The Business Times: Singapore sits moodily atop wealth pole

[brocoli]

Nobody is saying that Singapore should run an account deficit. All I'm saying is that there is absolutely no need to accumulate such a HUGE surplus almost every single year.

By all means set a target for a very comfortable amount of reserves. However, once that target is reached, surely a bit of money can be spent helping the less fortunate amongst us. These people aren't strangers. They are fellow Singaporeans and they need our help. The govt can facilitate this process is a formalised manner so that the down-and-out can regain their dignity and contribute to the economy at the same time.

i dunno what you are smoking ..... that is under the budget....

my premise is that not a single cent of the reserve should be touched...

reserve is past money ... budget is current moeny ...

 

[brocoli]

another thread where sam is yanking the chain. Notice how in one thread he may be pro-pap and in another, anti-pap or critic.

Despite this, sam's mo is laudable. It promotes better arguments.

he has to since the bleeding liberals dun wan to face the hard truth that sinkies are living it up and the whinning simply dun hold water

 

[Checker]

The data shows huge income-disparity between the few clever rich and the many unproductive poor working long hours. It is said SG's income disparity is close to the US. But problem is that in SG, unlike US, most of political power & wealth are linked to one party. This will make the dominance very difficult to shake. Eg where are the losing ministers working now versus losing opposition candidates. They've gotten complacent. Sorry to say this here, but with a little correction, and competent use of their resources, they will continue to dominate easily. Unless wealth is spread, 'wasted' (in their view) for vague 'happiness' - so they strongly object.

 

[Leongsam]

my premise is that not a single cent of the reserve should be touched...

And my question is WHY NOT????

In a football team, reserves go on when a player is sick or injured.

So in a society, the reserves should be utilised when a fellow Singaporean has some misfortune which prevents him from earning a living.

Where is your heart and your conscience???

 

[brocoli]

And my question is WHY NOT????

In a football team, reserves go on when a player is sick or injured.

So in a society, the reserves should be utilised when a fellow Singaporean has some misfortune which prevents him from earning a living.

Where is your heart and your conscience???

YOU can use budget for that,..... dun need reserve

 

[Cruxx]

Agree with you 100%. Good point. I support what you say. Way to go man!!!! etc etc.

Don't bother kissing my arse now. I've already decided to report you to the forum owner for using multiple clones.

 

[brocoli]

The data shows huge income-disparity between the few clever rich and the many unproductive poor working long hours. It is said SG's income disparity is close to the US. But problem is that in SG, unlike US, most of political power & wealth are linked to one party. This will make the dominance very difficult to shake. Eg where are the losing ministers working now versus losing opposition candidates. They've gotten complacent. Sorry to say this here, but with a little correction, and competent use of their resources, they will continue to dominate easily. Unless wealth is spread, 'wasted' (in their view) for vague 'happiness' - so they strongly object.

read this

And Congress’ Rich Get Richer Net Worth of Lawmakers Up 25 Percent in Two Years, Analysis Demonstrates

Members of Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2 billion in 2010, a nearly 25 percent increase over the 2008 total, according to a Roll Call analysis of Members' financial disclosure forms.

Nearly 90 percent of that increase is concentrated in the 50 richest Members of Congress.

Two years ago, Roll Call found that the minimum net worth of House Members was slightly more than $1 billion; Senators had a combined minimum worth of $651 million for a Congressional total of $1.65 billion. Roll Call calculates minimum net worth by adding the minimum values of all reported assets and subtracting the minimum values of all reported liabilities.

According to financial disclosure forms filed by Members of Congress this year, the minimum net worth in the House has jumped to $1.26 billion, and Senate net worth has climbed to at least $784 million, for a Congressional total of $2.04 billion.

These wealth totals vastly underestimate the actual net worth of Members of Congress because they are based on an accounting system that does not include homes and other non-income-generating property, which is likely to tally hundreds of millions of uncounted dollars. In addition, Roll Call's tally is based on the minimum values of assets reported by Members on their annual financial disclosure forms; the true values of those assets may be much higher.

While wealth overall is scattered fairly evenly between the two parties, there is an interesting divide in the two chambers. Democrats hold about 80 percent of the wealth in the Senate; Republicans control about 78 percent of the wealth in the House.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_51/And-Congress-Rich-Get-Richer-209907-1.html?pos=hftxt

 

[Leongsam]

Don't bother kissing my arse now. I've already decided to report you to the forum owner for using multiple clones.

Good move. I like your style. You are the best.

