SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) said more than eight in 10 elderly households – in which the head of household is aged 65 and over – have sufficient sources of income to cover their daily expenses. HDB’s Sample Household Survey 2008 said the major sources of income cited were financial support from children and self-reliance through personal and CPF savings.

Source: CNA

I wonder what do “daily expenses” cover?  The main concern for the elderly isn’t daily spending but healthcare costs when their bodies fail.  Not the outpatient colds but cancers, strokes and other debilitating illnesses.   The report says that “those who said they don’t have enough for their daily expenses cited the high cost of living and healthcare costs.”  If we factor in the major illnesses, then the numbers with ’sufficient sources’ of income will be much much lower, perhaps 6 out of 10 (and even lower if we include those that are not adequately insured). 

Once again, the State Times tries to mask reality with poor reporting.

THE temptation to spend on new clothes and household and electronic items hits a peak in the run-up to next month’s Hari Raya Puasa celebrations.  But concerned Malay MPs and community leaders are taking unusual steps this year to get a simple message across: Spend within your means, save for your children’s education.  A series of radio advertisements encouraging families to ‘Bijak Belanja’ (spend wisely) will air during the Ramadan fasting month, which starts on Aug 22, at the time of the morning call to prayer and the evening prayer ahead of breaking the fast.

Source: ST

‘I’m not telling them not to spend,’ said Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Maliki Osman, who co-chairs the Family Development Network, which was set up in 2004 to help develop strong and healthy family ties in the community.  Speaking at a press conference to announce the new initiatives, he added: ‘I’m telling them to spend within their means, on what is necessary, on what they need instead of what they want.’

Two things come to mind.  Firstly, having such a campaign (with banners and radio ads no less) is an insult to the Malay community.  Are our Malay friends so immature in their spending habits that the government needs to poke its nose in?  Secondly, can the government just stop focussing on this community?  All the talk about their teen birth rates, education levels, religion (radicalisation) etc only makes them more conscious of how they aren’t living up to (PAP’s) standards.  So really, the government should not be surprised if one day the community turns back and bites.

What’s malay for “mind your own business”?

WASHINGTON — From front to back and on nearly every page, President Barak Obama’s new budget plan delivers a message that’s seldom been heard in American politics for more than three decades: It’s time for the rich to pay their fair share and lighten the load on the middle class.

It’s not just Obama’s long-promised middle-class tax cuts. In education, health care and an array of other proposals, the new budget strategy would focus more benefits on ordinary Americans and look to the affluent for more help in paying for them.

The change is meant to reverse a long-running trend in the opposite direction.

Source:  Chicago Tribune

Since the 1980s, when President Reagan began an era of tax-cutting that continued for more than two decades, lower-class incomes have stagnated, middle-class incomes have increased only slightly, but the incomes of the richest Americans have skyrocketed.

Obama believes that if the country is going to recover from this economic crisis, the middle income earners must get help. “Throughout our history, the United States has grown and prospered when all Americans have shared in the opportunities created by our economy.”

Currently, the top 20 percent of taxpayers pay 80 percent of all taxes and 40 percent pay no income tax.  Under Obama’s plan, the top 20 percent of tax filers would pay 90 percent of all taxes; the number of families that owe no tax would climb to near 50 percent. 

Obama will face resistance from the Republicans and probably from many wealthy Americans, I’m sure.  While we can’t be sure if his plan will succeed, we must hand it to him – he is not afraid of change and he has the courage and will to carry it through. 

Credit should also go the American public.  Many would have anticipated fundamental changes to public policies when they voted Obama in (’change’ was his campaign theme after all).  It takes courage to step out of our comfort zones, to try out new things and challenge existing structures and mindsets. 

How do Singaporeans fare in this department?  Let us know.

By Arthur

I came across George Tan’s article at Wayang Party Club.

Here are some excerpts from his article.

“I am worried about the long term future of Singapore. Our country is an oddball in this part of the world. Countries around us are frequently accused of being corrupted and badly managed.”

Read more

Someone highlighted Tan Kin Lian’s comment on a recent The Online Citizen article on foreign nursing home.

59) Tan Kin Lian on February 15th, 2009 12.52 pm
I agree with Gerard Giam (#3).
I know of some people who find nursing homes in Singapore to be too expensive. It is also difficult to find a bed at an affordable cost.
If I am not wrong, the Government does provide some subsidy for people who need to be in a nursing home, but this may not be enough for people who still find it to be too expensive.
If the subsidy can be used for a nursing home in Johore Bahru, where the cost is much lower, than it may meet the needs of people who are not well off. As Gerard said, this is just an option. The Government is [not] forcing people to put their parents there.
Johor Bahru is not too far away. It is just an additional half hour across the causeway. It is also a nice place to visit – not too expensive. The only problem is the perceived high crime rate, which I hope can be solved.
I do not know what else can be done to reduce the cost of nursing home in Singapore. Apart from land cost, we also have high labour cost. I think that the Government is reluctant to increase the subsidy for nursing home, so we should not rule out cheaper options such as Johor Bahru.
I think that Khaw Boon Wan meant well. It is quite unfair that he should be bashed for this suggestion. I agree with the complaints about the high cost of living in Singapore, but this is not KBW’s fault.

The full article and comments are here.

http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2009/02/putting-our-old-folks-in-johor.html

Excerpts:

So this is life in Singapore, you spend your entire life working for money and when you’re old the govt encourages your children to put you in a nursing home in Johor to save money.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcqjz7c8_86cc7wbfgn

Excerpts:

The recent methods to stimulate the economy are:
a) Spend on infrastructure works (i.e. Singapore and China approach)
b) Give money to the people to spend (i.e the US stimulus package)

These methods are good. I wish to suggest a third method:
c) Allow each person to apply for a relief loan for the loss or reduction of earnings

http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2009/02/truth-about-jobs-credit.html

Excerpt:

Here is the truth about the jobs credit. I first heard about this term called the jobs credit during Barak Obama’s campaign a few months ago. He wanted to subsidise firms for keeping and hiring workers. This idea was thrown out by his own party members, the Democrats, as unworkable.

We help ourselves. Don’t expect others to help

Tom Wright painted a bleak picture of Singapore’s property sector going forward at The Wall Street Journal. His article ended with the following:
“I’m yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel [for Singapore],” says Mr. Tan, the high-end broker.
We would expect people to continue to dig the dirt and tell it to [...]



Our skin isn’t as thick as it should be

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) organised a seminar on March 4 to discuss Singapore’s political blogosphere.  Tan Tarn How, Senior Research Fellow and Research Assistant Tan Simin presented their paper on trends observed in the blogosphere.  As reported in the TOC, the researchers identified the following limitations:

The online-offline firewall, while somewhat alleviated by offline [...]



Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew – The answer to the African problem?

Recently, I followed a thread “Democracy and Economic Growth” which started in PoliticsForum.org.   Apparently, members there often question the role of democracy in a developing nation. “During the wave of democratization in Africa during the 90s, many people had renewed hope for the continent, immediately equating newly established democracies to economic growth. Are these democracies [...]



Tell Singapore government: Ask them a question or give a suggestion

We informed people about the “Tell Singapore Government” subsite and have received some interesting reaction at some forums.
See: 3in1 Kopitiam, Sam’s Alfresco Coffee, Singapore Kopitiam, SgForums
Our responses to some of the comments are listed below. If we are not answering some other specific questions, that is because we do not know how.
 

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