Opposition supporters are smartest?
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Originally posted by flabber:
It seems strange for you to be replying to me, feels as though its a case of cloning but I shan't speculate. With regards to your policies,
1. Increase in GST. Singaporeans already contribute to CPF coupled with the existing GST. It is also a known fact that we charge the one of the highest amount of taxes for alcohol and cigarettes. Our "losers"(according to our MM) do contribute to GST too. If the true motive is to prevent the expansion of the income gap? Shouldn't there be a more effective way which would exempt those whom the government aims to bring out of the poverty trap? How much is enough? With our reserves and state owned companies not enough for such funding?
2. Increase in ERP. Yes, I agree, Singapore is small and owning a car is a luxury to some extent. But you do realise that with exhorbitant road taxes and the COE which is Unique Singapore, we're paying a heft price for such a luxury already. If the true motive of putting up more ERP gantries is to improve the flow of traffic, should something more effecient such as improving our road infrastructure be implemented? To increase ERP charges together with more gantries in itself is a regressive policy. Furthermore, ERP charges also bear down on taxi passengers. Coupled with increase in taxi fares, I wonder how badly cabbies are affected.
3. CDC. I concur that these one stop CDCs do assist our people in one way or another, however please refer to point 1 as stated. There should be better ways to assist our people.
4. Ministerial Salaries. Here we go again. The main idea that the government tries to drive home to justify their wages is to prevent corruption and attract talent into our civil SERVICE. I agree that our ministers need to be well paid and well fed, but how much is enough? 6 times that of Mr. George Bush? Thats ridiculous! Some say that in itself is open corruption, but I will stop short of making such allegations or "slander" as a certain someone on these boards would put it. If we need to fork out such astronomical sums to attract talent into our civil SERVICE, I question where their allegiance lies. Their own interests and pockets or the interests of the public of whom they are duty bound to render their SERVICE. Please take note that they are serving their country and people and that in itself should take precedence over monetary gains.
5. Fighting inflation. How does bringing in more foreign workers fight inflation? You claim that these foreign workers create employment opportunites for locals, but is that really the case? Even if that holds true, any employment they create in itself is cancelled off by the ones that they hold. Coupled with the host of social problems that we all associate with them especially the PRCs, is it really a wise move?
First off - we all ARE losers, not only those who are needy, for we live in a society where the strong protects the weak and not one where the strongest survive and win all, to hell with the weak.
Our society will not and never will abandon the weak, children, women and our elderly, just as our previous generation had proven and provided us with our todays.
The US$300 billion dollars in reserve comprises of tax revenues, investment returns as well as a large significant portion that is CPF. Do be aware that the CPF monies must not only be returned, it must be returned back to the depositors WITH interest. While not ALL must be returned within the same second, there is a responsibility that only a small amount be allowed for investments to generate saving interest returns.
Thus, in terms of actual figure for social spending, it would not be enough to fund everything each year- birth of a Spore child to the last gasp of our elderly with the best medical care, as much as we want to, unless we increase our tax base or GST. We own no natural resources to depend on, except ourselves. I wish too, there are other ways..
2. Increase in ERP.
I do not agree that it is a regressive policy. Road tax, though still present, will be lowered. COE, PARF is still under consideration. However, car ownership aspirations must be tampared with reality of our small land size. There are other owners of Singapore who don't own a car, so what about them?
One car or taxi with 1 person takes up 5m long space on our road. A bus with 40 persons takes up only 10m long space. What would be a fair and equitable solution to meet our transportation needs? I own a car, and i believe ERP is currently the best viable solution for now. Pay more if you want to occupy a space that could have took 10 persons. If you don't really need a car, don't buy one, or go for weekend car to satisfy that car aspiration. Car owners or public transport passengers, we are all Spore citizens sharing the same land.
4. Ministerial Salaries. I will not question your beliefs in this matter. It has already been probably too debated already to add anymore new insights.
5. Fighting inflation. How does bringing in more foreign workers fight inflation?
If one has no job, inflation doesnt matter for he can't afford anything and must starve to death. But if he at least have a job, he won't starve. Just that he will not be able to afford better materials. With more jobs created, it would mean chances of landing a better salary job with an increase in pay. Without job creation, we will not only see stagnation in salary opportunities, but also job loss as well in this current downturning time. Furthermore, the govt had handed out grants to upgrade anyone who wish to, and with skill upgrades, so does salary. With salary increases, there will be less fear of inflation.
As for FT/FW social problems, it is not an unsurmountable issue, at least not as fearsome as having no jobs or losing jobs for locals if they are not in our shores.
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Originally posted by DeerHunter:
First off - we all ARE losers, not only those who are needy, for we live in a society where the strong protects the weak and not one where the strongest survive and win all, to hell with the weak.
Our society will not and never will abandon the weak, children, women and our elderly, just as our previous generation had proven and provided us with our todays.
The US$300 billion dollars in reserve comprises of tax revenues, investment returns as well as a large significant portion that is CPF. Do be aware that the CPF monies must not only be returned, it must be returned back to the depositors WITH interest. While not ALL must be returned within the same second, there is a responsibility that only a small amount be allowed for investments to generate saving interest returns.
