Dangerous Cog Labor Mentality - Inflexibility

An example of cog labor mentality thinking he is safe in job security by following instructions blindly. It's very likely a sinkie in charge as Changi Ferry Terminal got an immigration/customs section to Pengarang in Johor, Malaysia.

I've removed the top paragraphs as the complaint letter is longer than a screen & not the main essence. Full letter is at Ferry terminal staff need more flexible attitude.

Robotics & artificial intelligence have advanced to the point that self-drive cars are available. I consider it a major leap considering the multitude of factors that might pop out while on the road. What's left is ironing out the insurance & regulation issues. Which brings us to the point of what's the point of hiring a dumbass cog who is only good at following instructions?

That dumbass supervisor seem oblivious that his employer which is the hybrid regime likes to replace expensive mindless cogs like him with cheaper mindless foreign cogs who are even better at following instructions. Again i'm stressing that the hybrid regime likes to:

• replace expensive mindless cogs following instructions blindly with cheaper foreign cogs
• automate it & avoid the hassles of MC, maternity/paternity leave, morale, bonuses etc.

When those foreign cogs are earning a few times more in S$ than in their native countries, you can bet that even stupid orders would be carried out in the workplace. We don't have to look far because in parliament, the members of parliament of the hybrid regime party being paid obscene salaries would Yes, Yes, Yes even to policies detrimental to masses such as the 7M population policy shoved down our throats.

How to deal with cogs following instructions blindly
When dealing with those mindless cogs who follow instructions blindly, the best approach to get them to be flexible is to present them with an even worse consequence as what the complainer has done.

Priority to be retrenched
If i'm the boss of that mindless cog, i would put him in priority to be fired in the next round of layoffs. Wasting 40mins for something that is done in 5mins. These type of cog labor belong to the hardworking (in wrong thing) but stupid category.

Queenstown library experience of cog supervisor
If you have clicked the link above to read the full letter, you're realise it's pretty long. In my experience such letters are usually written by the more well-off.

Queenstown library is pretty isolated as the old housing surrounding it are demolished & left vacant. As such, the quiet library is usually frequented by the more well-off. There's a letter a few years ago complaining about 1 of the supervisors there about her inflexiblity. Though the letter didn't mention which supervisor (there are 2), i can pretty much guess who.

That supervisor is even worse than the juniors. When i arrive to collect a reserved book, she ask for the reservation letter which i didn't bring. My previous dealings with the juniors is that scanning my identity card into the system will display my status & confirm the borrowing of the reserved book.

I didn't complain about her. Eventually her cog labor just follow instructions blindly mindset cause her to get fucked by a letter of complaint in the shit times in a matter similar to the ferry terminal cog.


Cog labor are called cog labor for a reason. They have no heart.

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Related:
Hybrid regime loves cog labor. What matters is easily replaceable & cheap. No initiative needed.
- Bus Driver Punished for Using Initiative to Correct Mistake

Comparison Flood Pictures & Screwing the Peasants

Environment minister who is more famously known as Youth Olympics Overbudget Minister commented on his facebook in Sept that his fav jogging track is submerged. Netizens picked it up & spread it on forums as it was the worst flood so far this year - blogpost: Biggest Flood So Far in 2013.

"My regular jogging track under water. 

This morning's heavy storm brought more than 100 mm of rain to the Kent Ridge area with major flash floods especially at AYE and Commonwealth Avenue. Both the Sungai Ulu Pandan and Sungai Pandan Kechil overflowed their banks. 

Drainage improvement work at Commonwealth Avenue will be completed by June 2015. 

The flooding at AYE will require expansion of the Sungai Pandan Kechil which drains south to the sea and is subject to tidal influence. This is a major project that PUB has been considering. Will have to expedite this." -Youth Olympic Games Overbudget Minister

Now that i have a digital camera i can finally show the no flood & flood pictures. What intrigued me about the picture he posted is how near it is to where i live because i can recognize the vertical concrete cylinder. Below is the flood picture taken by him & subsequently spread online.

