[redbean]

Hi Green Peas,

It is only a matter of perception and relativity. If this is not bad, then what is good or what is bad?
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'Find ways to honour seniors' Goh Chok Tong

Chok Tong said, "It is timely for us to reflect on how to adapt and adjust to this 'silver tsunami'. How we should relate to the elderly, leverage on their talents and life experiences and honour them for their contributions." He also commented about the trend for children to abandon their parents in nursing homes. He warned that how we treat our old today will set the tone for how we will be treated when our time comes. Yes, what kind of society are we?

Compare what Chok Tong said and what Boon Wan has suggested, building cheaper nursing homes in JB and neighbouring countries, we get a different measure of the speakers. What Chok Tong said is like what the Chinese saying, 'ren jiang de hua', or the human lingo. Saying things that reflect human values or being human.

There is nothing wrong with Boon Wan's idea. Those are very practical, reasonable, cost effective measures for people who have money not enough. But such things can be done, discreetly, and not spoken with a loud hailer. The things that Chok Tong said above will be received quite kindly and agreeable to most people. In Boon Wan's case, ouch, it hits the raw nerve of humanity, of emotions and feelings. These are the attributes that make human beans human. Devoid of them, down playing them, will turn us closer to being inhuman, inanimate. Use and throw away mentality.

Now, would there be criticism or anger to what Chok Tong has said? They will be, depending on which angle one is looking at it. Some may split hairs, question his intent and interest. But generally, these are things that politicians should be saying, national leaders should be saying.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[Grunt]

[redbean]

I 'did some dumb things'. Warren Buffett

He blamed himself for some 'ill timed bet on oil and the purchses of shares in two Irish banks'. He also pointed the fingers at the 'regulators and an assortment of unidentified chief executives' which he feared the fall out of the crisis would turn the stock market into a shamble.

We are so lucky, out stock market is on auto pilot mode and will correct itself. No need any meddling and intervention like other stock markets. It will just go down till it is comfortable before recovery. How about 1000 pts or 650 pts?
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'We cannot continue down the same dangerous road we've been travelling for so many years, with costs that are out of control.' Barack H Obama

Obama was referring to the high medical cost in American and his health care plan to cut it by US$2 trillion. And we are happily plodding along the same path, with the US as our reference point. As long as we are cheaper than the US, we are ok. Our health care is affordable.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'You have made thousands of people hostage to your ambitions, your lack of professionalism - or maybe simply your trivial greed.' Vladimir Putin

Putin used these words to humiliate a top oligarch for causing a crisis in a town all because of greed. Take a moment to ponder over this statement and ask how relevant it is to our context. How many people have been made hostages by greed in paradise? How many policies could fall into the same category? I think we all know what they are. No point mentioning as people will not be happy to be told the truth.

This year we will be celebrating 50 years of self rule, not independence. Is there a difference? Definitely, but I have dealt with this earlier. Let's look at the 50 years of success and 50 years to go full circle and probably going backwards. When PAP came to power in 1959, there were great promises of independence and a better life. And PAP delivered. And still delivering, except that some roads were leading to paradise and some to little chicken coops.

Singaporeans have gone through living in little cubicles, attap and zinc roof wooden houses. We progressed to modern housing. There was a time when everyone was looking forward to better housing, 3 rm to 4 rm, to 5 rm, executive flats, condos and private housing. The govt even promised a future of a Swiss standard of living. There were high expectations and an air of confidence. The govt delivered. Many have attained Swiss standard of living and better.

It is distressing to see that instead of continuing on that same path, the promises of tomorrow is no longer the Swiss standard of living but smaller housing, 2 rm and 3rm flats, at exorbitant prices. Are we promising a new standard, the Hongkong standard of living when a 50 sq m flat is considered a luxury apartment? The hard fact now is that people cannot afford the expensive public flats. So instead of bringing down the prices, they bring down the size of the flats, plus extended repayment terms.

