Saturday, October 05, 2019

"Affordable" is a dirty word

A friend told me at the cricket club - the government leaders should not say that public transport fares are affordable or that medical care is affordable.

"Affordable" is a dirty word. It should not be used.

Why? It may be affordable to people who earn a high salary, but for people who earn a low wage, it is not affordable.

When a govt leader says that it is "affordable" they should think of the people who earn low wages, and understand that every dollar of increase is painful to them.

I agree with this point of view. I prefer a strategy where the cost of living is kept low, so that most people, including those at low wages, can afford to get by with what they earn. They can work harder to earn more, but they should not have to work hard just to "afford" the high cost of living.

I respect the first generation of PAP leaders, who kept the cost of living low. Remember the cost of HDB flats in the old days, and the rental of HDB shops?

When the cost of living increases due to property prices, GST and wasteful spending, it hits the ordinary wage earners very hard.

Bad PAP.

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