Re: [tlug] Japan to Tax E-Content

[Raymond Wan <rwan.kyoto@example.com>]

On Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 1:33 PM, Jason Frisch <jfrisch@example.com> wrote:
> Hmm..20%+ of the budget is interest payments on the debt, another 25% or so
> is social security and a bankrupt health system.
> Nothing to do with roads or navy, and the police are pretty much useless
> anyway.  Schools? I would prefer private schools were less regulated and
> hence cheaper.
> Nearly 60% of the record budgets is debt funded.


While I have to admit that Japan's system is far from perfect, I have
to say that it is too easy to not appreciate what you have.

* Scrap nationalized pension and privatize it all.
* Eliminate the health system.
* Deregulate privatized schools.

Well, if all that sounds appealing to you then you are in the wrong
country.  Get out of Japan and come to Hong Kong.  :-)

You'll see how de-regulation of privatized schools means that their
costs jump so high that only the richest of the rich can afford it.
People set up and teach at private schools to make *money*; not to
offer a better education.  Health system?  Unless you are going to
die, expect to wait hours in an emergency room or months for any
elective examination or surgery.  Want to jump the queue?  Well,
there's privatized doctors which charge more than the public system...

I was cynical of how things work in Japan and yes, somethings need
improvement...like it's debt.  But it has it a lot better than you
think.  Pick a random location on a world globe which isn't water and
that spot is probably a better place to live than Japan...  Even with
the LDP.  :-)

Ray