This Population Thing.
All the debate stirred up by the White Paper is healthy, I suppose. It shows, finally, that we are becoming politically aware citizens with thoughts of our own, no matter what decades of (apparent) NE-indoctrination and National Day songs were supposed to achieve. I guess the problem now, as always, is consensus. I don't think anyone's completely comfortable with the idea of sacrificing GDP growth for 'quality of life', whatever that means, given how the two are inexorably linked. As the Newtonian cliche reminds us, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and the point is with all the uncertainty surrounding every proposal no one can decide what best to do. I do think that we can support 6.9 million people, and that it could be rather pleasant - but it's all a matter of perspective. Having a steamboat before Chinese New Year with my friends, talking about school - we forget for a while that the trains are depressingly crowded and that none of us will probably be really free from housing loans. Taking care of Cheryl and Matthew at home tells me how tiring it is to raise children - and how support for parents, especially parents who aren't in the risk-zone (i.e. your normal everyday parents) is woefully lacking, but where will the help come from? More childcare centres employing more foreign workers?
Personally, I believe the root cause lies in information asymmetry and income inequality. Information asymmetry in the sense that none of us know enough about the way Government operates to fully trust the Government and to know exactly what needs to change. How much money we have in the reserves is completely unknown. Where exactly does the money collected from COEs go to? How does the HDB price its new flats - on market rates, ostensibly, but aren't 'market rates' dependent on new-flat prices too? Second, I suppose dating someone who comes from a wealthy family has told me that there really are people who do not need all the money they have - and looking around my neighbourhood, there are people who do need it very, very much. Traveling past all the condos along the ECP, those looming from behind at Orchard - and you think to yourself, each and every one of those windows represent a million dollars, and yet there are so many poor people around. I don't think hardcore income-tax is the way to relieve the inequality, but raising incomes for the lower earners and creating a culture of giving amongst the wealthy.
OK TIRED
Personally, I believe the root cause lies in information asymmetry and income inequality. Information asymmetry in the sense that none of us know enough about the way Government operates to fully trust the Government and to know exactly what needs to change. How much money we have in the reserves is completely unknown. Where exactly does the money collected from COEs go to? How does the HDB price its new flats - on market rates, ostensibly, but aren't 'market rates' dependent on new-flat prices too? Second, I suppose dating someone who comes from a wealthy family has told me that there really are people who do not need all the money they have - and looking around my neighbourhood, there are people who do need it very, very much. Traveling past all the condos along the ECP, those looming from behind at Orchard - and you think to yourself, each and every one of those windows represent a million dollars, and yet there are so many poor people around. I don't think hardcore income-tax is the way to relieve the inequality, but raising incomes for the lower earners and creating a culture of giving amongst the wealthy.
OK TIRED