The basic pitch of those promoting Ponzi demography is straightforward and intoxicating in its pro-population growth appeal: “more is better.”
Standard measures of GDP do not reflect, for example, the degradation of the environment, the depreciation of natural resources or declines in individuals’ quality of life.
Among its primary tactics, Ponzi demography exploits the fear of population decline and aging. Without a young and growing population, we are forewarned of becoming a nation facing financial ruin and a loss of national power.
Low birth rates, especially those below replacement levels, are considered a matter of national concern. Without higher fertility rates and the resulting population growth, the nation, it is claimed, faces a bleak and dreary future. So Ponzi demography calls for pro-natalist policies and programs to encourage couples to marry and to have more children, which will lead to the promised sustained economic growth.
Among other things, increased immigration, it is declared, is a matter of national security, long-term prosperity and international competitiveness. Without this needed immigration, Ponzi demography warns that the country’s future is at serious risk.
"Economic growth requires population growth" is the basic message that Ponzi demography wants the public to swallow. No mention is made of the additional profits they reap and the extra costs the public bears.
Despite its snake-oil allure of “more is better,” Ponzi demography’s advocacy for ever-increasing population growth is ultimately unsustainable. Such persistent growth hampers efforts to improve the quality of life for today’s world population of nearly seven billion people as well as for future generations.
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Nobel Laureate and economist Paul Krugman once criticized Singapore in 1995, saying that the Singapore's economic miracle was the result of mobilizing labour and resources, and cannot be sustainable in the long run "unless babies were drafted into the workforce". We didn't have to draft babies if we could expand the domestic workforce with immigration. The author of the article from the Globalist was quite accurate on his observation of this dangerous game governments play with population growth and immigration.
ReplyDeleteThe former MM Lee is asking that our young should get married before 27 years. What has our PAP government have to say about this.
ReplyDeleteGet Real!
While, I would support the call for our children not to delay marriages, I am equally against that call to " go forth and multiply" blindly.
ReplyDeletePractically all Business Schools based their lessons on the premises stated in the write-up :
" Grow "
Any wonder that anyone with MBAs or Public Administration have been indoctrinated with that "growth" model !
Strangely, it appeared that those who moved on to do their Doctorals almost always hold a slighly different and dare I say, more englighten view.
This reminds me of the CPF Ponzi scheme. Perhaps our opposition MPs should challenge the government on whether our current economic model is sustainable in the long term. I bet Mr Tharman would not be able to give a convincing response. We have voted in a bunch of ministers who can only come out with 3rd world solutions.
ReplyDeleteSingaporeans have mostly been living a lie that we need "foreign talent" and that there are not "enough" "local talent". A few people I have talked to constantly reiterated this propaganda lie by constantly harping upon the details that when we minus the population by the aging, the women who took time off from work to become full-time mothers, and so on, we need foreign workers. What they did not account for is that these foreign workers constantly displace Singaporean citizens(new and old), and that the cycle of exploitation continues because the government uses them as tools to advance their own GDP growth schemes.
ReplyDeleteIn short, 3 underlying motives :
ReplyDelete1) Limit the "talents" by capping educated graduates (as per Wikileaks) so only a small elite group will thrive and rule = PAP hegemon
2) Import fluid and cheap labour to spur hides and drive GDP growth translate to More bonuses for them for job well done at expense of the dearth of singaporeans = PAP hegemon
3) Voters demographics will be replaced in no time, in favor of Party = PAP hegemon
Let me quote grim grandfather LKY what he said about CHINA
ReplyDelete"If you are not going to be a hegemon, why do you keep on telling the world you are not going to be a hegemon?"
Likewise if PAP is not going to be a hegemon, why do you keep on telling singaporeans two/multi party model won't work?
Hi editor, you're welcome. Will try to post more of these articles if and when I notice them.
ReplyDeleteFirst the PAP government forced young couples to get into life-long debt with HDB loans with their asset inflation policy. So our young couple is now incentivised to work their gut out to boost GDP growth until they die. Then they blame our financially and emotionally stressed out couples for not producing enough kids to replace themselves. Now they have the good excuse to bring in foreign talents and they are needed to increase the size of the pie. Then they take the biggest slice of the pie for themselves and leave the poor couple to fight for their crumps. To show their benevolence and to show that they have the interest of the couple at heart, they distribute some crumps to them ... and the story goes on...
ReplyDelete