Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 22:56:03 -0700
From: Dave Hayman <dhayman-AT-igc.org>
Subject: Re: The next best thing...


OK, we disagree. The problems you mention are real, but I don't accept
your assumption that you KNOW what would happen. And I'm sure there are
other interpretations of what went wrong in Singapore.

Joel Ng wrote:
> 
> Dave Hayman wrote:
>  
> I disagree, and you're beginning to sound almost Marxist.  The problem with a
> benevolent socialist state (is such a thing possible?) is that too many people will
> come to rely on it and support it because they get away with making less decisions
> for itself etc.  That's really what happened with Singapore, where the government
> was pro-democratic, anti-communist and essentially socialist in their support of
> industries around the 60s-70s.  People ended up supporting them unequivocally and
> now the s'pore government can basically get away with anything.  (Unlike what you
> say, the state's attempts to overstep their bounds will not prod people into being
> independant, especially if they have a lot to lose).  The govt. were so successful
> in the beginning, that now, no one really wants to attack them outright, because
> they don't have to make decisions for themselves - the government makes the
> decision for them (including who to vote for).
> 
> There is no next best thing, because if power concentrates anywhere, it will grow
> illimitably.