No Singaporean will go Hungry

last SG · 2007-12-03T21:10:05+00:00

We are close to that, we are a hybrid regime, maybe one rung higher than communism. If we try harder, we will go back to Monarchy and Feudalism.

deathbait SG

I'm not going to pretend to understand french. And you put it in PRECISELY because you knew I wouldn't understand it to sound smart. Ok. Kudos. You understand one more language than me.

I'm not saying they are to be blamed. I'm asking to look to yourself for reasons before blindly putting all blame on the government. The government is forced to react to the reactions of the people. Water finds it's own level. It happens all over nature. It's no one's fault. It's everyone's fault.

Nothing much to say here, but since you decided to sound smart at my expense, I feel the need to return the favor. Running a country is hardly a "tool" of trade. It's IS the trade.

eagle SG

Not hungry doesn't mean got own shelter to sleep in

The next time I see it around my house area I take pic for you all to see

EarlNeo SG

Just thought of sharing a quote here.

A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog. - Jack London (1876 - 1916)

Gazelle SG

If you leave it to the public and private sector to decide on public toilets, can I ask you who will be interested to build and maintain them?

deathbait SG

Actually, every country allows their people to go hungry. People will always go hungry. That is the backbone of a capitalist society. The ugly side of it is that you can't improve unless you step on someone else. There can only be so many in the upper class.

Look at the homeless in America. The trailer trash. They are littered all over. Tons of people in first world countries don't own their own home. Comparatively, Singapore has done much better.

Look at the welfare system in Australia. They really take care of the needy and old there. But so what? There are still lots of people sleeping on the streets.

There's no eliminating the lower class. That is the face of capitalism. It's time you realised it.

deathbait SG

This is about the worst rebuttal in the string of rebuttals i have to face this morning.

There's really nothing to say here. If you shop overseas, the money flows overseas. News at 11.

deathbait SG

Originally posted by royston_ang:

Let's say it a person need [b]exactly $50 to survive a week. So if there are 3 men, a rich, a average and a poor travel to town to get the weekly $50 handout, what is the cost to each of them? And how much to travel from town back home? Finally, what the amount of money left the rich, average and poor will be getting? Is it still the full amount intended? (Unless you assume that rich will only take taxi, average take bus, and poor WALK).

And of cause, according to the ministers, POOR can't eat in food court, they should to eat something cheaper, maybe rice and soya source or salted fish? No, no, of course they will not go hungry, only malnutrition, but that's all right because they are POOR, isn't it?

If a poor bread winner of a family who has no saving in bank is suddenly retrenched, somehow, he and his family can survive without food, electricity, clean water, transport (of course, they can always walk even if hungry) while the authority take their time to test the family determination before deciding if they are REALLY POOR.

Rolling Eyes [/b]

I'm sorry, I don't really understand your post. But i'll try to answer the questions anyway.

1) Are you asking me about transport cost? Because the point i was trying to raise was utility. The poor gain more utility from a smaller pot. This is the mechanism that allows them to gain more value as the process of getting the pot gets more complicated.

2) I'm not very up to date with the news, i'm afraid. Can you quote me the minister who said that? It's a characteristic of the poor to be unable to afford better food. If they could afford better, they wouldn't need you to champion here for them.

3) Like I said. Blame the fact that we humans are disgusting when it comes to distribution of free resources. The authority are forced to make it such a complicated process because WE are here.

deathbait SG

Nice questions/points.

First of all, there is no perfect solution to seperate the greedy from the needy. There never is. If you could think of a better way, I'm sure your minister would be happy to hear from you. Seriously, write in and recommend your ideas. Despite what you may have heard, our ministers don't eat babies and sprout horns. If you have a good idea, they'll take it.

I'm not talking about the shopper open to the idea of buying the food. I'm talking about people who pass by, see a free sample, have ABSOLUTELY no intention of buying anything, but take it because it's free anyway.

5% projected inflation. The price of growth. That's what growth is. The sacrifice of the now to enjoy the rewards of the future. Obviously if you had your way, deflation is the way to go right? Increased current spending power! But look who's going to suffer later.

I didn't hear of this hospital bed situation. Kudos to him.

I'm not sure if our ministers have lost touch with the people. I'm pretty sure though that the growth spike in recent years exceeded their expectations. Which is not a good thing. It's pretty much all scrambling right now to cover and plug the leaks of a growing economy gone wild. Give them time. They need it.

Gazelle SG

There is nothing unexpected about the inflation problem the world is facing now, infact if you consider that commodity prices have been rising for the past 4 to 5 years the impact should have been felt long ago if not for China.

IMO we are all victims of our own doing because the world (especially the poor who tend to buy china made products) have been suckers for cheap China made products for many years, which bring about heavy investment and economic growth to China.