Above is my approximate picture - 4 trees to left of cylinder, 10 trees to right of cylinder. In terms of height you can obviously see from the railings that he is standing on higher ground to avoid getting his legs submerged in floodwaters. This type of storm drain is consider the biggest capacity on this tiny island. Look at how overwhelmed it is from the heavy downpour due to climate change.

Got taxpayers $$ to waste on this smaller underutilized track.

How does his fav jogging track look like & where is it? It is opposite the Ghim Moh jogging track at the Pine Grove estate(i seriously doubt he lives there but at the landed houses close by). Another shocking fact you might not know is that this smaller jogging track is built for elites like him. Why his favourite? One can easily guess to avoid the peasants like me cycling or jogging on the bigger track opposite.

I took the no flood comparison picture by traveling further up a bit on this 'elite' jogging track used by the Youth Olympic Games Overbudget Minister. Waste of taxpayers $$$ building this underutilized smaller & shorter track.

Look at how new the cement surface of the shelter is.

Though not very visible at the background but there is a bridge to the Ghim Moh track(right side of pic) used by peasants. Those staying in landed houses can cross the bridge over to jog & cycle so there isn't a real need to waste taxpayers $$ on the above 'elite' track.

But no taxpayers $$$ to build footpath for peasants like you & me.

While the hybrid regime got taxpayers $$$ to waste on building the smaller & shorter jogging track, they don't spend taxpayers $$$ to build a footpath & stairs for the peasants staying at Clementi Avenue 4 to access Ulu Pandan park connector. Look at the picture above which show blocks 301 & 305 up the stairs. Behind those 2 blocks are:

• blk 301 (in picture)
• blk 302
• blk 303
• blk 304
• blk 305 (in picture)
• blk 306
• blk 310

How many peasants live in those pigeon holes compared to private houses in same land space in tiny SG?

The footpath for peasants is sponsored by a supporter of the hybrid regime. In return his name is shown to joggers & cyclists at the park connector where i took the picture.

It bewilders me why 60% vote for the hybrid regime which screws them - temporary short footpath some more compared to the longer permanent 'elite' one.

Singapore Elites Can't Compete With Japanese Elites

Excellent! Another example to prove the point that it is the rich/elite in SG that can't compete with their overseas counterparts- test driving of self-drive vehicles on public roads in Japan on Sat, 9th Nov.

"Abe say he wants Japan to lead the world in technological innovation."

3min


It came as a shock to me when economist Chang Ha Joon state that it is the rich in poor countries who are unable to compete with the rich in rich countries which is why the poor country remain poor. He didn't cite any example but it open my eyes in detecting such examples.

Earlier examples i've blogged about:

• What Google's Homepage Can Teach S'pore's Overpaid Ministers
• Why Different Wages for Same Job in Rich & Poor Countries

Look at how the japanese business elite in the auto industry compete with the rich in other rich countries. Now look at how our overpaid scholar ministers in government & govt-linked companies compete by:

• 2 casinos.
• Flood in hordes of cheaper foreign workers.
• Sucking $$$ from local captive market.
• Suppress local wages.
• Low productivity.

Again, i want to stress the point that it is not our locals who can't compete with the natives in other countries. It is our bunch of useless overpaid scholars in govt & govt-linked companies who can't compete with their counterparts in Japan. The japanese elite/rich can compete & thus very productive & able to pull up the salaries of the japanese population hence a japanese bus driver is decently paid.

Can those in SG compete? Can they pull up the masses? If they can't then do they deserve obscene salaries?

Here is the comparison & similarities between the CEOs of S'pore Inc & American auto CEOs Vs Japanese Auto CEOs.

Obscene salaries = poor performance. The CEOs of american autos & S'pore Inc are grossly overpaid compared to their japanese counterparts. Monkey see monkey do. Our scholars CEOs saw that American CEOs are paid obscenely & thus followed suit to pay themselves the world's highest political salaries. Their breathen who didn't make it into political office are slotted into CEO positions of govt-linked companies to enjoy obscene salaries.

