Posted on 12/06/2025 8:03:26 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Having completed my first full day in Singapore, I continue to be impressed, as I believe all visitors are, by what a shiny, clean, well-organized place it is. One could say that this is because it’s a wealthy country. I would go in the other direction: It’s wealthy because it’s chosen to be a clean, bright, shiny place.
Yesterday, we went to the Marina Bay complex, a major tourist attraction that has two massive indoor gardens and one of the biggest malls I’ve ever seen. To get there and back, we took the underground trains that are part of the Singapore Mass Rail Transit (SMRT) system.
Before this trip, the last two urban underground rail systems I used were in New York and San Francisco. Both had similarities: They were filthy, they stank, and the corridors were lined with homeless people, who were also filthy, and many of whom were actively engaged in extreme abuse, whether injecting themselves or in a completely dazed, disoriented state. The whole experience felt like the gates of Hell. Since my last visit to New York, pushing people onto the tracks or otherwise attacking them has become a “thing.”
In Singapore, it’s different. The subway is immaculate. It even smells nice. There are no homeless drug addicts living underground like the damned. The computer systems for buying tickets and then entering and leaving the underground work seamlessly. The trains themselves are also immaculate, no doubt in large part because it’s illegal to eat or drink anywhere on or in the SMRT system. We were on the train at night, and the passengers were clean, quiet, sane, and sober.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I’ll take Singapore. Basic civil rights are overrated. Safety and prosperity is more important than freedom.
I’ll take Singapore. Basic civil rights are overrated. Safety and prosperity is more important than freedom.
RE: I’ll stand by the chorus of Lee Greenwood’s “God bless the U.S.A.”
Bless you for that. OTOH, The Singaporeans will stand by the chorus of “O Singapura”.
Singapore has more rich people based on population size than any other country. 1 out of every 6 Singapore citizen is a millionaire. During my visit to Singapore the tourist guide said there is no food stamps or unemployment checks for able bodied persons in working age. Result is unemployment is near zero. Only unemployed are those switching jobs. What impressed me in Singapore was how fast my taxi went from airport to cruise terminal using underground 4 lane highway.
Its a sad judgement on us, but totally true.
What is cruel and usual to you?
Traitors and seditionists are allowed to be put to death by being drawn and quartered, as written in the Constitution.
The essential difference is that free western nations base their societies on Aristotle, and Eastern nations base theirs on Confucius. Confucian societies are wonderful, as long as you don’t mind having no individual freedom—all relationships are based on submission to superiors, rather than free association. Aristotelian societies require individual conscience, which is where a moral, God fearing people come in. We don’t have that today, so our society crumbles.
“Having completed my first full day in Singapore, I continue to be impressed, as I believe all visitors are, by what a shiny, clean, well-organized place it is. One could say that this is because it’s a wealthy country. I would go in the other direction: It’s wealthy because it’s chosen to be a clean, bright, shiny place. “
I had the same reaction when I visited a little over a year ago. Beautiful, clean, safe, no drugged out bums lying on the street, no graffiti all over the place, respectful people. A lot of that is due to the fact that they are extremely tough on drug use and antisocial behavior. Truly a well run place.
Singapore has a very strong rule-of-law. They don't deny anyone's "basic civil rights" or at least there are no more egregious exceptions than one sees in the United States. They are particularly strong on property law.
Your person and your property are quite safe in Singapore, both from homeless camping out in front of your store, or criminals, or even from the government.
And Mussolini supposedly got the trains to run on time.
“Singapore is also an authoritarian state which administers corporal punishments”
I would prefer that 100 times over the revolving door disaster our jails have become.
A good public caning for the miscreants is a hell of a lot more effective and way less expensive.
Oddly, American also used to have very clean and modern transit, especially subways - even with all of our “civil rights.”
I have photos of an aunt who grew up on the upper east side of NYC riding the subway to her job downtown in the 1950s, wearing heels, gloves, a pillbox hat and a lovely dress. She looked like Grace Kelly riding the subway. Sitting among men all wearing suits and hats.
Let’s not delude ourselves with the notion that “because we have civil liberties,” we must have a degraded culture and dirty chaotic streets.
The degraded culture WILL lead to erosion of civil liberties.
“so he insisted that the kid would be flogged repeatedly with a bamboo cane on national television. THAT surely sent a message to both the son and the nation as a whole.”
Way more effective and less expensive that our disaster revolving door jail system.
I got a feeling there isn’t much recidivism in Singapore!
Graffiti drives me nuts. The acceptance of graffiti was the start of the decline of our society.
It is amazing what Singapore has done in 60+ years. In the sixties it was mostly slums. I forget the ruler’s name, but he was elected primarily on the platform of no corruption (primarily the politicians and business leaders). Yes they have some very strict laws, but I guess they figure the economic and much higher living standards are worth it.
Just imagine all of the third world countries that exist, primarily because their politicians and business leaders are corrupt. And what they could become if they followed Singapore’s example. Or the USA’s model of 100 years ago for that matter.
,,, Bangkok’s a great stopover on the way to Europe [ex New Zealand]; Hong Kong isn’t Hong Kong since China rode into town before the due date, but Singapore is tops for me. Totally safe, very clean, English is spoken by just about everyone and there’s more than enough choices to keep me busy for four days or so. It used to be cheap but not now. It’s been dubbed “the Switzerland of Asia”.
,,, yeah, me too. I couldn't believe how bad it is in Milan - knockout city but they need to amputate hands as a penalty.
Warsaw’s Metro is very nice as well.
And say what you will about Russia, but the Moscow Metro stations are incredible.
Just imagine Hunter Biden executed for drug usage. And then after that, The Big Guy himself getting many years in prison for the bribes Hunter was serving as the bagman for.
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