Thus, in terms of actual figure for social spending, it would not be enough to fund everything each year- birth of a Spore child to the last gasp of our elderly with the best medical care, as much as we want to, unless we increase our tax base or GST. We own no natural resources to depend on, except ourselves. I wish too, there are other ways..
2. Increase in ERP.
I do not agree that it is a regressive policy. Road tax, though still present, will be lowered. COE, PARF is still under consideration. However, car ownership aspirations must be tampared with reality of our small land size. There are other owners of Singapore who don't own a car, so what about them?
One car or taxi with 1 person takes up 5m long space on our road. A bus with 40 persons takes up only 10m long space. What would be a fair and equitable solution to meet our transportation needs? I own a car, and i believe ERP is currently the best viable solution for now. Pay more if you want to occupy a space that could have took 10 persons. If you don't really need a car, don't buy one, or go for weekend car to satisfy that car aspiration. Car owners or public transport passengers, we are all Spore citizens sharing the same land.
4. Ministerial Salaries. I will not question your beliefs in this matter. It has already been probably too debated already to add anymore new insights.
5. Fighting inflation. How does bringing in more foreign workers fight inflation?
If one has no job, inflation doesnt matter for he can't afford anything and must starve to death. But if he at least have a job, he won't starve. Just that he will not be able to afford better materials. With more jobs created, it would mean chances of landing a better salary job with an increase in pay. Without job creation, we will not only see stagnation in salary opportunities, but also job loss as well in this current downturning time. Furthermore, the govt had handed out grants to upgrade anyone who wish to, and with skill upgrades, so does salary. With salary increases, there will be less fear of inflation.
As for FT/FW social problems, it is not an unsurmountable issue, at least not as fearsome as having no jobs or losing jobs for locals if they are not in our shores.
1) Oh yes, the CPF funds with characteristics of an insurance scheme, but with payouts equivalent to bond rates.
Take the money invest in the equity market, make annualised average returns of 10% to 15%, pay off the depressed 2.5% to 4% interest rate due to CPF account holders, pocket the 10%.2) ERP a solution to traffic congestion?
It's more like a money making device. Since the inception of ERP, has there been an improvement in traffic congestion? Everybody who drives know the answer to his question. You have an extremely skewed imagination. ERP wasn't about traffic management, it's another form of tax much like GST.You put 100 mice in a small room, you restrict the movement of the mice to half the room, the mice are just going to congregate in the other half of the room. No crowding in the restricted half, but crowding in the other half.
5) What makes you think that there won't be any job if we don't bring in cheap foreigners? Is there empirical evidence that we will lose those jobs? Even if those jobs were lost, it's shows a lack of foresight in the ruling regime, because they failed to see the structural shift in global economy from a manufacturing base to a high skilled info based economy. The ruling elites lack the foresight to implement all those Biotech industry before the shake up of the global economy. Paying them multi million dollar salaries per person and all they could do is to emulate other advanced capitalist economies. Even a chimpanzee is able to mimic.
Another grave error in LKY's policy is the restriction of University Education. A believe that only a small percentage of the population would be University graduates while the greater majority would work in lower skilled jobs. This has created a shortage of University graduates, resulting in the local industry taking in more foreign talent graduates. If the policy of LKY was to have more University graduates, then perhaps we would have lower reliance on foreign talent graduates and only import foreign talents to fill the lower skilled jobs like construction.
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1. Why the increase in GST to pay for social spending when you could still get 6 billion surplus?
GST monies would help to fund them, give their kids a good education and escape the poverty trap.
The subsidies did not increase even though sch fees has increased (for unis)
In addition, why increase GST when there's an onset of inflation? If you have realised, GST has been raised almost every year after election. The timing is definitely worth a look.
1991 election
1994 GST 3%1997 election
Wait and see public reaction2001 election
2003 GST to 4%
2004 GST to 5%2006 election
2007 GST to 7%So? Can we expect this next?
2011 election
2012 GST to 8%????2. Increase in ERP
You don't escape such charges even if you take public transport. They will be reflected in the fare prices sooner or later. Our public transport is not only inefficient, it is also aiming to be profit-making.
3. CDCs
You think it is enough? I personally know of a Malay female security guard who has to work 12 hours a day to feed her children and send them to school. CDC's offer was to give her children free tuition, but the distance was so far that it is time-consuming and not ecnomical to do so.
$6 billion surplus, they should take out a million sgd to give to these people.
4. Increase in ministerial salaries
Ya la, seems like our ministers need to be so highly paid so as not to be corrupt. Do they really have a tendency to be corrupt at low wages if they are there for the sake of Singapore?
The main problem is that the salaries are pegged to the top earners. It's much simpler for them to 'attract' high salaries earners to stay here than to lift the wages of the lower earners. There would definitely be less complains if their salaries were pegged a multiple of the average low wage earner. That way, they would increase their salaries because the average low wager earner has increased their salaries by quite an amount, and not because the top earners has increased their earnings by a lot a lot.
You and I also know that if we just cut a total of $1 million a year from all the ministers, those who need help from the CDCs would have more than $300.
Afterall, the government is voted in to help everyone, not just help the top earners.
5. Fighting inflation
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