We have seen american banks(Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros) & autos going bankrupt compared to none of the Japanese during the Great Recession. Being paid ridiculous salaries & leading their American companies to ruin. Here in SG, ridiculous salaries are leading the country towards ruin.

Not only both the USA autos & S'pore Inc CEOs overpaid now, they are also overpaid compared to their predecessors who helmed the company & SG(1st generation leaders) during the glorious period.


Taxi Drivers Would Be Out of Jobs in Future
Presently taxi drivers is a livelihood reserved for sinkies. With global trend in robotics, many if not all of the cab drivers would soon be replaced with self-drive taxis.

Any job that is repetitious is in danger of being automated. Any worker who think he/she has job security just because he/she is a dumb sheep following instructions without question would be replaced by a robot.

Or cheaper foreign cog labor as what the hybrid regime is now doing.

Severe Storms Will Result in Higher Oil Prices

Flood pictures surfacing early last week of Clementi jolted me, a few days later Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. Death toll as of now has breached 10,000. Though the storm is much stronger than Katrina which hit the US in 2005 & claimed more fatalities, Haiyan didn't do extensive damage compared to what Katrina did to the highly industrialized & urbanized gulf coast of USA.

Increasing intensity of storms which obtained their energies from the warming oceans are an indication of the unsustainability of economic growth dependent on fossil fuels.

Super Typhoon Haiyan reminded me of a point made by economist Jeff Rubin about offshore oil drilling which is the susceptibility of oil rigs due to storms & flushing $$$ down the toilet on repairs. When oil companies drill for oil in deepwaters (Deepwater Horizon accident), it's a sign the cheap & easy oil are gone.

Look at the large capacity refineries built along the Gulf Coast to process the offshore oil:

The achilles heel of America's oil refining capacity is along the gulf coast. As storms form & rampage across the Gulf of Mexico, the oil rigs are damaged & tossed loose from their moorings. Then the storm make landfall & the refineries get hit.

As a result of the storm:

• Oil rigs damaged & can't produce oil
• Repairs taking months for oil rigs need $$$
• Refineries damaged & can't process crude oil
• Repairs for refineries taking months need $$$

Do factories cut down on their production? Do people drive & consume less oil while repairs are being made? Henceforth is a fact pointed out by Jeff Rubin that oil prices rises due to low supply of oil arising from storm damage.

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."-Warren Buffett

$$$ flushed down the toilet on storm-damaged repairs is $$$ that could be spent on exploring/producing oil elsewhere. What happens to oil prices when global demand is ever rising? Meanwhile another severe storm is gonna arrive...

Super Typhoon Haiyan path lies across the South China Sea which China & the surrounding Southeast Asian nations are claiming a stake on the islands & vicinity due to oil/gas deposits. Producing oil with oil rigs in South China Sea in the future is beset with the same storm problems as the Gulf of Mexico.

If high oil prices don't put enough of a brake on economic growth, increasingly severe storms will help to do so by knocking out facilities & coastal cities(eg. New Orleans by Katrina, New York City by Sandy). Mankind has reached a point where fossil fuel driven type of economic growth is hitting its limits.

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Related:
Climate change is upon us. Reduce our carbon footprint. Repair instead of discard & buy new.
- Repairing Backrest of Chair & Punctured Bicycle Tubes

There's No Free Market to a Large Extent in Singapore

So ultra-capitalistic that this tiny island has turned into by the hybrid regime yet there is no free market to a large extent? Yes, there is no free market to a large extent. Many prices are politically determined.

There are choices available for example in choosing a telco for our cellphone plan & internet plan. However the freedom to choose is an illusion as all the 3 telcos are controlled by the hybrid regime.

Hybrid regime dictates:

- Salaries of Peasants
Open floodgates wide & flood in hordes of cheaper foreigners to suppress the locals salaries & replace them. Plenty of natives should have realized by now that their salaries are politically determined.