Why exorbitant prices? Why would people have to pay a life time, held at ransom for a life time, for a 2 rm or 3 rm flat, or any public flat, 4 rm or 5m? In today's paper, the Americans are buying landed properties costing only US$100k or less. Some in not so good condition could be had for US$10k and could be repaid in 2-3 years. Ok, different country, different conditions. They have big land, more choices and big problems.

But these do not escape the fact that average Singaporeans still got to pay a life time for a small little space which they don't even own. I am not referring to the 20% who are living in paradise like lifestyle.

We are a country, a nation. The people were with the govt for the last 50 years and prospered. What would be the future when the people, I mean the hardlanders, the majority of the people, feel that they have been left out of the prosperity boom? The basics, like decent housing, which I believe is a 4rm flat, not getting smaller, should be the standard for the average Singaporeans, to be affordable and not having to pay a life time for it. Now we are regressing, going down and smaller, while the other end is going up and bigger.

If the govt is all calculative in the dollar sense, in housing policies, why shouldn't the people be calculative in sacrificing for the country, eg National Service. Can the value of NS be quantified in monetary terms, or should it be quantified in monetary terms? The people must see that their sacrifice is worth it, that there is a better tomorrow to look forward to. Are we heading that way? Would the next slogan of the govt be like, we will build more affordable 2 rm and 3 rm flats for the people? Or will it still be the dream of a Swiss standard of living?
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'Many social entrepreneurs do not understand that social enterprises are for profit. Some even feel guilty about it.' Gerard Ee

Do Singaporeans understand the above statement? Or do they need further explanations on the purpose of social enterprises? They are set up for profit, yes to make profit. What charity, what helping the needy, what nonsense?

There is no need to feel guilty about making profit. That is the reason for all enterprises, govt, social or charitable organisations. The rest of the reasons of how noble, how kind and compassionate, the need to help those who need help, are all a big bullshit.

Ok, profit is not necessary bad. Profit is good, just like greed is good. But make profit for what or for who? Be greedy and more greedy, for what and for who?

Now with so many professionals in it, they even coined the term venture philanthropy. They went in with the skills of well trained corporate executives and wielding knives as sharp as those of sushi chefs. Remember those organisations that collect a lot of money and were praised sky high that they were good? Even monks and priests are at it. If only they were not discovered and their dirty laundries washed in the open, they will continue to do what they knew best, and enjoy the perks of top class business executives.

Today we have several pages of write ups in the ST glamorising the passionate and committed, and in tailored suit executives doing charitable work, helping the needy. I hope they were doing it not for profit. But what's wrong with that? They should not feel guilty about it if they were doing it for profit.

I don't know how many of you will agree with my nonsense above?
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

After economy recovers, 10 workers should do the work of 11 or 12 – Lim Swee Say

Can we have similar quotes like 10 ministers doing the work of 11 or 12 ministers, or 10 MPs doing the work of 11 or 12 MPs, or 10 MDs doing the work of 11 or 12 MDs?

The answer is obvious. The higher it goes, the more difficult and complex is the job. You really need 11 to 12 ministers to do the job of 10 ministers, 11 or 12 MPs to do the job of 10 MPs, and 11 or 12 MDs to do the job of 10 MDs.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

"They have more than doubled the American national debt in one weekend for a bunch of crooks and incompetents. I'm not quite sure why I or anybody else should be paying for this." Jim Rogers

Who are these incompetents and crooks? These are people who churned out corporate profits in the billions when the organisations are technically bankrupts. And mind you, they are the supertalents from the top notch universities. And they do not know that they have done wrong. And they are demanding the same crazy pay and bonuses again.

You don't need crooks and robbers when you have them around. And they are much more greedy and deadlier. They have no shame, no sense of moral justice. They only demand a ransom from the organisations and shareholders.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'Religion is a force for good, and it's important that it does not become exclusive and that it reaches out to other groups and communities to build strong social cohesion.' Teo Chee Hian

I also say the same truth everyday. So do many believers, that religion is good. This is the conventional truth, a populist belief that ignores the empirical and historical evidences of how evil and destructive religion was, is and can be.

