Singapore, a nation of '75 percenters' ...

[3Boys]

art_n_i:

Way2GO:

Comfort level improved - I agree.
Std of living - IMHO, no.

I agree. :celebrate:

So what is it about standard of living that has not improved? Just curious to see how one defines it....

[Blobbi]

Way2GO:

Sun_2010:

The Metamorphosis
[color=darkblue]

wat a nice story.
gonna let my boys read it.

Yeah love the story! Very apt!

[Blobbi]

Not a gripe, 3boys. Just social commentary. Yeah, cream rises to the top. But there is such a thing as a frog in a well.

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

After reading 5 pages of posts, I have no clue what the griping is about. Is it too much g'ment or too little g'ment? Or is it really, as vks puts it, the 'soft-bellyed' Singaporean who has been coddled to death.


My view, the g'ment is a victim of its own success, created a griping, navel gazing generation who use public policy as a crutch, and blame the g'ment like spoilt brats when their toys get taken away by someone else more deserving.

Cream rises to the top, . If one were a truly exceptional talent, he would flourish anywhere, and Singapore, with all the basic amenities in place, opportunity for diversified education and social security, is as good as any other country, and better than most. If one has not succeeded here, then I'd suggest one take a look inside before blaming externalities.

I scanned thro' d pages again after reading ur post.
I don't see anybody griping?
Forummers were commenting on Tharman's encouragement for entreprenuership
n whether d conditions were conducive.

So everyone here is a navel gazing griping lot while u r d cream?
u know, fat, like cream also rises to d top.
Even fat can only rise to d top when d conditions r right, not whatever the environment. :lol:

[Way2GO]

3Boys:

art_n_i:

[quote=\"Way2GO\"]

Comfort level improved - I agree.
Std of living - IMHO, no.

I agree. :celebrate:

So what is it about standard of living that has not improved? Just curious to see how one defines it....[/quote]Don't wanna be long winded on explanation.
Please see dis for a start:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/best-countries-in-the-world.html

Opening para:
Warren Buffett likes to say that anything good that’s ever happened to him can be traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country—America—at the right time. And it’s true: while remarkable individuals can be found in any nation on earth, certain countries give their citizens much greater opportunity to succeed than others at certain points in time. It’s an issue that is particularly pressing today. As wealth and power shift from West to East, and a new post-crisis world order continues to take shape, it’s no longer clear that being born and raised in Omaha offers quite the edge that it once might have.
blah blah blah......

These r some of d ppl who contributed:
Nobel laureate and Columbia University professor Joseph E. Stiglitz; McKinsey & Co. Social Sector Office director Byron Auguste; McKinsey Global Institute director James Manyika; Jody Heymann, the founding director of McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy and a professor at the university; and Geng Xiao, director of Columbia's Global Center for East Asia.

[duriz]

Sun_2010:

The Metamorphosis

That's a great story, thank you for sharing Sun.

[3Boys]

Way2GO:

I don't see anybody griping?

So everyone here is a navel gazing griping lot while u r d cream?
u know, fat, like cream also rises to d top.
Even fat can only rise to d top when d conditions r right, not whatever the environment. :lol:

Never implied that. Speaking as an ordinary Joe was has had an opportunity to carve a small niche for himself, thanks to the foresight and tenacity of the g'ment in creating the right environment for economic development.

And yes, there is some griping.....

[3Boys]

Way2GO:

3Boys:

[quote=\"art_n_i\"]
I agree. :celebrate:

So what is it about standard of living that has not improved? Just curious to see how one defines it....

Don't wanna be long winded on explanation.
Please see dis for a start:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/best-countries-in-the-world.html

Opening para:
Warren Buffett likes to say that anything good that’s ever happened to him can be traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country—America—at the right time. And it’s true: while remarkable individuals can be found in any nation on earth, certain countries give their citizens much greater opportunity to succeed than others at certain points in time.

These r some of d ppl who contributed:
Nobel laureate and Columbia University professor Joseph E. Stiglitz; McKinsey & Co. Social Sector Office director Byron Auguste; McKinsey Global Institute director James Manyika; Jody Heymann, the founding director of McGill University’s Institute for Health and Social Policy and a professor at the university; and Geng Xiao, director of Columbia's Global Center for East Asia.[/quote]Singapore ranks 20th in the world, and 3rd in Asia. If you look at the groupings as opposed to individual countries, you have the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark), Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands), North America (US, Canada), Australia/NZ, and North Asia.

