The only aim of this formula is to create highly educated adults to slog their lives away working & contributing to the economy! As The Hurricane says,”What’s up with that?!”

It’s the YP that I am a member of (and not YPAP).

If one wants to broach in the Human Rights issue, that is OK. Let’s talk about it on its own merit. Linking it with the baby issue muddles things up.

What if the government says, “Let’s just have babies and forget about Sweden.”

What then? Would Mr Wang and his supporters now agree to have pro-baby policies and ditch this human rights stuff?

I, too, feel this way.

There is very little to look forward to after slogging day in and day out and certainly this climate does not want to make more babies who would drain more resources away.

PAP wants more babies to keep themselves in power.

But it takes an alternative government which values the individual to really encourage the people to have babies.

So the PAP must lose power in order to have more babies. It cannot lose power and increase power at the same time, thus the paradox. Simple.

i will be surprised that this materialistic, individualistic and self obsessed generation would care for anyone but themselves to seriously think of having more than 2 kids, if at all, to care for and nurtured.

in short, the government is basically wasting tax payers money on those who , even without incentives, will be mad enough to subject their kids to the city way of life.

the old saying that the second and third generation will destroy the hard work of the first generation may actually come to pass.

face it, to achieve the high life enjoyed by the minority elites, the majority must pay the ultimate price of foregoing the fundamentals of life in order to be offsprings mainly to fuel a voracious consumer orientated society in which this wealth is derived and built on for such ostentatiousness and hegemonic existence.

only a simplified life can restore the fundamentals of living.

some people living in ivory tower are having too much fun to admit their high paying jobs, wanting to be the best, protecting their legacy and being the model city etc maybe the cause/s of declining birth rate or quality of living of the people.

oh, the irony of it all?

Apologies dun think anyone will be able to give you a good or even rough representation of what the 66% actually represents, as you correctly point out, with the GRC system, it is impossible.

If there was a single seat to single ward type election, then I would think we will see more of opp in parliament.

The 66% i refer to is whatever is reported in the 147th ranked..or is it 160th now?

Again, by correctly pointing out these flaws would anything really change for you and me?

My post is more to touch on the things we can change internally first as opposed to waiting for the macro picture to change. As one of the major point that came out of the initial article was the meaningless-ness of life in tis economic regime, and the more important thing from my perspective is to manage myself and create the balance of needs and wants if you do not want to be caught in this mindless rat race….that is all.

If you read both my post you will probably get that, or if you dun, then it must be because of my poor command of english…apologies for that.

I have worked and travelled in a few countries and just sharing what I have both seen and experiences shared by friends and family. No one is truly happy regardless of the regime if your mind is not tuned to accept happiness.

Over the years, I have decided that unless you are the agent of change e.g. Dr. Chee, or you are able to give up on everything to fight for the cause, then frankly endless anger and rantings really get you no where.

Some old man told me this thing which is quite interesting, he asked this question,”What is fair and what is equitable?” His answer was, “As long as you are able to receive some benefits from whatever it is then it will be fair and equitable, if you are not one of those who gotten any benefits, then your immediate response would be it is not fair!!!!”

Take the case of the annual NDP tickets fiasco, people who receive the tickets will be happy and say the system is great while the others who did not get the tickets will think otherwise.

By managing your internal thought process, you will then be able to find your meaning in this or any regime and if you decide not to participate, the machinery will still chug along with or without you.

That is all….. Have a good weekend.

Not sure if you are able to clarify roughly how much of the entire population does the 66.6% really represent?

Could you enlighten please.

While walking in a park, I overheard 2 joggers saying “we will never loose because of the GGRRZ”

I wonder what that mean?

I may not have expressed myself clearly enough. My point was the rat race and the feeling of overwhelming pressures does not only reside in SIngapore, but the world. One of the biggest issue we face is not merely the regime of governance but also the “keeping up with the jones” type of thinking which many who are complaining about how tough things are. I know many who have plentiful and complain about not having enough.

Look around yourself and you will know what I am talking about. People who strive to upgrade their cars, watches, condos etc etc. This is seriously causing alot of stress and pressures. But you have to then ask yourself who is actually causing the stress?

On your point, “If indeed one accept such reality, why not the world accept that the corruption exists without transparency and accountability, and that nepotism exists from company to company ? Why even go to election knowing that PAP will win anyway. Isn’t this reality too ?”