EarlNeo SG

well qlqq9 raise a issue about being charge a fee for a public bin place infront of their HDB shop when they request not to have it. Meaning they are force to accept what is dealt them even when they are paying for it.

But then u go ard saying that because it is a public bin and if ppl can request not having them, pehape we shouldnt have public toilet as well. Metaphor speaking.

The key point of argument is that if when we are paying for a service, are we allow a say in that? It is like when u subscripted to a phone line and u are force to pay for service which u dun want, are u ok with that? Cant we opt out? Of coz we can. But how come when it come to the goverment, it is a different story. Just because it is the government doing that to u doesnt mean their action is justifiable.

BillyBong SG

All ministers are human. Some are more human then others. It's when they deny their mistakes and declare an aura of infallibility that irks me.

I'm all for offering suggestions, but i have not got answers to several questions i posed to MITA over the issue of vagrants on the streets of Orchard Rd, which makes me wonder whether they are actually listening.

It can also be argued that our inflation came about from the recent GST and transportation hikes, which along with our ministers signing exhorbitant wage increases to their own pay, created a ripple effect in all industrial sectors. Suddenly everyone want to up their own salary, without realising the end result.

The latest to join this bandwagon are comfort-delgro and the taxi companies, and this, after the previous 10cent increase approved by the PTC just over a year ago.

With further price hikes to stables such as noodles, flour and canned pork, imagine how it impacts the low-income group. When is the govt planning to step in? And what measures are expected to ease these 'new poor' through this transition?

PM Lee made a proud boast that 'no one will be left behind'; now it's time to back it up with action.

deathbait SG

Originally posted by BillyBong:

All ministers are human. Some are more human then others. It's when they deny their mistakes and declare an aura of infallibility that irks me.

I'm all for offering suggestions, but i have not got answers to several questions i posed to MITA over the issue of vagrants on the streets of Orchard Rd, which makes me wonder whether they are actually listening.

It can also be argued that our inflation came about from the recent GST and transportation hikes, which along with our ministers signing exhorbitant wage increases to their own pay, created a ripple effect in all industrial sectors. Suddenly everyone want to up their own salary, without realising the end result.

The latest to join this bandwagon are comfort-delgro and the taxi companies, and this, after the previous 10cent increase approved by the PTC just over a year ago.

With further price hikes to stables such as noodles, flour and canned pork, imagine how it impacts the low-income group. When is the govt planning to step in? And what measures are expected to ease these 'new poor' through this transition?

PM Lee made a proud boast that [b]'no one will be left behind'; now it's time to back it up with action.[/b]

regarding the taxi hikes. I'm actually of the opinion that they deserved a much bigger hike a long time ago. Taxi prices have been kept unnaturally low. It's the reason you can't get cabs most of the time. The invisible hand isn't working.

minister pay increase has nothing to do with the poor. Don't pull non-issues into the argument just because it has something to do with the government. As for GST increase, it's a direct contribution to the problem of course, but as i said before, in every capitalist society, someone has to be lower class. And progress is always going to sting for the lower class. It's an inherent problem no one can solve. As such, GST is a source of the problem, but cannot exactly be blamed or solved.

Gazelle SG

Before you jump into the bandwagon to bash the government, I think you should ask yourself why HDB wants to put the rubbish bin infront of the shop (a place where shoppers congregate) and not anywhere else?

Just because the shop owner doesnt want to pay for it, that doesnt mean there is no need for it. Suppose if you are staying in a landed property and your neighbour refuses to engage a rubbish collector and leave their rubbish scattered outside the gate. what will you do?

Using toilet as an example is because, toilets like rubbish bin, are liability to the owners and it doesnt generate profits, so if the government doesnt steps in who will do it? Will you?

charlize SG

This reminds me of the time when they said nobody will be left behind. Laughing

Nikar2 SG

someone should tell the regime to stop making these kind of "we're a good gahmen and we hear the people" news in the papers.
they're making a joke out of themselves. Evil or Very Mad

Gazelle SG

Education is the best provision for the journey to old age - Aristotle

And thats what our government is promoting and supporting to ensure nobody is being left behind unless you choose to.

charlize SG

Well, at least you know they have time to read the Straits Times. Laughing

maurizio13 SG

Filling up a form is reasonable, but filling up a mountain of forms is not, as it becomes prohibitive. Does filling up extra forms provide more evidence as to the financial position of the applicant? The government has all the required information in their databases, CPF records, Income Tax records, Bank records, etc.

maurizio13 SG

It's equivalent to the statement that there are no poor in Singapore made by MM.

Very Happy

charlize SG

What education courses do you want the senile 80 year old lady who collects cardboard boxes for a living to take?

Microsoft Excel? Laughing

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