The majority of Singaporeans give the government a drumstick and take back a chicken.

“The majority of Singaporeans give the government a drumstick and take back a chicken.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫.

𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧.

Much of our unhappiness stems from our inability to value the chicken and the drumstick properly.

The smaller number of Singaporeans who actually give the government a chicken and take back a drumstick usually do not complain.

It could be because they know that in other countries, they might have to give up a bigger chicken and/or take back a smaller drumstick. Or it could be they realise that not all countries have the necessary set of favourable conditions to allow them to earn the same amount of money to be required to give the government a chicken.

Some of them feel that it is only fair for the better off to give a chicken and receive a drumstick from the government.”

 

'Give a chicken wing, take back a whole chicken.'

'Give a chicken wing, take back a whole chicken.'

This nonsensical argument is used to dampen people's mood - whenever the government has something good to announce - lest people forget to be angry with the government. It is used to keep people dissatisfied. After all, what can be good if you have to give back a whole chicken whenever you receive a chicken wing?

It works on people who do not think.

How does a government take from citizens. Through taxes.

If you're giving back a whole chicken for a chicken wing that you receive, then you must be paying lots in taxes and outgiving the government even. Are you?

If a chicken is worth 10 chicken wings, and you receive $700 in GST cash (=chicken wing), are you giving back $7000 in taxes (a whole chicken)?

Who gets that 'chicken wing' often used in this argument, the extra that is meant to help the more vulnerable?

These are the lower and middle-income earners. The lower-income group gets S$4 in benefits for every dollar of tax they pay. The middle-income earners get S$2. No one who receives a chicken wing outgives the government.

 

Jamus Lim takes credit for MAS' strengthening of the Singapore dollar

Harsh words but very true.

It is the forex market forces at work and MAS' tightening move is in response to the strength of the USD and not as per Jamus' theoretical and hypothetical suggestion.

Does Jamus really think that MAS' move was in response to his suggestion in Parliament? He must be really naive.