Should Straits Times close down or change name?
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So many times, so many citizens have written well-articulated letters to the forum page of the Straits Times pointing out wrong policies which seek to tax citizens with direct as well as indirect taxes and fee increases of all kinds even in situation where the ministries or the GLCs are not losing monies with lots of profits declared last seasons.
In fact, the high costs of living and doing business is mainly caused by a system where government double-charges on lands and facilities which were already paid for by citizens through the taxes e.g. HDB acquired lands using peopleÂ’s monies to do so yet it charges flats at market prices less a discount wrongfully and dishonestly claimed by Mah Bow Tan as subsidy. (Today he still avoids replying to letters to forum page by an ex-HDB staff Mr. Cheong Chee Mun on this wrongful practice or profiteering which causes costs of living and doing business to go up and up)
It looks like PTC of SBS or some councils of some GLCs are going to jack up fees again and again this year going by past occurrences.
Has the government listened to voice of reason. Has it claimed to govern by law and order.
If the government is not so self-centred or hypocritical many citizensÂ’ problems could have been solved today.
So citizens are now left wondering whether it is useful for them to express any more opinions or whether the forum page of the Straits Times and the Straits Times should close down or change name as Feedback Unit has done as it is becoming a national shame to publish news or give feedbacks without any listening by the very government which talks proudly to the world about their cosmopolitan openness and welcoming of talents, views of rightness or opinions. -
Either close it down or sell it to John Fairfax.
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if every letter to the straits times gets published, maybe everyday one copy of the papers weigh 10 kilos. i pity the newspaper man.Originally posted by robertteh:So many times, so many citizens have written well-articulated letters to the forum page of the Straits Times pointing out wrong policies which seek to tax citizens with direct as well as indirect taxes and fee increases of all kinds even in situation where the ministries or the GLCs are not losing monies with lots of profits declared last seasons.
In fact, the high costs of living and doing business is mainly caused by a system where government double-charges on lands and facilities which were already paid for by citizens through the taxes e.g. HDB acquired lands using peopleÂ’s monies to do so yet it charges flats at market prices less a discount wrongfully and dishonestly claimed by Mah Bow Tan as subsidy. (Today he still avoids replying to letters to forum page by an ex-HDB staff Mr. Cheong Chee Mun on this wrongful practice or profiteering which causes costs of living and doing business to go up and up)
It looks like PTC of SBS or some councils of some GLCs are going to jack up fees again and again this year going by past occurrences.
Has the government listened to voice of reason. Has it claimed to govern by law and order.
If the government is not so self-centred or hypocritical many citizensÂ’ problems could have been solved today.
So citizens are now left wondering whether it is useful for them to express any more opinions or whether the forum page of the Straits Times and the Straits Times should close down or change name as Feedback Unit has done as it is becoming a national shame to publish news or give feedbacks without any listening by the very government which talks proudly to the world about their cosmopolitan openness and welcoming of talents, views of rightness or opinions. -
How credible can one be who is paid to cover up problems by pretending they don't exist. Letters published talking about cats and dogs do not weigh anything I suppose by your poodle reasoning.Originally posted by crazy monkey:if every letter to the straits times gets published, maybe everyday one copy of the papers weigh 10 kilos. i pity the newspaper man. -
Change to PAP TImes?
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So cute...... what makes anyone here thinks that the next paper would be any better
U change the name of straits times..... all the report would still be the same. U close down straits time...... the next newspaper could still be the same. -
It's not the paper, it's the Press and Printing Act. (whatever they call it)
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No doubt the land belongs to the nation. However, only by affliating it with politics (nation interest) and the capitalist market then you will be able to see the rational behind and your falsehood claim of 'double charging' of the land. In my humble opinion, since the land belongs to the people and whom the people voted the nation leaders into office, HDB can either opt to open up the land for tender for private developers for a sum of money (then the charging of a flat will be up to the private developer) or to choose to take up the project on their own bearing in mind the market forces in place.
If HDB decided to develop the land on its own, it will still have to charge the cost of a flat at the market rate purely because it is in the best interest in term of the profits gain as compare to selling out to the private developer. The additional profits can then be better utilised to offset or to curb the rest of the taxes like GST or road tax etc. Amid the hot property market, HDB is offering out subsidies to lower-income families to make the housing more afforable for the general public.
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Imagine a world without internet.
Imagine all internet websites controlled by lackies.
Imagine Saddam never died.
Imagine Kim Jong Ill.
How to avoid all these?
Got to rid the parasites. -
so letters about cats and dogs are deem less worthy of publishing than yours ?Originally posted by robertteh:How credible can one be who is paid to cover up problems by pretending they don't exist. Letters published talking about cats and dogs do not weigh anything I suppose by your poodle reasoning. -
As long as PAP is in power,all the reports from any newspaper will be the same.The best thing is close down PAP party.Originally posted by hloc:So cute...... what makes anyone here thinks that the next paper would be any better U change the name of straits times..... all the report would still be the same. U close down straits time...... the next newspaper could still be the same. -
Newspaper can be used to wrap vegetables, sharp objects and rubbish...
so who cares what it called? -
LONG LIVE THE INTERNET...
LONG LIVE THE INTERNET... -
Obviously the Straits Times and Today in order not to offend the ruling party and avoid engaging in so-called crusading journalism will publish more letters on cats and dogs or others touching on minor local or municipal issues to stay in good book of the authority.Originally posted by crazy monkey:so letters about cats and dogs are deem less worthy of publishing than yours ?