Anyone who thinks that religion is all goodness, please read the content of the scriptures and at historical records on what religion actually did to the non believers and also to their believers. Heard of the Inquisition and the role of religion in the conquest of the world of savages?

The truth is ugly and it is better not to tell the truth.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

'Our govts lack enough people with the fortitude to speak up without fear or favour. Ovrr regulation, increasing taxes and lack of true representation are affecting our way of life. I feel very much for the young ones. Once, it was common for them to won their own homes. Not now. It's a harder place.' Pauline Hanson

Pauline Hanson is leaving Australia and returning to England to her fish and chip root. She must have been very disappointed over the immigration policy in Australia and wanted to go back to a place that is much fairer. She is in for a nasty surprise. There are more coloured immigrants in England today than the England she thought she knew.

Her quote above is very familiar. At first I thought it was from a Singaporean or about Singapore. The only part I agree with her is her concern for the young. But it is not so that the young in Singapore are not able to buy their affordable homes here. Our young are in a very admirable position with the govt guaranteeing that more affordable homes will be built for them. Australia should learn from Singapore in building homes for their young.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

Your heart rate would not go up

'When you come to this hospital, your blood pressure and heart rate won't go up.' Liak Teng Lit, CEO Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

I am still trying to figure out what he meant. People with high blood pressure can get instant relief, pressure will go down by visiting KTPH? People with hearts beating too rapidly can go to KTPH and the hearts will beat slower? Amazing.

And a ear check cost only $2! This is getting ridiculous. How could a modern and well equipped hospital charged this kind of rate? Is it just a gimmick? If not the hospital will soon lose money or the standard will drop. They need to charge more to ensure that the quality is good and be able to pay for good doctors and medical professionals.

Or maybe Khoo Teck Puat is subsidising the cost. Thank you Khoo Teck Puat.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

"A system may arise in which the dominant minority... arrogate to itself not only the openings to the seats of power, but also the avenues by which individuals can fit themselves out for such positions of power. The dominant minority is thus able to point out those outside of the charmed circle just do not have the necessary qualifications to be admitted to the elite group." Dr Goh Keng Swee

I copied the above quotes from Loh Chee Kong's article posted in Corporate Observer. In the same article there are several quotes that are worth readin, to freshen up from the staleness of the new mantras that violate the wisdom of the old.

Reading his speech and the quotes gives one the impression that he had seen it coming and was warning us of how things could turn out in the future. His reticence after retirement could say a lot.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

Notable quotes by LKY

'The Taiwanese are ruthless, Hong Kongers are shameless and Singaporeans are ignorant. People who are ignorant are not corrupt and reliable.'

The above is quoted from Today paper 13 Jul 10.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.

[redbean]

What a country needs is not just talent, but also commitment and loyalty....Remy Tan

Remy Tan wrote to the ST commenting on the Wharton and Harvard couple who decided to move to Singapore because Singapore benefits them but then changed their minds because of xenophobic postings in the blogs.

I can agree with Remy Tan's comment but with some qualifications. What he said is only true if it is a country. If it is a hotel, then what is needed is more talents and not commitment or loyalty. And this is the exactly what is happening to the MNCs. All the executives are creaming off as much as they can from the organisations knowing very well that at some point in time they will have to leave. There is no need for commitment or loyalty to any organisation or country. It is one's own pocket and interests that matter.

Are we building a country or are we turning it into a hotel? A hotel always places the interests and comfort of its guests first. The staff are there only to work and collect pays. If we go the direction of the hotel, then what we need are talents and more talents and more talents. No need commitment nor loyalty. The latter are foolish ideas to con the fools.
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what i posted is just my personal view. feel free to disagree.