Yes, and conquer the single wards, if they actually break up the GRCs.

Make them so shell-shocked, they all get on their feet and start working all over again….this time working for us, not the UN of the world in Singapore..kns.

My views is evidently a paid commenter from the pigs’ camp.

HE is just doing his job.

//What does Singapore have?

Good question!

My answer is our people and the government is underinvesting in singaporeans.

for quite some time already.

The pigs have sowed the seed of Singaporean’s bleak future by under-investing in Singaporeans for some time.

As if the elected presidency is a magic wand to save us from all (ok, almost all) the trouble?

Most of us question what work the current president do.

And those of us who question, never thought he is a magic wand.

In fact, most would agree: he is very expensive piece of furniture if he is not a living thing.

As if it is the ministers who works for the investors for them to receive their returns.

What a joke!

Do/should the investors complain to any investors if they lose monies in Singapore because they mis-invested in some shaky business or mini-bonds for example?

Please name your highly competent ministers.

I will tell you why he/she isn’t competent.

There are no competent ministers in LHL govt.

No investors will be as dumb as you suggested.

not in a free economy which LHL claims Singapore is.

The excuse about bigger markets have been sung don’t know how many times and is false.

HK didn’t need that.

Malaysia have a much larger population and it is not doing too well.

You cannot make up ingenuity with numbers. IT doesn’t add like that.

What a joke!

What is your point?

Singaporeans should stay positive and believe that if someday there wil be a “CHANGE” in Signapore leadership – it will be a CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. and we have our say in that. we have our votes.

But first we need to BELIEVE that a better tomorrow will come with change. Believe in the opposition party ability to lead us and our country better than current PAP.

For MNO, like Microsoft that will fire their current CEO and replace a new one, the board of members should strongly believe that the new CEO will lead the company better. One thing which I am 100 percent sure is that no board of members will decide to hire someone WORST than the current CEO and ruin the company.

In this case, we are the board of members to decide and i believe we have to wait for a strong LEADER from opposition party to challenge PAP. A REAL LEADER… not someone that can just point out the mistakes but someone who has a strong vision on how singapore should and will be in the next 5 10 years.

Taking Japan as an example, DPL took over the previous party after nearly 60 years in political power. With 2 strong leaders , Hatoyama and Ozawa, they made it…

Amercians believed in Obama to do the job and make America a better country

Unfortunately, i hate to say this and pls correct me if im wrong ; most Singaporeans are not people that make things happen…….i would say mostly followers – reason why? look back at our education systems and military. We were trained and educated to follow orders … we do have a very rigid system..

“Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder what has happened.”

Yes I am saying, you are advocating that we do not teach babies anything, since they will not be able to make their own decisions. They are programmed with a mechanical response to any situation. Is it any different from the society now and yours?

I fail to understand how it is possible to view something positive from a pejorative. It is not because I have not tried hard enough, but to be able to appreciate it like you can, I have to assume that in your circle, that it is not derogatory.

Then please explain why does paying NSF more, not make him even more committed, since now there are 2 factors that might induce him to be so.

If money is one of the salient indicators of the importance of a job, are you then implying that the cleaner is working at an unimportant station? Or that the NSF is doing an unimportant job? Inversely, a job that is important should be paying high salaries. Why do health care providers get such low pay for an important job? Trash disposal is as important to society as a CEO, why do these people not get paid as much as one?

Does this correspond to a normal vendor and end user relationship. That when the end user is unsatisfied with the service, where would be the end users recourse. In the event should you choose not to use the service, do you still have to pay for it?

“You can’t just say that you’re willing to pay an astronomical sum to get the government to destroy your enemies.”

Apparently this statement is true, for you not only have to say it, you have to exact into action. If it were your utopia, yes the doctor would administer it, since the end user can pay for the services. Unless of course in your utopia, there are certain moral principles, ones that you are trying to indoctrinate to young children.

I am sorry if my idea on humanity eschews harm, for it might have hurt you. The belief behind it was based solely that the essence of what it is to be human is the issue of rational thought. It is this ability that we have the freedom of choice, even to choose what is wrong. Note, there was no reference to “sanctify the human”. It was rather a contrast between human and mechanical, or even human and animal.

>>Which explains my call for the abolition of national slavery. What’s your point, really?

My point is that if you see saf regulars show more commitment than nsf, then it is EXPECTED, because they have chosen soldering as a career, while nsf don’t have that choice.

As much as I hated ns during my time, I do see some values/benefits in it, so I am not against having ns..
- you do make lifelong friends, buddies who went thro’ thick and thin with you.
- It makes you independant, and able to handle difficulties/setbacks in life..
- It instills discipline in a person.
- In time of hostilities, at least you can still handle a rifile and protect your loved ones..

Paying NSFs higher pay retroactively will probably not make them more committed. But advertising high salaries in the recruitment process will. It’s a matter of perspectives. Increasing NSF pay = “We shall be nicer to you from now on. Enjoy.” Advertising NS as a high paying full-time job = “We only accept elites. Are you up for the challenge?”

