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Y'all are missing the point. Singapore is the ultimate Confucian city. I wish I had the time to go into all the details, but a "normal" Western republic, the kind America has tried to be when the leftists weren't ripping it to shreds, is based on Aristotle's Ethics and Politics for individual living and societal organization respectively. East Asian societies, when they have not been overcome by either fascism or communism, are based on Confucius' Analects and the Doctrine of the Mean. A Confucian society is a collection of interconnected hierarchies, where those who are superior take responsibility for those beneath them, those who are inferior accept the rules of those above them, and everyone in the group is loyal to the success of the group. There is no individual freedom, but the success of the society is predicated on the willingness of the members to follow their role and the duties the role requires. Singapore is the best example of this, but postwar Japan and South Korea come close, and Viet Nam is rediscovering its Confucian roots as the sway of communism becomes less and less--the one place where it isn't showing signs of returning is, ironically, China: it's turned from pure communist to authoritarian mercantilist, but that's a topic for another day.

We landed in Singapore about 11:30 PM From SF with a two hour stop in Tokyo. The hotel wanted us to pay for the night we were booked the next night. We checked our bags and walked around. They gave us a room at 10 AM wth no extra day charge,

We were there 3 nights and days and never saw a cop except at the airport.

My wife’s friend from Manilla works there and writes for Tye Financial news of Asia. We saw everything, it’s not a big place and took a bus tour to Malaysia

I recommend people put this on their list.

“There is no individual freedom”

Bingo. They’re always missing the point.

and for it all of Asia combined creates 1/5th of the medical innovation of the US.

No individual freedom=no creativity, no imagination and no subsequent applied intelligence.

But hey we want to be Singapore!

The reality is the grass is always greener crowd don’t deserve their insane prosperous lifestyle afforded to them in this country.

Good analysis.

I don’t know much about Confucianism, but what I saw there was a very “common sense” society and the vast majority appear to behave with that common sense voluntarily - I didn’t see any heavy handed repression. Seems like there’s a strong sense of the Golden Rule.

Of course, I was there only 4 days, so it’s a very superficial look. I’d like to go back again and explore the “underbelly” to the extent that there is one. I’m sure it’s not all peaches and cream.

You seem to be familiar with the place. What is its “underbelly”? What issues and problems people complain about?