Beware the empty promises of government

The failure of planners will inevitably end up with the planners empowering a dictator to make the failed plan work. It is a race to the bottom as the party takes over the country demanding absolute obedience. 

I fear not who occupies the PM's overpowered seat today, but the one who will succeed him. He will be unopposed, demanding obedience as a necessity. All freedom will be lost. People will be forced into jobs they are not suited to, creating inferior products and services, and structural unemployment (may already have happened).

There is one thing that prevents this from being completely irreversible today, something Hayek did not see coming: Social Media. 

But the powers that be in government and the UN are working hard to weaken and stifle this medium. They want the free flow of information controlled. They will claim it to be for your own safety, your children's safety that they protect you from the dangerous gay and child porn on the internet. They will tell you they're protecting you from the radical elements of Islam or any other boogeyman they can conjure up. 

But we know how government works. Surely by now we're wise enough to see they can't even keep a limping man in a sarong secure. They cannot keep their loose lips from spouting rubbish. What makes you think they can protect you and your family?

Will keeping you uninformed and helpless strengthen you or strengthen the dictator? You decide. We don't have much time. The road has been paved with good intentions, and all we need to do is walk on it.

Watch Hayek's 'The Road to Serfdom' in Five Minutes

Save nothing for the swim back

In the spirit of the Olympics and National Day, I hope this inspires you as it inspired me all those years ago. Pursue your dreams, fight for them, or drown in regret. You may be born with less than others, but there is no gene for the human spirit.

Pastamania: No outside food allowed, even for babies

I was shocked to learn that Pastamania does not allow 1 year-old babies to eat their own specially prepared food while the mother and myself patronized the Bugis outlet. The baby's mother was told that "No outside food allowed" applied even to babies. 

The staff told us that she was afraid of her boss coming in and seeing a baby eating its own food. She made it seem like she was doing us a favor by "closing one eye" as long as her boss was not around. What kind of bosses are they hiring to strike such fear in the staff that they would rather threaten the well-being of a baby?

Later, she even suggested that we order from the menu for the baby. Are they aware that adult food is unsuitable for babies?

Lets follow the logic here. 

"No outside food allowed" is to ensure that patrons eat your food and generate revenue. Simple concept which I agree with. 

We were in an empty restaurant with only two tables occupied. We (adults) were going to generate revenue by buying their food, while feeding the baby to keep her quiet, at no additional cost to Pastamania. Instead, Pastamania chose to uphold its policy blindly, and LOSE revenue in the process. 

My contribution to the legend

When Siri is trying to find something, it asks Chuck Norris.

Windows 8 Release Preview: A hard climb with limited payoff

You're in a hot desert. There is water but it is on top of a totem pole. You know how to climb the pole to get to it, but you can't hold on to the hot pole and drink the water simultaneously. You collect some water in your sock, climb down, squeeze your sock then drink from it. If you need more water, you repeat the entire process. After a while, you know how to do it, it is intuitive and discoverable, but it just ain't worth the effort. Finally, in frustration, you kick the pole, spilling all the water onto the hot sand. That's the Windows 8 experience after continued use. 

Give women opportunities to contribute to Singapore

National Service (NS) unfairly penalizes men for two years of their lives and requires them to return for two to four weeks every year for ten years but with good reason: national security. Sadly, it robs men of economic and social security, opportunities and mindshare during their most productive and innovative years. Because of NS, the Singapore man is viewed as "uncompetitive" when compared to foreigners and local women. It is time we did something about the problem, without compromising national security, while creating greater value for all Singaporeans.

Firstly, I must applaud the women who suggest that childbearing is a national sacrifice and that men should not complain about NS. Mothers help us maintain a Singaporean Singapore and care for the young and no amount of writing can do justice to the wonderful job they do. I salute the mothers of Singapore: Thank you for keeping our country going, your sacrifice is clear for all to see.

However, as shown by Singapore's plummeting replacement rate, there are far too few Singaporean mothers. Instead, there is a growing number of free-loaders who do nothing for the country, while hiding behind the guise of potential motherhood. Their deceit forces Singapore to depend on so many foreigners for essential services . These free-loaders use their gender to take advantage of the opportunities denied to Singapore men by NS. I believe it is time to give everyone, regardless of race, religion or gender, the opportunity to earn their rights by delivering on their responsibilities as citizens.

I suggest that at age 18, every citizen, male or female should be invited to serve. For men service will be compulsory, but women would have a choice:

1. NS track
Two years of full-time service before the age of 21, but no need to perform reservist duty. The female NS trainee would be trained and deployed to care for the sick and aged, solving the labor supply problems we face in the aged and health care sectors. This kind of service will inculcate the values of empathy and build a more caring society.

