Downward Spiral of Life in Singapore

Life in Singapore is good? Sure... Everybody can own a house (HDB), everybody can get educated (Govt schools), everybody can get a job, etc....... Is it really that rosy as painted by our dear government? Admittedly, you have to work hard to achieve your goals and ambitions. However, you may just fall short of it not due to your own shortcomings but the policies in place. Foreigners are arriving by the planeload, especially from the PRC. Are they really the Foreign Talents that we are in need of? Sometimes, I feel as if this is not Singapore anymore. We don't have an identity, we have no roots. Some of our ministers are people who left their own home countries and now they lord over us. To be fair, they have achieved success in their chosen field of work and through merit, they got where they are now. But, there are tons of other foreigners who are not really that capable as the govt think they are. In the crowded MRT or on the crowded bus or even on the streets, you just need to throw an object up into the air and when it comes down, a high chance is that it will hit a non-singaporean. Is this good for Singapore? Maybe to some extent it is.... Probably not though. Violent crime involving Foreign Talents/Workers are on the rise, with the recent stabbing at Raffles City. Singaporeans are docile by nature. We love peace and stability. And thats precisely the reason why we never question the govt and its workings. Things could begin to change though. People are still getting retrenched, cost of living is going up ridiculously, the govt's apathy towards people who really needs assistance, etc. The govt has to start listening to the people. In history, we have always seen the power the people can exert. It is their fundamental right. It is important because it affects us in every minute detail of our life. I still do not understand the rationale behind the increase of the GST. Singaporeans welcome it? Yeah sure! Whoever is reading this, do you welcome paying more for things that are already expensive. Sure, other countries may have higher consumer tax rates but, the items are at a low price. Even with higher tax rate, it is still cheaper than in Singapore. I'm talking about necessities here. Besides, the govt only compares the tax rate. They should look at the income level differences between these countries. Countries with high consumer tax has high income rates as well, even for jobs such as a waiter or dishwasher. Thats the balance. High pay = High Tax. Singapore's equation is really troubling. Low pay and still high tax. Who benefits? The poor? As if all Singaporeans can't count......... The issue of a minimum pay has been around for quite sometime but it just will not be made into law. Why? Simple, major business owners will suffer loss of earnings - even as they are now making hundreds of millions every year and they still want more. Fair enough, business exists to make a profit. But, to do this at the expense of the general population is preposterous. Anyway, the major business owners in Singapore are all govt related thru Temasek Holdings and its subsidaries. This is just like inviting someone into your house and letting him or her plunder and rob you at the same time while you just let them do it. After the act, you still thank them for a job well done. What is this society thinking? It seems like we answer more to them than they are to be accountable to us. Sadly, this is what the purportedly 66% of Singaporeans welcome. Dear Singaporeans, remember this. You allowed it to happened. Now that COE is going up due to lesser quotas, more ERPs to stem the traffic congestion, higher property prices, higher GST, politicians who gets paid obscene salaries as compared to the rest of the world and still going ahead with an increase, expensive but lousy public transport, and a lot more...... don't complain. Only the 33% who wanted a change has a right to. In fact, if the government will really listen to us and see things from the perspectives of the citizens on the street, this government will receive tremendous support from the masses. The government is to be credited for bringing us to where we are but, policies that worked 40, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago may not work now. The world is constantly evolving and so must the policies to address the changes. I hope one day, I can really cast my vote for the PAP and tell myself that this is the right thing to do. That day will be the start of the upward spiral.