You pay to receive the service that the government provides, in their own terms. I understand your concerns but they would be duly addressed. You can’t just say that you’re willing to pay an astronomical sum to get the government to destroy your enemies. If you go to a private doctor, could you get him to administer lethal poison into your body and that you would pay any amount for such a service? No. Of course there would be a few corrupt quacks out there for you to choose from. But as per usual, I think education can rectify that.

“Or for that matter in your utopia, the government only has 2 sectors, security and education. ”

Yes indeed. Intellectuals shall have the freedom to act as they wish while feeling secure, knowing that the government can see to the chaos that would ensue from such near-anarchy.

“And without the “humane” intention, are we going to be human? ”

It’s a matter of semantics. To you, “humane” is to sanctify the race and treat every human being as a sacred entity. To me, “humane” is to serve the self-interests of individual men. The distinction is such that your ideology actively eschews harm on others while mine is rather ambivalent about it. Hurt people as you wish and make sure you can bear with the consequences. Savagery will only get one ousted from the fraternity. Which is why it’s moral to be nice, not because there is some great purpose like saving the world from hunger or something.

“This statement when read over a few times, seems to have been ripped out of the subject on sociology (another humanity subject i think). Or it could have just as easily been torn off a Hitler Youth guide book.”

Are you advocating that we do not teach babies anything and just leave them to their devices? Was it out of your own volition that you’ve decided to learn English? Or were you born in a society where English is the standard for communication? There’s always a positive slant to pejoratives, if you look hard enough that is.

“Just as it is as easy to find a regular who whines as much as a NSF, you should not find it problematic to find a NSF who is more committed than a regular. Does paying a NSF more get you a more committed serviceman? Likewise does it mean that you can pay a regular less since he/she is already committed to the service of the country? ”

It’s based on anecdotal evidence. It’s not hard science but it can be insightful nevertheless. Reason being that there is a confluence of factors in deciding what makes a person commit. Money is just one of them. It’s not the gratification that money provides that motivates regulars, at least not to me. It’s the idea that one is performing a profession as opposed to a liability of sorts. And money is one of the most salient indicators of the importance of a job. Pay good money and you will at least convince people of the prestige that military service brings.

“…..Towards the issue of NSF vs Regulars,….”

Even till now, NO MINISTER has dared to address the issue of NS/Reservist done by true-Singaporeans and what economical status that brings to them after 2.5 + 13 years service.

I did more than 50% of my NS time in jungles and shit-holes, eating C-rations — really about 50% of 2.5 years. I have yet to meet a Regular with the same experience. Yup, NS is the original breeding ground for cheap labor.

“…Likewise does it mean that you can pay a regular less since he/she is already committed to the service of the country? …”

You are so kind not to mentioned another possibility — we may pay a person millions-buck salary but we only get zil of of that person. Ok, maybe a commitment “not to be corrupted” (whatever that means…).

This statement when read over a few times, seems to have been ripped out of the subject on sociology (another humanity subject i think). Or it could have just as easily been torn off a Hitler Youth guide book. What I would like to see is a nation wide program that would allow you to encode the people’s mind with the right decision making process. I would venture far enough to say, that they might even decide to vote the opposition, should that day come when you have your chance to indoctrinate the young.

Towards the issue of NSF vs Regulars, I have always thought of the difference between the two is the ranks. Mostly the ranks of NSF personnel are from recruit, pte, lcp, cpl, 3sg, 2sg, rarely 1sg, 2lta, lta and sometimes cpt. To differentiate them by the level of commitment is to make sweeping comments. Just as it is as easy to find a regular who whines as much as a NSF, you should not find it problematic to find a NSF who is more committed than a regular. Again not so easily brushed away as a problem that crops up due to economic reasons. Does paying a NSF more get you a more committed serviceman? Likewise does it mean that you can pay a regular less since he/she is already committed to the service of the country?

“In my idealized society, there would be absolutely no taxes whatsoever. Governments derive their income from providing services in the security and education sectors.”

I began wondering, if this in fact meant that, services offered and bought are those offered to the public. Which in fact would mean in your form of utopia, capital gains can be used to purchase public services. To avoid confusion, the gist of it would mean that you can use money to pay for the services of the security forces, you can pay for above and beyond services from the military. Are you in fact suggesting that you can pay them money to do e.g. a ritual cleansing of the “people with serious heritable diseases”? And afterward, pay the education sectors huge sums of money to “white wash” the incident?

But why stop there, there are exhaustive amounts of money spent in other public services too, e.g. The communication and arts sector, the finance department, the transport ministry. Are you in fact suggesting that the security and educational sectors bear the huge burden of forming the whole governmental budget? This would translate to a relatively high price for security and educational services. Wouldn’t this be the same as having taxes? Or for that matter in your utopia, the government only has 2 sectors, security and education.

To paraphrase you. “I believe that education is the real influencing factor in society”

To the uninitiated, this paraphrased sentence sums up what many would believe in on any given moment when it is uttered. But again, this is pure rhetoric. I do not think the education that you are going to advocate is going to have “humane” ideas as you had earlier stated. Humanities are subjects about the human life as a whole. And without the “humane” intention, are we going to be human?