Rising costs: Govt on top of problem

That was the headine for today's newspaper (Monday, 18 Aug 2008). When I first read it, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. While most people would take the headline to mean that the gahmen is looking into the problem, my first thought was: oh dear, we have a rising costs problem and ON TOP OF THAT, we have to deal with the problem of the gahmen. HAHAHAHAHA oh my god, whoever was the headline editor DESERVES A STANDING OVATION.

My mother is listening to the National Day Rally now and I just couldn't help overhearing it since I was in the kitchen doing the dishes. I cannot damn believe how much crap that guy can utter on national media.

Oh really, lower COE prices so every Singaporean can afford a car? Oh really, only $110,000 or less to get a really decent car? Oh really, ERP rates are increasing so the gahmen can better control traffic flow? Oh really, Singaporeans come first and Singaporeans are your top priority?

Please. Don't try to pull the wool over our eyes. You think every Singaporean can really afford a car? JUST BECAUSE A PERSON CAN AFFORD A BANK LOAN DOES.NOT.MEAN. HE CAN BLOODY AFFORD A CAR. Get it? AFFORD BANK LOAN ≠ AFFORD CAR. Everybody is working so hard to service their housing and car loans, because gahmen say 5Cs must include condo and car also. Bullshit. Who came up with the "5Cs" anyway??? Obviously the gahmen larh! Who else can afford 5 Craps? We don't all have S$2-million-a-year salaries. And those who managed to earn their S$2-million-a-year without working for the gahmen definitely wouldn't be as dumb as to splurge unnecessarily on gahmen-promoted LIABILITIES. Thanks to the gahmen, people who service loans are SPENDING THEIR MONEY OF TOMORROW. And thanks to loans, BANKS ARE NOW RICH RICH RICH and laughing all the way to the......well, bank. And thanks to banks, gahmen is also RICHER RICHER RICHER RICHER RICHER. Can't you people see what's happening???

On the topic of the 5Cs, it really seems to be more and more like something the gahmen planned out long ago. Credit card: look at so many people going bankrupt because of the inability to pay of their debts. How many times have we seen the newspapers do features on credit card debt cases? Country club: look at how many lawsuits country clubs are embroiled in. Money attracts the wrong kind of people, and the wrong kind of people cannot get along with the right kind of people, so they sue.

So maybe after so many years the gahmen decided that instead of earning a high commission from having COEs expensive, they're going to reduce the COE so more people can "afford" cars, AND THEY CAN COLLECT ROAD TAX AND ERP AND PETROL MONEY FROM THE INCREASED NUMBER OF CARS ON THE ROAD. Bloody fucking scheming! This is a matter of high price/low quantity VS. low price/high quantity. Being the PRAGMATIC gahmen they are, it is only PRAGMATIC for the gahmen to adopt the latter.

So you think ERP rates are improving traffic flow? Really? Gee, then please tell me why during the morning rush hour, while Upper Bt Timah Road is quite clear, Hillview Avenue is so freaking congested no one can breathe? Gee, then, are you going to put up an ERP gantry (OR TWO) or Hillview Avenue too? Then when the congestion spreads to other roads, gee whiz, let me guess: you'll put up an ERP gantry (or two) there too. That's right? Oh my, I'm a genius. I can work for the gahmen now since we think alike.

In my honest, objective opinion, the only way to curb the rising number of cars on the road (read: increased pollution, increased congestion, increased health and mental problems) is to nip the problem in the bud and that is to reduce the overall number of cars. (Daniel will say REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TAXIS!!!!! but that's just rather skewed.) How about we set a levy? The first car a household owns is exempted, but the second car said household buys will incur a $10,000 surcharge a year, followed by $20,000 for the third car and so on. Don't you agree? When forced to not get a car for every damn person in the house (I'd rather take a taxi myself anyway) people will use other forms of transport ie. public transport (another gripe point for later), bicycles, walking, carpool, taxis. So you say you want to cut pollution eh? But you encourage people to buy cars huh??!! What logic! What geniuses.

But NOOOO the gahmen wouldn't impose such a system of levies because...... *drumroll*....

THE GAHMEN THEMSELVES ALL HAVE AT LEAST 3 CARS!!!

Fuck it. The public transport is a whole screwed up system too. Thanks to it being owned by the Lee&Lees, SMRT is doing a profit of like S$300 million when PUBLIC transport should be a PUBLIC entity and not a freaking monopoly. Even poor SBS is complaining that SMRT is monopolising the whole transport network. Well, sorry SBS, your name is not Lee or Lee so you got to settle for what SMRT throws out at you.

Well. gahmen, you know what? One day, a day in the near future, this will all change. When the old starts to make way for the new and the old man dies and the not-so-old man dies and the empire disintegrates, this all will change.

When I attended the National Day Parade 2008, I was so amused by the lacklustre (or just plain lack of) welcome the spectators afforded the ministers and the president. The emcees called for a "warm welcome" and all they got was a half-hearted half-round of applause, no cat calls, no cheering, just.......silence. That scene really opened my eyes to the plight of everyone, and that I'm not the only one who feels that something urgently needs to be done about the way the gahmen runs things.

To quote someone from somewhere, "Everything changed that day he realised that he will always have time for the important things in his life".

Already, people are realising that the gahmen is just manipulating the citizens. Already, people are realising that their hard-earned money doesn't stay in their pockets. Already, people are realising that pledging to and pleasing the gahmen with their lives is not what they want. Already, people are realising that bank loans are hoaxes. Already, people are realising that life insurance plans are conning schemes. Already, people are voicing out unhappiness and dissatisfaction. One day, this unhappiness and dissatisfaction will become anger. One day, this anger will boil and overflow. One day, people will not be happy just airing their rage over acceptable channels like the forum. One day, people will want more actions instead of empty promises.

One day, Singaporeans will fight for their rights and they will win them.

P.S: For those still griping over the S$2-million-a-year salaries of our ministers... Well guess what? The upward revision of their salaries which we have yet to come to terms with is only PHASE ONE of dunno how many phases of salary revision. Doesn't anyone see that's how inflation comes about anyway? Good luck to us.