2. Birth track
Assuming her reproductive system is healthy, the woman pledges to bear a child by age 30.

However, should the woman on the Birth track fail to bear a child by age 30 for any reason, she will be put on the NS track immediately to help care for the sick and aged. Two years of full-time service, followed by ten years of reservist duty.

This should solve some of our problems with NS inequality, aged and health care. As the old Total Defense chestnut goes: There's a part for everyone.

Abundance is not an excuse for incompetence

The standard Singapore government/GLC response to any problem: Blame high volume

• No 3G service? 
• Too many subscribers
• MIO TV disruption? 
• Too many channels
• Euro/World Cup TV subscription expensive? 
• Too much competition
• Train disrupted? 
• Too many passengers
• Toxic/contaminated food? 
• Too much food to check
• Traffic jam? 
• Too many cars
• Housing expensive? 
• Too many couples
• Education quality sucks? 
• Too many demanding students
• Not enough babies? 
• Too many distractions
• Dead bodies in reservoir? 
• Too many copycats
• Dead Bangla and Indonesia maid found in water tank?
• Too many contractors
• Lack of focus in Parliament? 
• Too much Opposition
• Flood? 
• Too much rain

With one exception:

• Ministerial pay too high? Too little talent

If you can think of any others, just add it into the comments and I'll update the post. 

Remembering Dr Goh Keng Swee

"He who has ambition will do his better in order to satisfy himself. He will stick to his work and see that he is the best man that ever has done that work. Our ambition must be to make ourselves useful to our country, our people and ourselves." - Dr Goh Keng Swee (6 October 1918 – 14 May 2010), the architect of Singapore.

I believe we have a bankruptcy of character. Great minds often come with great character, something unusual and not universally accepted. Singapore's attempt to sterilize character, removing anything remotely like an outlier has resulted in a bland and unimaginative country, incapable of solving the simplest problems. We must learn to embrace the odd ones, the diversity, and have faith in the ingenuity of those we shunned in the past. People should not be made to fit a system. A system should be made to fit the needs of the people.

The Minimum Wage is a Terrible Idea

Singapore needs people with skills warranting a higher wage, not politicians legislating a minimum wage. Our national education system is the problem. It has produced an entire generation of people who copy and replicate, instead of creating and innovating. If our people are highly skilled or creative, they will naturally command a good wage, or even own flourishing businesses. Value creation must come before the rewards. Legislating a minimum wage won't solve the problem because inflation and illegal activity will negate the well-intended minimum wage. 

Businesses will do three things when faced with a minimum wage law: 

1. Stop hiring any position below the minimum wage

If there is little value in the position, and it is expensive to maintain, a business will simply cut its losses and terminate the position. Worse still, the business may decide to relocate those functions completely to other cheaper countries.

2. Make those paid above the minimum wage do more work

Businesses would prefer to give an employee a raise and add more tasks to the employees job scope than pay a minimum wage and be faced with arbitrary pay increases each time the government changes the law.

3. Pass the cost increase on to the consumers, which includes low income workers

Inflation is the worst tax of all. It erodes the power of savers to break the chains of poverty and rewards the rich who have the power to take huge risks to beat inflation. The poor will suffer the most when businesses pass on increases costs to the consumer. This is how income disparity begins: the government causes inflation, the poor are unable to save, and the rich keep investing to stay ahead of inflation.

Net effect:

1. Higher cost of existing goods and services

Businesses will transfer the increased costs to the consumers. Employees higher up the food chain will demand pay increments to ensure parity and use the minimum wage as a benchmark. All these translate to inflation.

2. Higher unemployment

The ones with low wages tend to be school leavers, vacation workers, and the elderly. They will be the first to be fired. Next will be the staff in low value positions. Businesses would not take as many chances on new people because a minimum wage would be involved, so a minimum standard of experience would be demanded too.

3. More foreign talent imports that meet the minimum wage

By making local labor as expensive as foreign imports (talents, not low wage workers since the minimum wage would eliminate low wage), businesses would look further away from Singapore when hiring and it would be tougher to get a job here for local school leavers.

4. More illegal foreign workers to circumvent the minimum wage

Some businesses would look at hiring illegal foreign workers to keep wages low. It will become a big problem in the construction industry, and you will soon see more locals displaced by illegal foreign labor.

Please think carefully before asking for a minimum wage. It looks very good and noble on paper, but the real world is a very dynamic (or corrupt) place and it is not going to work out the way you think.