Baby bonus scheme
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do they think that the $3000 and $6000 from the government can really pay for the expense of having a kid?
Dream on!
people aren't that stupid, except the mats who must be since they're having so many kids. -
So what does the sweden govertment is giving to its ppl...Originally posted by windjammer:Having children needs great responsibilties and lotsa money. Watever they are offering is an extremely insufficient to really encourage singaporeans to have more kids.
They shud pat themselves on the back for successfully making singaporeans to follow their 'STOP AT TWO' campaign in the 70's.
If they really want to encourage singaporeans to hv more babies, they shud see wat the Swedish government is giving to their citizen.
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Originally posted by ryangian:So what does the sweden govertment is giving to its ppl...
this is what the swedish governement is giving. -
Not my concern yet
Just 2 contribute ...
Govt should change bosses' mindset - JAN 28, 2004 (ST Forum)
HELPING THE STORK ALONG
I READ the article, 'Govt reviewing baby bonus scheme' (ST, Jan 26), with great interest. I have a three-year-old boy and am expecting my second child this year.
.To be honest, the $500 per annum baby bonus is nothing compared to the cost of having a child. However, as the Government is reviewing the scheme to arrest the slide in the birth rate, let me highlight some things which future parents would like to see implemented or changed:
My husband and I decided to have the second one not because of the baby bonus but because we were ready for it and also because I have a supportive employer and immediate superior who encouraged me to procreate
*The baby bonus should be extended to all babies and not only to the second and third child. It should also be increased, to help pay for baby's caregiver, be it a child-care centre or a babysitter.
*The Government should first change the mindset of employers. Expectant mums should be given mandatory time off for their monthly antenatal check-ups.
I know of friends whose bosses are not happy when they have to go off for check-ups, even though they are using their annual leave. My boss lets me go for mine, no questions asked.
*Fathers should be given at least a week of paternity leave, to lend support to their wives.
*Allow the total cost of delivery to be deducted from Medisave.
The Government should solicit the views of the people who matter - potential parents and not policy-makers - before making changes to the baby bonus scheme.
In this way it would be getting valid feedback which in turn may result in a better scheme which would encourage many more couples to have children. Yes, I agree with Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong when he said, 'I don't think you can just depend on money to encourage people to have children. Having children is a very personal and individual decision.' However, given a more conducive environment, couples who are hesitant to have children may change their minds. SUZANA JORAMI (MS)
MAKE IVF MORE AFFORDABLE: I refer to the articles, 'Want more babies? 'Sweeten incentives' ' and 'Family values come first: PM' (ST, Jan 21).
A significant 20 per cent of married couples in Singapore have problems conceiving. For them, there are two solutions: go for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or adopt a baby. Adoption is not an attractive option for most as the child would not be their own flesh and blood. IVF, on the other hand, is very costly. Couples are allowed to use only $4,000 from their Medisave accounts to pay for the treatment. This is less than half the total medical expenses. Furthermore, as there is a high failure rate of 60 per cent, couples may have to try several times before they are successful. If the Government can allow couples to utilise more of their Medisave or provide grants or subsidies, this would bring IVF within the reach of more people and help tackle the issue of falling birth rates. YONG WEI FOONG (MS)
RELOOK 44-HOUR WORK WEEK: It will take more than just relooking the baby bonus to get me to go for another baby. The Government should relook the 44-hour work week. When parents work from 9am to 6.30pm, it leaves them with only two to three hours a day with their children.
It should encourage employers to be more family-oriented, such as by giving tax incentives to those who set up childcare centres in the office building. It could also encourage childcare centres to operate beyond 7pm, so that parents do not have to look for alternatives such as hiring a nanny. NEIL NICHOLAS RETNAM -
sorri double posting
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there are so many issues concerning child birth or rather the lack of it.... education, finances, childcare etc...
the $$ they give is definitely not enuff... but then again IF they give us enuff, tat would implies a higher tax rate.... so sama sama lah....
frankly, ppl give birth not cos of govt $$ and neither would we dun cos they dun give any.... it's a matter of choice....
so far, none of their "efforts" have inspired me
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It's Agent Smith bozo, Mr. Anderson is Neo.Originally posted by Farmer Brown:As Mr Anderson would say in times like these, Human's are a virus that should be contained. I say colonise another planet for the animals and the eco-system and let it grow UNATTENDED. That way only when humans are ready to live in harmony with nature then should they migrate.
Anyway, in our context, our schemes to entice Singaporeans to breed are simply not comprehensive enough. Aside from shallow rebates and bonuses that on;y help you the first few years, you realize that for the next 16-20 years you're pretty much on your own.
