This marks the beginning of my second someone politcially charged entry, there is a possiblity I'm sleep deprived. Singapore as a society has always intrigued me. Youtube is possibly not the best place to get reliable information, but the following video really sickened me, especially because I watched it right after the one about the Singaporean ministers proposed pay-rise.



It's sickening to see all those old people still having to fight to survive, and live on the street. And so much worse after you find out that the ministers running the country get paid over $100,000 a month, and these old people still have to fight to survive and still live on the street. I know poverty and homelessness is a global issue and Singapore is not alone. However you can't deny the fact that our aged should be taken care of. By no means am I saying they should be provided with all the luxuries they could ever want, but they should at least be assisted with basic amenities such as a clean, safe place to live and basic nutrition. The aged has to be able to count on their government to keep them safe and support them if they have no other means, who else do they have to turn to? The unfortunate truth is family often means little when talk turns to money.

You can says that they should have planned better, they should have worked harder, they should have.. and they should have... 360' hindsight is a wonderful thing. Sadly these old people can't change the past and all they have is now. Some are strong in spirit and are proud, they work hard menial jobs even in their late 70s and 80s, so they can have a few of the basics for survival. It shouldn't be so hard for these old people, not when the country can afford to pay the ministers in the government over a million dollars a year each! It just doesn't seem right.

I've never been much of a political critic. I don't proclaim to know a lot about politics or anthropology or much in general. I like to think I've always been true to myself, been open to the views of others and open to debate on topics I feel strongly about. My views are often based on why I feel is right, what I believe is right and what I know is right; and sometimes even on publicized facts!

I came across the following video on youtube about the proposed pay rise for Singaporean ministers, and I have to say I'm shocked! These guys get paid more than the president of the United States!



The guy speaking in the video has a point! No doubt Singapore proclaims itself to be a "first-world" country, but seriously! What makes these ministers so special that they need to be paid more or the same as the leaders of the free world? Singapore has a population of something like 4 (or is it 5?) million people, and the ministers that help govern it get paid over a million dollars a year? That's 1 with 6 ZEROS behind it, and George Dubya gets about the same and he has 52 states all larger than Singapore? He's the leader of the most powerful country in the world! And yes thank God that he has advisors. The guy has given some of the most amusing press interviews I've ever come across.

What I'm trying to say is, Singaporean ministers really seem to get paid disgustingly well, question is, is it earnt? What do they do for it? What's so special about them? Is Singapore so much harder to run than any other country in the world that its ministers get paid more than most world leaders? I'm just curious.