Ministerial Pay Rise

Ok, here's the hottest news in town now.. This is strictly my own views.
my take on it is that it is hard to stomach for the ordinary man on the street and thus the uproar over such a measure

Let's examine the 'Against' arguments.
In brief,
1) Pay rise comes on the eve of the GST Hike
2) Ministers' pay is already very high
3) Unsuitable formula to calculate the pay
4) Irrelevance of bonus measures like the GDP
5) Public service should entail a sense of contribution to the country

"For"
1) Fear loss of talent to private sector
[After comparing the pay of ministers with the top 8 earners in the private sector, it is found that their pay falls short. However, such a benchmark is not very accurate and relevant. A country and a profit-making organisation is different. When the company makes losses, the CEOs likewise have to take some of the blow also. We commonly hear of pay rises and bonuses when the economy is good, but there is seldom any action taken when the economy is bad. Perhaps some concrete action about the pay might be taken when the economy is not faring that well. As in, instead of pegging the GDP to the bonus awarded, I think a more acceptable way would be to peg the pay rise to the GDP which most accurately reflects the state of the economy.]

2) Need a group of capable ministers to govern the country with a large economy
[Instead of comparing to our private sector, maybe the government could compare the pay to the pay of other people in similar posts in other countries]

THE STIFlIng hot weather

These days are so hot!!
Has anyone wondered who is the culprit??
Global warming!!!

Scientists yet again issue another warning that Earth is facing devastation. The Supreme Court in USA has thrown out EPA's feeble claims about not wanting to look global warming straight in the eye. EU is criticising Australia. THE WORLD is LOOkiNG. All eyes are on Australia and the USA to undertake concrete actions to combat global warming.

I'm not too sure about the situation in Australia, but in the USA, states are going out of their way to do their part for the environment. This is heartening. Elsewhere, businesses are beginning to see the economic spinoffs from being environmentally conscious. Wal-Mart has promised to reduce its utilities usage and packaging. Although the motivation is mainly financial, it is nonetheless a good thing that many people are starting to do their part for the environment.

Seriously, I think that Singapore might not be doing enough. The effort to promote hybrids is not significant. The recent drive to promote alternative energy is a good start. But is it enough? It is true that we have more urgent matters to be concerned with at the moment rather than to ensure a better future for our much much later generations. However, if global warming really worsens, we might not even have Bukit Timah to survive on. As a small country, there are limitations to what Singapore can do. But in the research and innovation sector, Singapore could spearhead certain areas. The viability of certain research products could really galvanise the entire sector.

99% efficient solar cells, anyone?
(we could really do with that now)