March 4, 2018 - This is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It is an icon here in Singapore. I show it to ask an interesting question - “Which would you rather?”
On one hand you have one of the richest and most advanced cities in the world. It is clean, efficient, very tolerant of different cultures and religions , little to no homeless, universal heath care, very affluent population, legal prostitution and gambling, no litter, and so safe
you could leave a wallet with money in it on a table and no one would touch it. It has a mass transit that is the envy of the world, great affordable housing for everyone, and a culinary culture second to none. It is paradise
But....it has a prime minister that is essentially a dictator ( a nice one but still a ruler), one party rule, limited freedom of assembly or limited free press and speech, cameras everywhere, internet monitoring, and if you want to do a crime well....its 500 dollar fine for eating or drinking on the subway, 1000 dollars for littering, 2 year jail term for one ounce of marajuana (much worse for other drugs) , if you violate a ‘woman’s modesty’ it is jail and caning, and if you possess a firearm - any type - it is a summary death sentence without appeal.
So are you willing to put up with that to get all those other benefits? Interesting question. “Which would you rather have?”
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