PM Lee's red herring on US$1-50 poverty line

[Confuseous]

A friend lost his wallet overseas not too long ago. When he went to report the loss at a police station there, he sensed that the police were framing their questions in a way that he had almost no choice but to say that he had dropped or misplaced his wallet, rather than that he was pick-pocketed. No crime committed. No incremental crime statistic.

So perhaps that is similar to the Government's reluctance to set an official poverty line.

Although the State does provide some people with financial assistance, so long as there is no official poverty line, there may exist a divergence between unofficial or perceived poverty and official poverty (somewhat akin to the divergence between thinking of oneself as being unemployed and being considered by statisticians to be unemployed).

What are the reasons why an official poverty line should or should not be set?

Extreme poverty
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore has moved beyond the point of "extreme poverty", defined by the United Nations as living with less than US$1.50 per day.

First, this is a red herring. No one is calling for the official poverty line to be set at US$1.50 per day. The call is for the Government to set an official poverty line.

Second, is there really no citizen living with less than US$1.50 per day?

- http://refocusing.blogspot.sg/2013/11/poverty-line-shy.html

 

[Leongsam]

There are no poor in Singapore so why waste time and effort on this issue.

 

[soIsee]

I agreed with you. It's just that Sinkie, particularly the younger gen are lazy, not competitive and spolit as evident by the number of complaining threads in your forum.

If Sinkie are co-operative, their younger gen which has ample opportunity to succeed can use their resources to help their older kins , who might not have the opportunity to succeed then.

It ultimatley is the useless and selfishness of Sinkie themselves, that have created a difficulty upon themselves and with that they lay their blame everywhere.

 

[god_zeus]

how do u kno that?
u dont even live here

There are no poor in Singapore so why waste time and effort on this issue.

 

[Dreamer1]

Brother Confuseous ,when PM Lee HL was 7 years old,he asked his dad about "Black crows in the world are black" 天下乌鸦一般黑 which he leart from Old Master 老夫子 in his primary school,Dad immediately confirmed that it was gospel truth to tie in with the bible he also leart that fatal day.Hence,"extreme poverty", living with less than US$1.50 per day,in Singapore is also gospel truth to him till eternity,end of time,no one can change his thinking.

 

[halsey02]

There are no poor in Singapore so why waste time and effort on this issue.

There are really no poor in SINgapore, in the sense that, they have to shelter, no food, water or ...but there are plenty RICH poor people, whose CPF statements shows so much money...they cannot use now or never...why never, they are sick & miserable now....& can they make it to NOW to use them...these are the RICH or are they poor people??

Today, I counted 5 persons on wheel chairs selling tissues outside a MRT Station...are they poor? no sir!..CPF have plenty of money..I have to report these people to station control...who said thank you...we will shoo! them off..these POOR people!.

No sir!, there are no poor people in SINgapore!...