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You really have to visit the place and live there. Don't take either Sivers' words or this article. That place has won against all odds. They must have done and

by negamax 12y ago

You really have to visit the place and live there. Don't take either Sivers' words or this article. That place has won against all odds. They must have done and doing something right. Right?

contingencies 12y ago
Yeah, they came to power on a platform of communism, switched viciously to totalitarianism while befriending both Burmese junta / drug lords and engineering a stockmarket perfectly designed to hide their ill-gotten gains. Simultaneously they befriended the west and the US in particular and we all know how much the US really cares about the human rights records of its utility-allies in various global regions... http://thalassiana.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-dictators-supported-by-united.html http://thalassiana.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-dictators-su...
- negamax 12y ago
  Lol! At the same time having highest HDI, highest per capita income (well a massive increase), increase in health and education for the population. If that's what dictatorships can do then I conquer them to be better than democracy.
  - contingencies 12y ago
    ... and here we have a prime example of the wholly considered view of the typical Singaporean: an obedient slave to blinkered convenience and national back-slapping, underpinned with an unspoken but heavily ingrained and readily observed racism against people from other countries (Bangladesh, India to some extent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, even mainland China), and no respect or value for fundamental human rights: There are no such people so hopelessly enslaved as those who believe they are free - LAH!
    - negamax 12y ago
      I am from India. You are way to ignorant and prejudiced to see anything.
      - contingencies 12y ago
        That's a baseless personal accusation. It only takes a quick look at the color of the skin of people doing various jobs in Singapore to see the obvious culture of racism. Anyone can do it: just go there and see who cleans, serves food, drives taxis and buses, runs the banks, police and the government. Denying the reality may be your personal choice, but don't shoot the messenger.
        negamax 12y ago
        Are you a bot? I have lived there. It's funny that you accuse me of personal accusation but you tried just that by considering me to be a Singaporean. And since I belong to one of the nationalities you listed as being discriminated earlier; your whole worldview is shaken it seems.. You are just not willing to accept it.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        frenchieinsg 12y ago
        I had a chat with the maid of a place I stayed in for a month. She was pinay and very happy to be in Singapore, housed, fed and paid around $500 a month with a few hours off on Sundays. The FOB expats of course fumed at the idea, but the alternative for her was earning a fraction of that, stuck in a small village, her life at risk from health issues or aggression. I haven't talked to construction workers, but I've briefly worked in parts of India with about the same level of earnings (<$70/month). Again, 16h days in the sweltering heat of Singaporean construction sites, and a first world infrastructure, are a HUGE improvement, and so is the much better salary. It just so happens that the available pool of talent for this legal, structured work overwhelmingly lives in certain countries. But those who do it, seem pretty keen on the work and happy with its results - even if Berkeley residents are outraged that organic cucumbers and probiotic yogurt are not available for the raita. Happy to be proven wrong, by independent third party sources.
  - lazylizard 12y ago
    u left out the gini increase.
DanBC 12y ago
> They must have done and doing something right. Well, no, it could be just random luck.
- lazylizard 12y ago
  consider the 'tiger economies' of the 90s. look at productivity growth for each of them. its quite interesting.

by negamax 12y ago

You really have to visit the place and live there. Don't take either Sivers' words or this article. That place has won against all odds. They must have done and doing something right. Right?

contingencies 12y ago

Yeah, they came to power on a platform of communism, switched viciously to totalitarianism while befriending both Burmese junta / drug lords and engineering a stockmarket perfectly designed to hide their ill-gotten gains. Simultaneously they befriended the west and the US in particular and we all know how much the US really cares about the human rights records of its utility-allies in various global regions... http://thalassiana.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-dictators-supported-by-united.html http://thalassiana.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-dictators-su...

negamax 12y ago
Lol! At the same time having highest HDI, highest per capita income (well a massive increase), increase in health and education for the population. If that's what dictatorships can do then I conquer them to be better than democracy.
- contingencies 12y ago
  ... and here we have a prime example of the wholly considered view of the typical Singaporean: an obedient slave to blinkered convenience and national back-slapping, underpinned with an unspoken but heavily ingrained and readily observed racism against people from other countries (Bangladesh, India to some extent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, even mainland China), and no respect or value for fundamental human rights: There are no such people so hopelessly enslaved as those who believe they are free - LAH!
  - negamax 12y ago
    I am from India. You are way to ignorant and prejudiced to see anything.
    - contingencies 12y ago
      That's a baseless personal accusation. It only takes a quick look at the color of the skin of people doing various jobs in Singapore to see the obvious culture of racism. Anyone can do it: just go there and see who cleans, serves food, drives taxis and buses, runs the banks, police and the government. Denying the reality may be your personal choice, but don't shoot the messenger.
      - negamax 12y ago
        Are you a bot? I have lived there. It's funny that you accuse me of personal accusation but you tried just that by considering me to be a Singaporean. And since I belong to one of the nationalities you listed as being discriminated earlier; your whole worldview is shaken it seems.. You are just not willing to accept it.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
      - frenchieinsg 12y ago
        I had a chat with the maid of a place I stayed in for a month. She was pinay and very happy to be in Singapore, housed, fed and paid around $500 a month with a few hours off on Sundays. The FOB expats of course fumed at the idea, but the alternative for her was earning a fraction of that, stuck in a small village, her life at risk from health issues or aggression. I haven't talked to construction workers, but I've briefly worked in parts of India with about the same level of earnings (<$70/month). Again, 16h days in the sweltering heat of Singaporean construction sites, and a first world infrastructure, are a HUGE improvement, and so is the much better salary. It just so happens that the available pool of talent for this legal, structured work overwhelmingly lives in certain countries. But those who do it, seem pretty keen on the work and happy with its results - even if Berkeley residents are outraged that organic cucumbers and probiotic yogurt are not available for the raita. Happy to be proven wrong, by independent third party sources.
- lazylizard 12y ago
  u left out the gini increase.

DanBC 12y ago

> They must have done and doing something right. Well, no, it could be just random luck.

lazylizard 12y ago
consider the 'tiger economies' of the 90s. look at productivity growth for each of them. its quite interesting.