. But I know Japan practice that, and the reason that I see why their Garment did that is because the employer and employed status will be a long lasting one.
1 Japanese man, in his life will only work for 1 company.
1 Singapore man, average will work for at least 3 company. The mindset of people are different.
Japanese basically do everything within their limits for their company, as they know that if their company contiune to run after he / she retire, they will get their pension. They care for the company like its part of their own family business despite their salary and status in the company. Do YOU.
We have to change jobs because the situation forces us to.
Japanese are known for their loyalty, you can't compare that. Just ask yourself how loyal are you to your company. Have you ever had a job change? If you have, what's your reason for doing so? You know it, I know it. -
Logically, it sounds right.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:So the policy is a good one...tax the rich who can spend to help the really poor who cannot
But, in life, everything swings both ways. -
Hmm... we aren't blind.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:the hike in GST is to benefit the poorest of Singapore society...you may not have heard of it but there are poorer people than you around. This shows how blind you are
On a serious note, I don't see how it could benefit though.
Even though some charity organizations give out necessities free of charge to the poor, it doesn't last long. The poor will still have to buy their own food, drinks and other stuffs when they run out.
With the hike in GST, they will have to pay more, but their work isn't paying more. It causes unbalance.