• IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here.

    The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.

History of sam's alfresco forum -- delphi to vbulletin

Thick Face Black Heart

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Thinkall’s 1st quintessential question




(Please note the question is always at the very end, the front portion builds the context, this question and those after are for exercise purpose, in due course to post your representative during the coming Governor to People Road show, the critical thing is still to clear your doubt as to the crux of matter through reason and debate)




It is time we, as a Nation brings the Government of Singapore to the Center. A whole host of policy that beguiles a Nation in complex geometry of financial maneuvers does not bode well for the Nation as a whole. An instrument of saving for Nation's retirement has effectively confused a generation of Savers!

I will post each question in simplest sentences in the form of a question, every single day till I am satisfied.

The first quintessential question: why have savings of 40% of earnings not been able to provide a retirement? What gave and where gave?
 

Thick Face Black Heart

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Thinkall’s 2nd quintessential question



(Please note the question is always at the very end, the front portion builds the context, this question and those before and after are for exercise purpose, in due course to post your representative during the coming Governor to People Road show, the critical thing is still to clear your doubt as to the crux of matter through reason and debate)




When the Sovereign Wealth Funds invests on behalf of the State, is not the State a representative of the people? Why should a huge margin exist between the returns to the State and that of the individual CPF account? Is the State now a Business Entity? Managing along the line of business for efficiency is fine; to however become a business entity is not.

What will the consequence be, if polity is fused with competition of means with the people? A political entity that soon becomes an enterprise will use power of political control to defend those enterprises, through a whole chain of systemic competitive restraints and barriers.


The fundamental question is whether Government should be in business of Business? Should the one carrying the power of the Law also be the same person an average Citizen is competing against for livelihood, when the aggrieved can only hope the writer of Law will not put such power into part of his business calculation and advantage?

Is the business of Government the business of Business? Is it possible to reconcile the possibility where your opponent in a ring is also the referee and the bell man?

Even as we see the Government opening one business after another, bring about the closure of private business one after another, let us not become too acquainted with such miserable sight. We must question.

If indeed it truly becomes necessary for government to be in the business of Business, what is the impact on Citizenry? What is the cost of this near half a century competitive dislocation via an entity that not only has the power of Business but also the power of Law?

This is also a contributing equation to the people's inability to retire. Has the Government inadvertently become the one depriving the People the means to retire over and above a faulty CPF returns currently debated?

Being Children of immigrants and immigrants ourselves, we are naturally industrious. However, to become self reliant as a mode of living: self reliance must be based on the fundamental premise of fair play. If indeed the Government is in the business if Business, is this notion of Citizenry self reliance perpetuated on a faulty ground, where the current reality of inability to retire a part of?

The Second quintessential question (condensed so that it may be easily asked):

Did the Government being in the business of Business contributed to people inability to retire fruitfully and thus need to work till death?
 

Thick Face Black Heart

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
All in all, the prolific thinkall published 15 Quintessential questions as well as a dozen other expository pieces. I will reproduce two a day to allow forummers to respond.

The old SBF may be dead but its archive will not be.

Background of Thinkall

He was the organizer of the Black September event in 2007, designed to protest against the Govt's enslavement of citizens' CPF money.

The Govt was at that time considering a compulsory annuity scheme, originally called "longevity insurance". The initial proposal consisted of everyone forking out several thousand of their hard-earned CPF savings to purchase "term insurance" against old age. Should they pass away before the age of 85, their families get nothing.

The original plan caused outrage amongst netizens who clearly saw it as daylight robbery. This however did not stop the Govt from engaging a Nobel laureate from one of the G7 countries to heap praise on this "longevity insurance", essentially calling it the next best thing to sliced bread.

The thinkall plan was to have people go shopping at centerpoint on one Saturday in September decked in black. It would be silent protest against the compulsory annuity scheme. No breaking of laws. Just a clear message.

When the PAP internet brigade learned of it, they were shocked. They realized that this anonymous nick actually had some mobilizing power - mobilizing power always scares the PAP. They sent a nick, thinknothing, to threaten forummers with detention if they showed up at centrepoint in black.

On the saturday, there were pockets of shoppers decked in black. Plain clothes police were present, but no arrests were made because no one had flouted any laws. It is not illegal to be dressed in black clothing nor is it a crime to go shopping at centrepoint. At one point, the police thought they could make a move against a group of girls in black, only to realize they were jewellery salesgirls from a well known store.

Back in the forum, netizens were abuzz. There were some exaggerations. But mostly, good comments that at least some people had taken the initiative to do something about a policy that they were displeased with.

Of course there were also detractors. Lockliberal called it a "storm in a teacup", belittling the event.

But this did not stop thinkall from organizing a second event in december.

Eventually, the pap modified their originally proposal to give more choices and make it more palatable. This however does not alter the fact that CPF has failed in providing citizens with retirement needs.

Later, thinkall wrote his quintessential questions, but unfortunately, he confined himself to 3-in-1 kopitiam, a forum that would later degrade into racism and vulgarity.
 

jw5

Moderator
Moderator
Loyal
There is only 1 real essential question and that is:
Why have the voters allowed it time after time?
 

cleareyes

Alfrescian
Loyal
Never knew Sammyboy has such a colourful history.

If you had been around since the beginning, the orginal Sammyboy had actually allow the better flow of information and views and that had actually created many converts.

My own Gf was such a convert, after reading various post before GE2006, signed herself into the forum and had been into the matter from time to time.

Unfortunatly, the later infighting pissed her off and she had try to persuade me to leave as well.
 

Jah_rastafar_I

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Is my name mentioned in this thread?

I'm not really considered the original 1999 sammyboy member but i didn't come too late. I was already a full fledged participating member in like 2000-2001
 

Ramseth

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Is my name mentioned in this thread?

I'm not really considered the original 1999 sammyboy member but i didn't come too late. I was already a full fledged participating member in like 2000-2001

Probably if no racial issues are mentioned, your name won't be mentioned. :biggrin:
 

Jah_rastafar_I

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
there's also another person in a similar vein to qxp called opion007 whom chatted a lot about politics but what gave him infamy was his football predictions.

He had such a knack for wrongly predicting the winning team that everytime he predicted a certain team would win, the opposing team would definitely win. That was how bad his jinx was. Does anyone remember this guy.
 

Ramseth

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
there's also another person in a similar vein to qxp called opion007 whom chatted a lot about politics but what gave him infamy was his football predictions.

He had such a knack for wrongly predicting the winning team that everytime he predicted a certain team would win, the opposing team would definitely win. That was how bad his jinx was. Does anyone remember this guy.

Wahahaha...!!! Don't suan me lah! :o

All the teams I predicted for from Euro 2000 to World 2010 all lost. You think it's easy to achieve such consistency? :biggrin:
 
Top