One is already enough trouble to upkeep, while the govt. in interested in getting people to have more children, it's apparent that they are not putting their money where their mouth is. To follow the govt.'s policies means sacrifice on your part with a token amount of aid for your contribution to their system.
In short, they want more meat to be fed into the grinder to keep it moving and you'll have to provide it.
Is it any surprise that their schemes have been met with placid response from the populace? Most people see right through them, and who will have children for the sake of their rebates? It's hardly any incentive. And children grown up in a soceity that ultimately dehumanizes them and teaches them to be cogs in the machine rather then actual thinking individuals. The truth is, being a parent in Singapore is hard, if not next to impossible work, and the govt. isn't making it any easier. Their schemes are a laughable response of contradictions, trying to have their cake at eat it as well. -
The post from reflects sentiments which would have probably struck us familiar as the normative order of Life in the local scene.
Regrettably, my personal suspicious is that such mentality formats would probably have some originating point from the contents that we have all received during our fundamental years of education.
And by the word ‘Education’, I am not referring merely to the local scene.
As have also pointed out, the phenomena of lower birthrates is not unique to Singapore alone.
Populations that lived in developed cities all over the world faces a similar trend. Hence this formulates a suspicion on the lack of emphasis, education and reflectiveness on family and social linked reproduction issues to have been a potential cause amidst the overshadowing of teaching, as dominated by commercially concerned subjects such as Business, Engineering or Science electives.
While we can neither undo or truly ‘reduce’ what we have already learnt, the next best thing that may be tried to attempt to dilute on the current overemphasis on areas such as Career or Money might be thru social marketing or public education, whichever is a better word.
This is of course, only a short term tactic to meet the problem with our generation, most of whom are either sexually ready for performance, or already sexually active.
A long term strategy however, will have to emphasis on more Â’family friendlyÂ’ modules and subjects on the younger generations that is still currently in the process of the mold, and on those who will eventually go thru the System too.
Inculcate in the next generation – A sense of understanding on what one’s family really is.
Educate in generic – On what is the respective roles and responsibility of each member in a family.
And Cultivate – In these children, a sense of treasuring, on the value of family ties and kinship.
In face of a shifting Masculinity and Feministic values as the two emerges into milder variations from each respective concept extreme and into a more homogenous mix – Have more complex subjects such as Home Economics or Technical Work taught to BOTH male and female students on rotational basis.
Do away with old norm thinking such as ‘I’m the Man so I bring back the Bread’ and ‘You’re the Woman so you just stay at Home and Bear Me Kids.’
If there is another goblin that is responsible for a low birthrate, then it could have well been conflicts and disagreement over couplesÂ’ individual perception over both their Self and PartnerÂ’s sexuality roles cum expectations cum desire.
The Times have changed.
The Values have changed.
And hence, Education must thus follow this trend and change too.
The imbalance on the Masculinity and Feministic perception that is inherent in our society was also being brought up earlier in the news article posted by Clown9.
With even public appeals such as ‘*Fathers should be given at least a week of paternity leave, to lend support to their wives’ making their appear up onto the Press, such are serious fire alarms who’s ring we must take serious heed of.
Otherwise by the time someone decided on a course of more effective action against the problem at a later delay, my guess is that most of the people whom had heard the fire bells, would have all but fled the scene. -
wait long long! i dont want to be paying taxes to subsidize someone else's fucking babyOriginally posted by redoctober: -
Can 'Values of Family and Kinship' be taught to the next and each generation thereafter ?
It will be doubtful if such values can be taught in a curriculum, as a subject matter or as part of home economics education.
It can be incalcated by the Family, as a living process of respect, trust, confidence, and communication between the adults and the children within the Family, so as to allow the youner generation to learn by example and experience - all the values, spirit, warmth, and events of the Family in a closed personal environment.
However, such an environment can be disrupted by the LARGER ENVIRONMENT in the Community and Society, which can dictate and affect the Family Environment - through Government Policies such as Family Planning, Educational, Taxation, Cost of Living, Housing and Social schemes, Economic Planning, and POLITICS.
In this age of the Twenty-First Century, LIFE in this New Age seems to be more transient.
There is little permanence in Fashion, Property, Social, Economics, and Politics.
'CHANGE' in all the mentioned spheres of Human Activities is the keyword in Modern Day Living, at a pace that is fast and that last only for a very short term.
This experience is happening in every country that has nearly the standards of MODERN DAY LIVING - or modern conveniences.