The fact is that corruption do exists, it is just different in the shape and form that it exists. Nepotism too, ever been to a company whose entire board and management team bears the same surname?

Transparency and accountability are incorporated to tighten the process but frankly I am sure you have heard stories of how someone perceived to be incompetent getting promoted – transparency? Someone screwing up major but nohing appears to have happened to him/her.

As long as we are talking about humans handling the issues, this will always come up.

PAP will win in every election is actually a choice which 66% of the population accepted so frankly that is not much to pick here. If you are part of the 33% then tough, cause as much as you do not like it, you have to accept that this is the democratic process. as much of a joke it is.

Finally, employers are pragmatic being they are profit driven first and foremost, even if the government is not. Regardless of whatever the government view is, the corporations will be profit driven and pragmatic. The great employer is more a marketing tool than a fact.

That is why there is no such thing as a lifelong job, there is no need for nonsense like loyalty. That is why you are suppose to be your HR manager and leave when a better offer emerges.

My most crucial point in my post is to share that, envy and discontent is as big a factor as the economic regime in the creation of pressures and stress, More importantly, do what you can first by thinking through what your needs are and work on those as oppose to waiting for the macro picture to change so that life is “better”… Cause if like you say, the macro picture indeed changed then we would all somehow find something else to be angry about if we have not sorted out our internal thought process.

Respectfully,

No one denies that money talk, but to go to extreme like our gahmen, then it this statement is hogwash. If indeed one accept such reality, why not the world accept that the corruption exists without transparency and accountability, and that nepotism exists from company to company ? Why even go to election knowing that PAP will win anyway. Isn’t this reality too ?

We accept it to certain extend but not to the extent of our gahmen who virtually protected by the own law they make. The world not perfect and it is the human to make it a better place. Don’t be deceived by the gahmen that it is pragmatic.

If gahmen is that pragmatic, why do you think your employer won’t be pragmatic too ? Come on, don’t preach the worldly view. It don’t have to be this way and it can be changed.

Why the recent ERP hike when inflation is all time high?

eureka !

The fact of the matter is that money drives the world. Whether you like it or do not like it. The poor and lower income will always exist in every part of the world not just Singapore. The middle class will always be squeezed and the rich and elites will always be the ones having all the fun. That is just how it goes, any part of the world. Anyone watch the TV program,”The World’s richest people”?

No government can come out and proclaim that they want to have a 3rd world existance for their citizens and just have riches of the heart and spirit. You sure you want a Government like that?

Every country and every politician will come out and want to push for more money, same story with the recently concluded Taiwan elections, what is Ma’s tagline? Build the economy…..

The thing people forget is that migrating to lower cost countries will stretch your money and migrating to higher cost countries will put you in the same struggle as you are facing here. I know a well paid individual who recently retired to Malaysia as the cost in his home country the U.K. is just too high!!!

It is not a true reflective picture that in Europe, Australia or USA, life is definitely better as the basic foundamental principle of hard work and thift and contentment will still ring true. People who went over to Australia still face money issues despite the “better” work hours? Anyone knows what the tax rate is?

The reality of the world is this, money talks and bullocks walks. Has never changed from the time of the Emperors to current times.

The biggest issue with the current regime is the lack of regard or understanding of what actually happens on the ground as opposed to the drive for more money.

Policies made in ivory towers and public bodies working to the betterment of GLCs like the transport providers etc is the core issue here.

Talk to anyone who has 3 kids and starving about higher aspirations like nobility and riches of the spirit, they will tell you give me more money and I will forgo that. Or they will be happy to make more money if they have the opportunity for employment.

Every economy strives to be an economic machine, but the key is what is on the other side that balances the scale.

Meaning in life is really what you make of it, if the rat race is too tough then you have the right to quit. But you face the problem of money later in life. That is just how it is. You either pay now or later, but eventually you gonna pay.

We are all caught up with money, that is why many here is writing with such conviction and passion about the meaningless-ness of it all. But how many of us are willing to drop out of the rat race now?

I readily admit that I am caught deep in the rat race and my only motivation is to earn to give my kids chances which I did not have, which I know money can buy. At the same time, all my free time is devoted to my kids and family, so what gives? I have no time for myself…. Is that meaningless? Not really to me.

Good luck in the pursuit of your Happyness as the Will Smith movie goes, happiness is not something one can own but we are constantly in pursuit of….