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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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 Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 10:50 pm Post subject: Why Can't Korea be More Like Singapore |
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Two news articles stuck in my head this week. One was about how
Korea is about to hit the US$30,000/year GDP per capita. The other was
about Singapore. The Korea article stuck in my head because although
Korea is a "rich" country, it is a vile and depressing place to live. The
people may have money but they certainly don't have manners, culture
or a sense of civic and national pride. The country is covered in garbage,
spit, puke and filth. Singapore, on the other hand, has: "laws against litter,
graffiti, jaywalking, spitting, expelling "mucous from the nose" and urinating
anywhere but in a toilet. (If it's a public toilet, you are legally required to
flush it.)" I live in Incheon and some parts of this city look like a third
world slum. Absolutely disgusting. Come on Koreans. Get some pride!
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32090420 |
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jcd
Joined: 13 Mar 2012
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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| What's wrong with jaywalking. Some of these light waiting times are ridiculous. |
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happyinhenan
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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I love Singapore - sod freedom of everything - I don't mind living in their authoritarian democracy as long as yobs keep getting caned.  |
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Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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Good luck getting a job there.
Plus rent is so high I heard of people commuting from Malaysia, across the border, by train. |
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Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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| jcd wrote: |
| What's wrong with jaywalking. Some of these light waiting times are ridiculous. |
True, the robots absolutely need re-calibrating.
If you've fallen asleep and traffic has accumulated to a mile-long tailback by the time the light goes green, there's something wrong. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| Its a city-state. Really hard to logically compare the two. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| I suppose if I wanted to live in a place like Singapore, I'd go live in Singapore. I'd prefer Korea avoided cracking down on petty things; it's nice that the police mostly leave people alone here. |
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:40 am Post subject: |
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One time, another similar question was asked: why can't Korea be more like Hong Kong? Even Milton Friedman asked a similar question as well during the late 70's. Why can't America be more like Hong Kong?
Answer remains the same as before: Hong Kong and Singapore can be like that because their defence spending is next to nothing. Hong Kong, as a Crown colony, their defence was handled by the UK. Now, it is taken care of by PRC. Singapore has a defence force but it is small, and their equipment are old. When they do their field exercise they have to go to Australia to do it. Not that Singapore has any natural enemies anyway.
Japan is similarly fortunate, as well. Their defence spending is limited to 1% of GDP. |
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Coltronator
Joined: 04 Dec 2013
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:40 am Post subject: |
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| Dictatorships can definitely make the walkways clean and the trains run on time (sometimes) |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:49 am Post subject: |
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| andrewchon wrote: |
One time, another similar question was asked: why can't Korea be more like Hong Kong? Even Milton Friedman asked a similar question as well during the late 70's. Why can't America be more like Hong Kong?
Answer remains the same as before: Hong Kong and Singapore can be like that because their defence spending is next to nothing. Hong Kong, as a Crown colony, their defence was handled by the UK. Now, it is taken care of by PRC. Singapore has a defence force but it is small, and their equipment are old. When they do their field exercise they have to go to Australia to do it. Not that Singapore has any natural enemies anyway.
Japan is similarly fortunate, as well. Their defence spending is limited to 1% of GDP. |
It called a peace dividend. Hong Kong and Singapore get paid well every year. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| andrewchon wrote: |
One time, another similar question was asked: why can't Korea be more like Hong Kong? Even Milton Friedman asked a similar question as well during the late 70's. Why can't America be more like Hong Kong?
Answer remains the same as before: Hong Kong and Singapore can be like that because their defence spending is next to nothing. Hong Kong, as a Crown colony, their defence was handled by the UK. Now, it is taken care of by PRC. Singapore has a defence force but it is small, and their equipment are old. When they do their field exercise they have to go to Australia to do it. Not that Singapore has any natural enemies anyway.
Japan is similarly fortunate, as well. Their defence spending is limited to 1% of GDP. |
That just isnt the case. Singapore spends a relatively high percentage of its GDP on defense and its equipment certainly isnt old. Their frigates are modern and they fly F15s and AH64s. Their tanks are Leopard 2s.
Singapore , for a country of 5 million, has an incredibly powerful military. And they occupy one of the most strategically important locations in a region with historical instability. |
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| andrewchon |
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