Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

palladiummag.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 262 posts

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#151

Post by refurb »

sudosysgen wrote: post #144
mobilefriendly wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The FDA blocked private testing at a critical point early in the coronavirus. The FDA keeps many lifesaving treatments out of the US, at a large and unseen cost. For example, the FDA blocked UVB sunscreens for a decade after they were permitted in Europe. Those extra US skin cancer deaths are "unseen" but are casualties of the FDA. In turn, the FAA allowed Boeing to "self-regulate" approvals of the MAX and after the…

US institutions have a huge issue with regulatory capture

Regulatory capture is profiteering off something other that value added.

Which US institutions are profiting?

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#152

Post by Spooky23 »

ergocoder wrote: post #100
wenc wrote: post #93

Wow. This article is one of the most compelling I've read in a while. There's even a bit in there about models and reality with respect to (authoritarian) governance and size, and why simplistic schemata suffer from large errors in larger states: "Decision-makers must rely on simplified models to make their decisions. All schemata are by nature imperfect representations of reality. Indeed, a scheme that reflected rea…

Yes. It's one flaw of democracy. In a dictatorship, if the leader is great, it will grow like crazy... It's like a startup with great founders. On the other hand, the problem will come when a hand-off needs to happen. Singapore is clever enough to keep the democratic process, so it has some decent hand-off process.

It’s just like any company, which are usually little dictatorships.

If the controls and discipline aren’t present, you get a failed state with everyone’s crony wasting and damaging the whole.

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#153

Post by refurb »

earthboundkid wrote: post #104

1) LKY’s autobiography is incredibly readable. Highly recommend. 2) It’s bizarre that discussions of “socialism” turn on Venezuela and the USSR instead of Singapore, which was explicitly governed by socialism.

Singapore socialism is quite interesting. From what I’ve read it’s bare bones (we won’t let you starve), includes forced savings and cost sharing (you need to have skin in the game).

Kind of capitalism with the minimal amount of socialism to maintain a stable society.

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#154

Post by nicholasluimy »

jjcc wrote: post #99
xuki wrote: post #19

The article failed to mention 1 important thing: LKY built an incorruptible government. With all the power he had, he could have done so much better for his family if he just tried, but that wouldn't necessarily be good for the country. A lot of countries want to be Singapore, but few have a leader of his caliber.

That's because LKY himself is an incorrptible person. Here you can have an insight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142FbTYeK7k

Worth noting the CIA tried to bribe him and failed https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/cia-rdp75-0...

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#155

Post by AmericanChopper »

wenc wrote: post #93

Wow. This article is one of the most compelling I've read in a while. There's even a bit in there about models and reality with respect to (authoritarian) governance and size, and why simplistic schemata suffer from large errors in larger states: "Decision-makers must rely on simplified models to make their decisions. All schemata are by nature imperfect representations of reality. Indeed, a scheme that reflected rea…

If you want to consider the success of LKY’s first principles, you should probably consider what they are. Free market economics, low taxation, user pays healthcare, restrictive welfare entitlements, restrictive immigration, and no minimum wage.

Singapore is a mostly-benevolent, mostly-single-party state, with rather poor individual freedoms, but an approach to economic liberty and self-reliance that would be considered extremist in most of the west.

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#156

Post by threeseed »

bllguo wrote: post #147
hellofunk wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is somewhat of a naive view -- the risks of any kind of dictatorship far outweigh any slight chance of good.

Hand-waving things away with your absolutist statement is what truly seems naive. IMO there is far more nuance than you suggest. Democracy seems to work well for some types of problems but not others. What happens to democracies when faced with threats that manifest over very short timescales? They aren't nimble enough to respond in time. This is most evident in larger democracies; look at US/India responses to COVID…

Countries like Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have had exemplary COVID-19 responses. It has nothing to do with whether you are a democracy or not and everything to do with the competence of the government.

And the people of the US will have an opportunity to vote in a few months on whether the response was adequate or not. I don't see the people of China having a similar opportunity for example.

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#157

Post by Spooky23 »

leafboi wrote: post #112
ergocoder wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. It's one flaw of democracy. In a dictatorship, if the leader is great, it will grow like crazy... It's like a startup with great founders. On the other hand, the problem will come when a hand-off needs to happen. Singapore is clever enough to keep the democratic process, so it has some decent hand-off process.

Don't think that the democratic process guarantees a good hand off... it's still a crap shoot and a lucky draw. See current President Camacho of the United States. Unlike a dictator, the aggregate will of the people never serves the self interest of a single individual. The issue with majority rule is that the aggregate intelligence/judgement of the people is likely not matched with what is required to select a good…

The current situation reflects how law and society has lagged behind technolgy and social media. We moved away from moderated information delivery to a torrent of self-published nonsense.

For every HN post, there are a dozen lunatics.

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#158

Post by refurb »

mochialex wrote: post #75
SyneRyder wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Recently Singapore has been making a push for the arts, yet it's clearly evident how inorganic the output is Last time I went to Singapore I was struck by how it was impossible to buy any local music. I associate by music, so I always buy local music when I travel. But in Singapore's tiny music stores, I couldn't even find a Dick Lee CD for sale, and his music wasn't available through Australian iTunes. (In the end…

Speaking about art in SG. I find that street artists in Europe are way more better than those in SG. I’m always amazed by their skill and enthusiasm in my Europe trip. While back in SG, the only ones I see are art students or old uncles playing some music that you can hardly say “good”. This is sad.

Some of that is cultural. Education is math and science, art is for when you’ve done your homework and is regarded more as “play” than a serious subject worth dedicating yourself to (some exception noted).

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#159

Post by nicholasluimy »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #86
xuki wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best developers in Singapore usually work in SV, because Singaporeans have access to H-1B1 which makes it extremely easy for them to move over.

You mean their H1B quota is somehow more liberal making it easier for them to move?

Yep - we have a separate quota from the regular H1B, meaning that almost anyone that applies can get it

Re: Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore

#160

Post by nine_zeros »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #155
wenc wrote: post #93

Wow. This article is one of the most compelling I've read in a while. There's even a bit in there about models and reality with respect to (authoritarian) governance and size, and why simplistic schemata suffer from large errors in larger states: "Decision-makers must rely on simplified models to make their decisions. All schemata are by nature imperfect representations of reality. Indeed, a scheme that reflected rea…

If you want to consider the success of LKY’s first principles, you should probably consider what they are. Free market economics, low taxation, user pays healthcare, restrictive welfare entitlements, restrictive immigration, and no minimum wage. Singapore is a mostly-benevolent, mostly-single-party state, with rather poor individual freedoms, but an approach to economic liberty and self-reliance that would be conside…

> Free market economics, low taxation, user pays healthcare, restrictive welfare entitlements, restrictive immigration, and no minimum wage.

Did you just pull this out of your arse?

I don't know if you need training in google fu or just plain ol calling out on bullshit.

At least google what they do with healthcare and immigration (for a country smaller than nyc)

Post reply on HN