Burplefrog!

Every time I speak to an older (and therefore supposedly wiser) Singaporean about the Danish system, I feel so disappointed and frustrated that they can't see beyond the high taxes (more than 50%). This happened again today, when the person in question said, "What if you're earning only $2000 a month, and have half of it taken away? Would you like that?"

The point is that nobody here earns only $2000 a month. The cost of living is high, but so is the pay. I was talking to this Indian guy doing his Master's in computer science, and he told me that one day someone walked into their class and told them about a job offer - 500 kroner (SGD $114) per hour to teach some professors a new programming language. Supermarket cashiers earn around 120 kroner an hour.

You're taxed heavily here, but you also get so much out of the system. Free healthcare (even I get free healthcare). Free university education. Technically, you get paid to go to university, because you get a monthly allowance from the government.

After telling you how horrible you life would be under these high tax rates, these wise old Singaporeans then go on to describe how lazy everyone would get if they got unemployment benefits the way they do here. Well, I can't argue with that. The Danish unemployment rate would make Singaporeans freak out (It's around 7% and we start to panic when ours hits 3%). Shops here close at around 5 or 6 pm, and of course it's frustrating when everything is shut so early. But isn't it a much better life for the thousands of retail staff? You leave work at 5, go home, cook dinner, spend some time with your family. It's a good life, isn't it? Having worked at The Company, I know how much it sucks to leave only after the sun has set and come home to eat a reheated dinner all by yourself. It's really depressing. Maybe productivity here is lower, but I think the increased quality of life more than makes up for it.

It's not that I completely disagree with the way things are run in Singapore, but it's just so frustrating when these people brush off the way of life here without even acknowledging that there are so many good things worth emulating. We were talking about the Danish system, and she said, "You find it...admirable?" in a tone of voice that suggested we were too young and too naive to see it for what it really was. Yes, I do find it admirable! I don't agree with everything - I think some form of Workfare, for example, is always necessary because there will always be people sponging off the system otherwise - but I think it's admirable to have such a good work-life balance, and I'd gladly trade convenient shopping hours for that. I know it's not possible (or desirable) for Singapore to adopt the Danish system in its entirety, but I'm fed up with all these people who are so convinced that our system is best that they shut our eyes to all the wonderful possibilities.