The flip side is when so many problems like the NKF or general unhappiness of citizens over ministers' writing their own pay cheques have been covered up for years they will one day explode in uproars on certain least expected circumstances.
If cyber agents try to justify existing wrongs by falsehood and hypocrisy they will not necessarily do the ruling party any favor. They should act more positively and try to give real feedbacks on problems and tell their masters problems as they are without pretences or currying favors. -
Just read the profiteering by HDB in its sale of flats to citizens as exposed in a letter to the forum page of the Straits Times (see below)Originally posted by TooFree:No doubt the land belongs to the nation. However, only by affliating it with politics (nation interest) and the capitalist market then you will be able to see the rational behind and your falsehood claim of 'double charging' of the land. In my humble opinion, since the land belongs to the people and whom the people voted the nation leaders into office, HDB can either opt to open up the land for tender for private developers for a sum of money (then the charging of a flat will be up to the private developer) or to choose to take up the project on their own bearing in mind the market forces in place.
If HDB decided to develop the land on its own, it will still have to charge the cost of a flat at the market rate purely because it is in the best interest in term of the profits gain as compare to selling out to the private developer. The additional profits can then be better utilised to offset or to curb the rest of the taxes like GST or road tax etc. Amid the hot property market, HDB is offering out subsidies to lower-income families to make the housing more afforable for the general public.
FROM the letter by the Housing Board's Ms Kee Lay Cheng ('How prices of new HDB flats arrived at'; ST, Nov 17), it would appear that new flats that are sold are not subsidised. Ms Kee said that 'new HDB flats are... priced below their equivalent market values so that buyers enjoy a substantial market subsidy' - that is, they are sold at prices lower than those sold in the open market.
In fact, there is no such thing as 'market subsidy'. If a flat's price in the open market is $400,000 and the seller reduces it to, say, $350,000, he is giving a discount and not a subsidy. Likewise, if the HDB sells its flats at $350,000 each, it is giving a discount to what similar flats can fetch in the open market.
A subsidy is the difference between the cost of a product or service and the reduced price at which the product or service is sold or provided, the difference being absorbed by the Government to make the product or service available to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Thus, if it costs $200,000 to build each flat (land cost + construction cost + consultants' fees and other incidentals) and they are sold at $150,000, then the HDB is giving a subsidy of $50,000. On the other hand, if it sells the flats at, say, $350,000, it is in fact making a profit of $150,000, even though it may be giving a discount of $50,000 to the market price.
The flats in Queenstown that are close to the MRT station were constructed after demolishing low- and medium-rise blocks that were constructed during the early 1960s. The land on which they stood was acquired at very low cost. Even allowing for inflation, the final costs of the flats cannot be the prices now quoted by the HDB. At these prices, the flats are not subsidised.
To say they are sold at these prices because they are near the MRT station is to place a value on them and not their cost. It would have been far better had the HDB said that, because the flats are located close to amenities, they will not be subsidised, but will be sold at cost or even at a small profit to subsidise flats that are not so well located.
Cheong Chee Mun -
pap times
or
indoctrination times -
maybe dulan times
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maybe you have very poor memory or you have selective memory. but its susan leong's article abt the golden tap in durai's office that bring down the house of cards at nkf.Originally posted by robertteh:Obviously the Straits Times and Today in order not to offend the ruling party and avoid engaging in so-called crusading journalism will publish more letters on cats and dogs or others touching on minor local or municipal issues to stay in good book of the authority.
The flip side is when so many problems like the NKF or general unhappiness of citizens over ministers' writing their own pay cheques have been covered up for years they will one day explode in uproars on certain least expected circumstances.
If cyber agents try to justify existing wrongs by falsehood and hypocrisy they will not necessarily do the ruling party any favor. They should act more positively and try to give real feedbacks on problems and tell their masters problems as they are without pretences or currying favors.
and the offending remarks by GCT's wife was published in the papers also. -
This is one out of one million non propaganda incident. Anyone with a good pair of eyes can tell ST spews propaganda everyday. Its hard to raise the 146th ranking with one incident you knowOriginally posted by crazy monkey:maybe you have very poor memory or you have selective memory. but its susan leong's article abt the golden tap in durai's office that bring down the house of cards at nkf.
and the offending remarks by GCT's wife was published in the papers also.
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If you are not happy then dont read it. save the $0.80Originally posted by kilua:This is one out of one million non propaganda incident. Anyone with a good pair of eyes can tell ST spews propaganda everyday. Its hard to raise the 146th ranking with one incident you know -
there's always the Epoch Times.
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Which unfortunately, is the same as the ST on the other spectrum.Originally posted by Chin Eng:there's always the Epoch Times. 
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Quite funny....Originally posted by robertteh:So citizens are now left wondering whether it is useful for them to express any more opinions or whether the forum page of the Straits Times and the Straits Times should close down or change name as Feedback Unit has done as it is becoming a national shame to publish news or give feedbacks without any listening by the very government which talks proudly to the world about their cosmopolitan openness and welcoming of talents, views of rightness or opinions.
1. That sometimes we think we are speaking for ALL citizens.
2. That the press is obliged to post ALL our letters.
3. That the government is obliged to take into action ALL suggestions.
So Bob, how many letters did you write that did not get published????
Myself? Many.... though sometimes I get my name into the forum page too. -
Exactly! There IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE PRESS!Originally posted by LazerLordz:Which unfortunately, is the same as the ST on the other spectrum. -
...or how about --- ahem --- THE DEMOCRAT