So, we rank below Nordic nations, Western Europe, North America and Aus/NZ for quality of life. All things considered, is that so bad? Look at the population density, history of those nations and consider the geopolitical realities for us. Further, if you dissect the ranking, you find Singapore rank 4th in Education, 7th for Healthcare and 1st for Economic dynamism. We rank poorly in Political environment which drags our score down. As far as Warren Buffett's comments are concerned, about provision of opportunity to its citizens, aren't we bang on target for the important things like education and economic dynamism? Being in Singapore sure beats being in Omaha right now, that's for sure.

Play around with the Newsweek interactive tool, it throws up some interesting comparisons, and I don't think we fare too badly at all.

[qizai]

verykiasu2010:

Singapore, a nation of '75 percenters' ...

by alvina soh 05:55 AM Oct 28, 2010
SINGAPORE - Is the little red dot a nation of \"75 percenters\"?

Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam appeared to think so, having discovered that many Singaporeans were happy to be competent but not extremely good.

\"I half suspect once we get to 75 per cent of that level - which is quite good - you think that's good enough, you're already better than the rest or better than the rest in Singapore,\" he told Hwa Chong Institution students and 10 industry leaders at an entrepreneurship talk yesterday.

\"And that urge to want to go much further and to be exceptional - not because someone is looking or you are trying to win a competition, but you just want to be exceptional - that urge isn't there in Singapore,\" he added.

But this drive for excellence can be seen in less well-off societies, said Mr Shanmugaratnam.

\"If you look around Asia, you find that some of the most inspiring stories come from societies that are in a mess ... But it's those societies that often throw up individuals who want to do something really exceptional.\"

Citing India as an example, he said that the country's health system, although weak, created an environment where groups of individuals get together and are eager to play a part in developing world-class hospitals.

Some students felt that the minister had a point.

Hwa Chong student Toh Zheng Xiang said: \"The sad truth is that the education system in Singapore is such that to get A1, one need only score 75 per cent.\"

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC101028-0000100/Singapore,-a-nation-of-75-percenters-,,,

In my humble opinion, I think Mr Tharman is just trying to encourage these teenagers to go beyond the 75% (benchmark for A1) in the educational system.

I think it's sensible advice to bright teenagers who may be somewhat constricted in their definition of excellence in academia/sports. Therefore it may be useful to encourage them to always put their 100% in whatever they do.

Honestly, to their credit, I think most bright teenagers know that already.

I think we adults already know all these already. For example, if you start a business, of course you would put in 100% because your capital and livelihood is at stake.

The context cannot be used in primary schools, or nor is it too applicable to use this information to explain \"why and what Singapore lacks\".

Singapore is not perfect (stifling, not out-of-the box, rigid, hyper-competitive etc), but to use that lack of perfection as an excuse to not try one's best is exactly the kind of response a young teenager (or adult) should not have.

[Blobbi]

3Boys:

Singapore ranks 20th in the world, and 3rd in Asia. If you look at the groupings as opposed to individual countries, you have the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark), Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands), North America (US, Canada), Australia/NZ, and North Asia.

So, we rank below Nordic nations, Western Europe, North America and Aus/NZ for quality of life. All things considered, is that so bad? Look at the population density, history of those nations and consider the geopolitical realities for us. Further, if you dissect the ranking, you find Singapore rank 4th in Education, 7th for Healthcare and 1st for Economic dynamism. We rank poorly in Political environment which drags our score down. As far as Warren Buffett's comments are concerned, about provision of opportunity to its citizens, aren't we bang on target for the important things like education and economic dynamism? Being in Singapore sure beats being in Omaha right now, that's for sure.

Play around with the Newsweek interactive tool, it throws up some interesting comparisons, and I don't think we fare too badly at all.

Believe it or not, I still see no griping here.

We have lots to be proud of. My family and I go on holiday several times a year and very often, we're the only Asians where we are. Yes, the privileges have been great, and if it weren't for the opportunities here, we'd never have been able to afford what we can.

Cycle after cycle, wave after wave, the govt has been able to reinvent us so that we come out even stronger. Truth is we've never been anything more than a rock in the pond, in the big scheme of things. Well done, Singapore!

But it also makes sense to introspect and see where we are not, and mull over whether we can be. This isn't griping. It's called ambition and building the future. I didn't mean to be sarcastic when I talked about being a frog in a well; I meant that as a truism for all of us.

So the questions abound. Why don't we have world class companies? For what I say about the Taiwanese, I don't wish to live there, where even the rich have to put up with poorer standards of sanitation (can't flush toilet paper down the bowl because the country infrastructure can't cope). Corporate creation is the lifeblood of competitive economies. We need to look forwards to see what we can do about this, not backwards to keep congratulating ourselves (at least not all the time).