 

[Fook Seng]

YOU can use budget for that,..... dun need reserve

This is exactly what the rest of us have been saying all along. The number who needs assistance is not large and budget should be enough. Unfortunately there are some ultra-left elements who go for the extreme giving the ruling party the argument and excuse to go the other extreme. So now we know within budget is not an issue, so make budget for it, a simple change but certainly a positive thing for PAP. For people in the middle, it is a better society to look forward to and then go look for other sacred cows to slaughter. For hard core opposition, they have to look for other issues to angst about. But ultimately it is the political system that is at stress, an internal war that PAP has to fight.

 

[brocoli]

Don't bother kissing my arse now. I've already decided to report you to the forum owner for using multiple clones.

think its multiple users using 1 acct rather than 1 user using multiple accts

 

[Leongsam]

think its multiple users using 1 acct rather than 1 user using multiple accts

It's just me... nobody else. you got no response from your target audience so I put on my left/liberal hat to start the ball rolling. As a result, we are now on page 2.

 

[Windsor]

he has to since the bleeding liberals dun wan to face the hard truth that sinkies are living it up and the whinning simply dun hold water

Maybe those bleeding heart liberals want to face it but dare not because of the penalties imposed by the forum host?

I have awarded you 100 points for two months worth of eloquent pro PAP propaganda. If you do well, there's another 100 points bonus plus 100 points per month for the next two months.

The points awarded to you will be subsidized by subtracting points from these pro welfare "help-those-poor-sinkie losers" members :

tracytan866 - 10 points
Fook Seng - 10 points
freedalas - 10 points
Nice-Gook - 20 points
Windsor - 20 points

Please start work immediately.

 

[Leongsam]

Maybe those bleeding heart liberals want to face it but dare not because of the penalties imposed by the forum host?

Those aren't penalties. They're taxes. It's no different from income tax.

Taxes are needed so that points can be distributed to create a more equitable society.

 

[Windsor]

Those aren't penalties. They're taxes. It's no different from income tax.

Taxes are needed so that points can be distributed to create a more equitable society.

Taxation applies to all, not a selected few nor on rotation. Even the poor are also subjected to tax wheher directly or indirectly. Anyway I am waiting.

 

[Leongsam]

Taxation applies to all, not a selected few nor on rotation. Even the poor are also subjected to tax wheher directly or indirectly. Anyway I am waiting.

Taxes are collected by rotation especially from those who don't voluntarily declare their incomes.

 

[Cruxx]

To understand why bleeding heart liberals behave the way they do, you need to read the works of Nietzsche. I can assure you, bleeding heart liberals aren't as altruistic as they seem

 

[brocoli]

I have awarded you 100 points for two months worth of eloquent pro PAP propaganda. If you do well, there's another 100 points bonus plus 100 points per month for the next two months.

The points awarded to you will be subsidized by subtracting points from these pro welfare "help-those-poor-sinkie losers" members :

tracytan866 - 10 points
Fook Seng - 10 points
freedalas - 10 points
Nice-Gook - 20 points
Windsor - 20 points

Please start work immediately.

fug man.... I been whacking all the liberal bleeding hearts left right center..... still stuck @ 13 pts.... can I ask for some handout and subsidy or notch....???
....

In order to make things fairer in this forum, I'll be writing a script that will run daily and deduct 10 reputation points from the top 20% in this forum and distribute the points equally to the bottom 20%.

What's happening now is that the high rep point members are getting more and more points while the low rep point members are falling through the cracks. Some have even ended up with negative points. We can't allow this to happen in a just and fair forum. The gap between the haves and the have nots is getting far too wide and will cause a major rift in the community.

Lim laopeh almost 600 Posts liao still stuck @ 13 pts..... kenna zap by all the IBs....

is this fair and equitable or notch ???? where is the welfare ??? where is the subsidy ???

To understand why bleeding heart liberals behave the way they do, you need to read the works of Nietzsche. I can assure you, bleeding heart liberals aren't as altruistic as they seem

didnt Nietzsche write about the ubermensch... i am too dumb to draw the connection ... prease enlighten

 

[Fook Seng]

Taxes are collected by rotation especially from those who don't voluntarily declare their incomes.

Are you so sure they are collected by rotation? Or are you talking about NZ?

 

[Cruxx]

didnt Nietzsche write about the ubermensch... i am too dumb to draw the connection ... prease enlighten

Two words: slave morality.

 

[Leongsam]

Are you so sure they are collected by rotation? Or are you talking about NZ?

IRD goes industry by industry. It's the same in most countries.