- Cost of housing
Manipulate public housing costs till absurd levels to bleed the peasants retirement savings dry. Private housing prices soar upwards as a consequence as well as rental for housing & business space.

- Driving Costs & Public Transportation Fares
Manipulate no. of permits required to buy vehicles. Public transportation companies are govt-linked which the hybrid regime will dictate fare prices.

- Food Costs
Never build hawker centres for 26 years to force peasants into paying more for food in high rental coffeeshops.

- Healthcare Costs
Don't build hospitals as the hybrid regime floods in foreigners. Supply stagnant while demand explodes.

- Communication Costs
The 3 telcos are govt-linked companies. Their prices are pretty much similar for their offerings.

By controlling those key prices affecting the lives of peasants & the costs of doing business, the hybrid regime (PAP = Pay & Pay) basically dictates the high costs of living by ensuring the peasants are bled dry through Pay And Pay policies & its associated companies.

There's no escape from politically determined prices for the above essentials for the peasants who live & do business in the tiny island. For major shipping companies like Maersk & Evergreen which are the 1st & 2nd largest shipping companies in the world, there's freedom of choice for them. Both ditched S'pore & moved over to the johorean port(Malaysia) of Tanjung Pelepas.

Pictures of Clementi Flood on 4th Nov 2013

Heavy downpour at late afternoon yesterday resulted in floods in my area. Seeing other parts of the tiny island flooded pales in comparison to flood pictures of your neighboorhood showing up on the internet. The last time flood pictures of my neighbourhood appeared was almost 2 years ago - Flooding in Clementi After Heavy Rain (blogpost).

The most recent flooding near Clementi was back in Sept when the Youth Olympics Overbudget Minister posted a pic of his jogging track flooded due to heavy rain. His pic is less than 500m away from:

junction of Clementi road & Ulu Pandan road flooded yesterday. The traffic light crossing on the lower right is where i always use to cycle across to reach Ghim Moh track park connector on my way to Queenstown library, Tanglin Halt etc.

The Public Utilities Board is doing dredging of the Sungei Ulu Pandan canal. However the drainage at Albert Winsemius Lane, off Sunset Way just literally a stone throw away from the canal couldn't cope. I will post the dredging pictures taken before yesterday's flood in a later blogpost.

Flooding at the cross junction beside Clementi Mall. I wonder if the floodwaters flow into the mall's McDonalds fast food restaurant at the ground level which is the mall's closest premises to the water. How do i know is beside Clementi Mall?

• Bus service no. 183
• Elevated train tracks wide apart leading into the train station platforms.

I always ride across this cross junction (right to left of pic) for badminton sessions at the sports hall or at Clementi Town school.

A field in S'pore Polytechnic flooded. It seems like Clementi was chosen yesterday by Mother Nature as the star attraction for rain clouds to unleash the torrent of water.

I grew up in Clementi - the weather is changing.

Carbon Taxes Will Be A Boost In Making the World Smaller

Environment is a limiting factor for economic growth dependent on fossil fuels. This type of economic growth is unsustainable as the planet warms up due to increasing greenhouse gases.

I've blogged earlier that S'pore Airlines will be ending its long haul commercial flight to New York via Newark airport due to high fuel prices later this month. As if high fuel prices are not enough, we will be seeing carbon taxes on air travel which will make air travel even more expensive.

Europe collecting $$ while helping to save the planet. More environmentally conscious than profit minded. Together as a bloc, it is an effective measure as Europe is an attractive destination for tourists. Many europeans are already using high speed rail to travel around as europe's rail network is significantly denser & better than america's car & aeroplane culture. Hence europeans have a good rail transportation as backup. It is non-europeans flying in who will bear the brunt of the airline carbon tax.

Even if we don't travel to Europe, food & merchandise flown out of Europe & onto our dinner plates & shelves/cabinets will be carbon taxed which we will be paying.

