REX comments as follows,
I have heard of the "sour grapes" argument several times before. Some people think that commenting on Minister's pay is a sign of "jealousy". I don't think so. "Jealousy" means you don't have something, you want something others have. In the bible it is called covetousness, and it is one of the sins under the Ten Commandments.
It is not jealousy because, I don't even want $3 million a YEAR. It is good enough for me to have $100,000 a YEAR to be comfortable (even less, if i have been already working for 30 years, since i have accumulated wealth already). I cannot be jealous of something i don't need. What I am going to do with 3 million a year? There is a law of diminishing returns. Too much of something IS COMPLETELY USELESS. It is a waste of resources. It is like forgetting to close the tap, the water just wastes away, it could hae been put to better users. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT. Not Jealousy.
Another reader suggested that our PM is much better than President Obama, so he deserves his salary. Even if I agree with the reason he gave (which I don't), where do we stop - pay LHL 5 times Obama's salary? Why not 6 times? Why not 10 times? How about 100 times? How do you calculate the number that leads to their salaries, if they are so good?
I went to the Minsitery of Finance Singapore Budget website and check out the Prime Minister's Office staff costs. It was only about 0.3 % of the Total 2010 Budget of Expenditure of Singapore. Oh yes, if you compute salaries by relating to budget of the country, you may say 0.3% is peanuts. But this is unfair playing with statistics.
I give example: An agent who spent 1 hour selling a $1 million house gets commission of 2%($20,000). He coud spent the same time to sell a $100,000 house and get only $2,000. Is there significant difference between the efforts made selling a bigger house and a smaller house, to justify such a huge commission? Commission is a dirty word, because the percentage cuts are pegged to items which don't necessarily relate to the effort put in. Same as in the political scenario as per the salary.
Finally, the argument that "we should move on and stop grumbling about their salary". It is none of my business if CEO of XYZ company gets paid huge amounts. It is a commercial entity and the company is profit driven and can pay him what they like to. However, minister's salary are TAXPAYERS money at source. Taxpayers money can be allocated to many other areas of development in a country, unlike a commercial private company which is duty bpund only to make profits and nothing else.
Open your eyes big big.
Do not be like a deaf frog, cannot hear.
Do not be like sheep ready to be led to slaughter, day after day, year after year.
REX
I have heard of the "sour grapes" argument several times before. Some people think that commenting on Minister's pay is a sign of "jealousy". I don't think so. "Jealousy" means you don't have something, you want something others have. In the bible it is called covetousness, and it is one of the sins under the Ten Commandments.
It is not jealousy because, I don't even want $3 million a YEAR. It is good enough for me to have $100,000 a YEAR to be comfortable (even less, if i have been already working for 30 years, since i have accumulated wealth already). I cannot be jealous of something i don't need. What I am going to do with 3 million a year? There is a law of diminishing returns. Too much of something IS COMPLETELY USELESS. It is a waste of resources. It is like forgetting to close the tap, the water just wastes away, it could hae been put to better users. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT. Not Jealousy.
Another reader suggested that our PM is much better than President Obama, so he deserves his salary. Even if I agree with the reason he gave (which I don't), where do we stop - pay LHL 5 times Obama's salary? Why not 6 times? Why not 10 times? How about 100 times? How do you calculate the number that leads to their salaries, if they are so good?
I went to the Minsitery of Finance Singapore Budget website and check out the Prime Minister's Office staff costs. It was only about 0.3 % of the Total 2010 Budget of Expenditure of Singapore. Oh yes, if you compute salaries by relating to budget of the country, you may say 0.3% is peanuts. But this is unfair playing with statistics.
I give example: An agent who spent 1 hour selling a $1 million house gets commission of 2%($20,000). He coud spent the same time to sell a $100,000 house and get only $2,000. Is there significant difference between the efforts made selling a bigger house and a smaller house, to justify such a huge commission? Commission is a dirty word, because the percentage cuts are pegged to items which don't necessarily relate to the effort put in. Same as in the political scenario as per the salary.
Finally, the argument that "we should move on and stop grumbling about their salary". It is none of my business if CEO of XYZ company gets paid huge amounts. It is a commercial entity and the company is profit driven and can pay him what they like to. However, minister's salary are TAXPAYERS money at source. Taxpayers money can be allocated to many other areas of development in a country, unlike a commercial private company which is duty bpund only to make profits and nothing else.
Open your eyes big big.
Do not be like a deaf frog, cannot hear.
Do not be like sheep ready to be led to slaughter, day after day, year after year.
REX
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