This will explain for the PREFERRED VALUES of the Young towards the common values of INDEPENDENCE, EXCITEMENT (for the sake of thrills from challenges), CONSTANT CHANGE (for experiences), and ESCAPISM (from the grind).
With such NEW values that the Younger Generation treasure, it is little wonder that nearly every country on this globe, is suffering from the common problem of declining population.
However, Sweden seems to have reverse the trend of lower birth rates, in recent times, despite a Political System that impose heavy personal tax and an environment with high cost of living.
It is able to reverse the trend of a declining population by improving its environment through its already famous social welfare system, by increasing the support to the Young Family, without any compromise to the preferred Life Style or to Standard of Living demanded by the Young - and at no additional costs that can affect the Cost of Living.
The succes of the supposedly high cost of Social Welfare is made possible in Sweden, by intelligent and transparent investment of Public Capital to benefit the Social Welfare system - (unlike the secretive processes of the GIC in Singapore). -
I am sure some of you may have read or heard the paradox of our time by George Carlin? I will give a short snippet from the passage, "The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time."
There is a part of his passage that is really true to today's society, "These are the times of fast foods, and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the day of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes."
Right now, just look how we have more communication tools but we have less face to face interaction. We focus too much on work, esp with our govt pressing us to work work work, pay pay pay, save save save, but earn less with this wage revamp... Look at Australia, they stop, literally STOP work at 5pm on the dot and even at 430 they start closing their shops! By 5pm start, they're out drinking or going out with their families. They have the shorter working hours, giving them more freedom on their own, to enjoy, to procreate, to do ons, to finally have fun and settle down fast. For singaporeans, its work past lunch past dinner, get out of work the only thing thats open are clubs/pubs!!! -
I agree with you on your stand that Kinship and Family Ties CANNOT be taught in schools as subjects or modules.Originally posted by Atobe:Can 'Values of Family and Kinship' be taught to the next and each generation thereafter ?
It will be doubtful if such values can be taught in a curriculum, as a subject matter or as part of home economics education.
It can be incalcated by the Family, as a living process of respect, trust, confidence, and communication between the adults and the children within the Family, so as to allow the youner generation to learn by example and experience - all the values, spirit, warmth, and events of the Family in a closed personal environment.
However, such an environment can be disrupted by the LARGER ENVIRONMENT in the Community and Society, which can dictate and affect the Family Environment - through Government Policies such as Family Planning, Educational, Taxation, Cost of Living, Housing and Social schemes, Economic Planning, and POLITICS.
In this age of the Twenty-First Century, LIFE in this New Age seems to be more transient.
There is little permanence in Fashion, Property, Social, Economics, and Politics.
'CHANGE' in all the mentioned spheres of Human Activities is the keyword in Modern Day Living, at a pace that is fast and that last only for a very short term.
This experience is happening in every country that has nearly the standards of MODERN DAY LIVING - or modern conveniences.
This will explain for the PREFERRED VALUES of the Young towards the common values of INDEPENDENCE, EXCITEMENT (for the sake of thrills from challenges), CONSTANT CHANGE (for experiences), and ESCAPISM (from the grind).
With such NEW values that the Younger Generation treasure, it is little wonder that nearly every country on this globe, is suffering from the common problem of declining population.
However, Sweden seems to have reverse the trend of lower birth rates, in recent times, despite a Political System that impose heavy personal tax and an environment with high cost of living.
It is able to reverse the trend of a declining population by improving its environment through its already famous social welfare system, by increasing the support to the Young Family, without any compromise to the preferred Life Style or to Standard of Living demanded by the Young - and at no additional costs that can affect the Cost of Living.
The succes of the supposedly high cost of Social Welfare is made possible in Sweden, by intelligent and transparent investment of Public Capital to benefit the Social Welfare system - (unlike the secretive processes of the GIC in Singapore).
Such concepts are simply just too 'Human'.
We can't rigidly just 'program' anyone to luv Thy Family, Thy Neighbour or Thy People simply at the click of a recording button.
However since the bulk of a child's life ( under 16 years ) will mainly be spent in primary and secondary schools, the inculation of family importance and encouragement of personal reflection on the part by the students CAN be included as a more holistic approach for foundation education and learning.
Not everything has to be an examinable subject after all you know..
And yes no doubt about it. Policies in the macro environment DO play along a VERY MAJOR factor in the long term sustainabilty of this particular call for more babies. But on a more realistic note, I dun think we'll really be seeing Swedish standards in Singapore too soon in the near future.