With europe spearheading the way, soon other countries may also start collecting carbon taxes on their airspace. Too bad for tiny SG with its tiny airspace. I seriously doubt the hybrid regime would impose higher airline carbon taxes to compensate for the tiny airspace as it would hurt tourism.

High Petrol Price in Europe & Japan = Good Public Transport

Americans will suffer for vacation in their country if their government impose an airline carbon tax since they got a lousy rail network compared to Japan, South Korea & China. Why does USA have a lousy rail & public transportation network? Because petrol prices are low, hence america is car-centric. The europeans have good rail & public transportation infrastructure because it costs more to drive.

Less $$$ to Travel Far Means A Smaller World
As high oil prices lead to higher food prices, there'll be less $$$ to travel. Fewer trips will be made & most people would travel to nearer places instead of faraway. In short, there'll be less ticket sales. S'pore Tourism Board chief said in an interview of doubling tourism's contribution to GDP from 4% in 2011 to 8% in the future. I'm afraid the doubling is going to be problematic.

Economist Jeff Rubin said that soaring operating costs & declining ticket sales will force many airlines into bankruptcy.

According to him, in order to offset mounting fuel costs:

• Flights of half empty planes traveling to more remote secondary locations will be canceled.
• Connecting to a regional hub will become much more difficult if you don't live in a major city.
• Cost conscious airlines refocus on fewer but more profitable routes with much greater load factors.
• Safety may be compromised as planes carry less emergency fuel. Lighter weight = less fuel consumption = costs savings. If passengers afraid to fly because of safety concerns---> less ticket sales = airline may go bankrupt

Impact on Sinkies & SG
Sinkies are especially hit hard with high fuel costs & airline carbon tax. Citizens in big countries have a big backyard for tourism whereas sinkies must take a flight out of this tiny island unless is via slow train up peninsular Malaysia.

However there is a bright side. With less $$ to spare with higher food prices resulting from higher oil prices, there'll be less visitors both local & foreign to the 2 casinos. If it is bad enough resulting in a few quarters of losses, the 2 casinos can shut down. Say goodbye to the hosts of gambling problems affecting society, crime & the growing infestation of pawnshops.

Soaring fuel prices --> World is becoming smaller.

Carbon taxes --> A boost in making the world smaller.

Why Different Wages for Same Job in Rich & Poor Countries

According to economist Chang Ha Joon, 80%-90% of the workers in rich countries can be & would be replaced by workers from poor countries if there is free migration. Increasing number of peasants in this tiny island have realized this brutal truth although some of the cheaper foreign workers able to slog long hours are less productive than the locals.

The citizens of the United Kingdom suffer as well though Sillypore is much worse due to overly liberal immigration policies. What UK, SG have shown is that the living standards of the citizenry in rich countries depend on the draconian control over their labor markets - immigration control. Hence foreigners working easily in SG is guaranteed ticket to poorhouse for masses of natives (blogpost).

Taking the example of bus drivers, there is no reason why bus drivers hired from China are paid lower than their colleagues from Malaysia which is 1 of the grouses that led to the strike last year by some of them. The bus drivers from China lose out in terms of ability to converse in english but their driving skills are certainly better than malaysian & sinkie bus drivers.

Driving skills is the main factor which those drivers from China have already hone on difficult roads back home. What they need is acclimatise to driving on the left on SG roads.

Drving in SG roads is much easier compared to experience gained by those drivers in China.

2mins.


Supporters of the hybrid regime with its overly liberal immigration policies are obssessed with maximising profits & cutting costs. Short-term thinking. They seldom consider about the social costs.

lobo_arisen has given a good reply to that ignorant hybrid regime supporter. Even Warren Buffett acknowledges that he is rich because of the system of institutions that America has provided him. Warren Buffett would be condemned if he lives in country with:

• lousy infrastructure
• inferior technologies
• poorly organized firms
• badly run institutions

Bus Drivers Salaries around the world comparison (open in new window) show that drivers in rich countries are paid a few times more than China bus drivers. After watching the bus video above, you'll agree that drivers in poor countries are poorly paid & yet drive in difficult conditions while those in rich countries are decently paid (except SG) in easy road conditions.

Workers in poor countries can defintely compete with their counterparts in rich countries be it bus drivers, secretary etc.

How come they are poorly paid? They are poorly paid because the rich in those poor countries can't compete with the rich in rich countries. The rich in poor countries can't 'pull' up the rest of society unlike their counterparts in rich countries.

Bus drivers in rich countries are overpaid compared to those in poor countries. They are overpaid because the rich in rich countries are a lot more productive in pulling the masses up. There's not to say the rich in rich countries can pat themselves. As lobo_arisen & Warren Buffett have pointed out that it is the collective actions taken over generations to build up good infrastructure, institutions etc that have created a better economic environment.

Lastly, going back to over liberal immigration, it shows the obscenely overpaid hybrid regime is not able to compete with other governments in developed economies. While foreign workers can complement the local workforce, it is not to the extent of replacing the locals to push the locals down to the poorhouse.

"If native Singaporeans are falling behind because the spurs are not stuck into the hide, that is their problem." - Old man with regard to hardworking immigrants hence the liberal influx

Problem is not with us. It is with the elites.

• Dismantle worker unions already still can't compete.
• Have the peasants work the longest hours in the developed world.
• Later open floodgates wide to cheaper foreign labor to compete.
• Open 2 casinos.

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Related:
Right now, the current elites in SG are like the rich in poor countries can't 'pull' the rest of society up.
- What Google's Homepage Can Teach S'pore's Overpaid Ministers

High Oil Prices Hit Transportation & Hawker Centre Food

High oil prices will spell the doom for S'pore's hybrid regime. I've blogged earlier that Terminal 5 is too far-fetched. If oil prices stay high & soar higher we won't need to waste taxpayers $$$ to build Terminal 4 as well.

All eyes on its Asia-Pacific market as

• Americas is too far
• Europe is too far
• South America is too far
• Middle East is too far
• South Africa is too far

Similarly for other airlines long haul flights around the world, they are hit hard with high oil prices. Eventually long distance travel will be a luxury. More distance costs more $$$. The world will be smaller until something replaces fossil fuel powered airplanes & ships.

Expect the quarterly reports (Jul-Sept) of listed transportation companies to take a hit from high fuel prices.

Now that i have a digital camera after a long hiatus of at least 1.5years without such device, i can show you the deteriorating ground situation. There is much to show & i shall start with the places the peasants go for meals outside - hawker centres & coffeeshops.

Practically all the food for this tiny island are trucked, shipped & flown in. Trucks, ships & aeroplanes run on fossil fuels. High oil prices = higher food prices.

Right now the peasants are having their meals outside at hawker centres where the rental is lower instead of coffeeshops. The coffeeshops now are suffering from poor businesses. A coffeeshop has closed down in Ave 2 & another one in Ave 5 despite the fact that the population density of this tiny island is getting heavier heavier. Apparently more mouths does not translate into businesses......

• Ave 2 coffeeshop ---> CK department store
• Ave 5 coffeeshop ---> Supermarket

The 5 pictures below are taken during lunch time today.

Clementi Central hawker centre. Crowded with queues.

Directly opposite the hawker centre is the coffeeshop at Blk 442. Pretty quiet. Business is worse than usual.

Coffeeshop at blk 449 which is a stone throw from the hawker centre. Business ain't good too.

I walked over from Clementi central via a bridge over the expressway to west coast hawker centre at Blk 503. A lively place compared to......

dead coffeeshop at Blk 501 diagonally opposite the West Coast Hawker centre.

Peasants are ditching higher priced coffeeshops & flocking to hawker centres.

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Related:
2.5 years ago, Sengkang residents already can't take it with the privatized operator.
- Sengkang Kopitiam Sq's Absurb Prices