I absolutely agree about the safety aspects. Low crime, guns are banned (death penalty for anyone who fires a gun), e-cigarettes are banned, heroin is banned (death penalty for drug trafficking), chewing gum is banned, clean government. No need to bribe government officials when you do business here. Best of all, zero capital gains tax. Wonderful for traders.
Don't know what you mean by less freedom. I live in Singapore. I have complete freedom to make money. Minimal government inteference when it comes to making money. That's the kind of freedom I want and care about.
Zero. I'm a Singaporean. Zero capital gains tax since day one. Government makes up from other taxes. Singaporeans pay for the most expensive cars in the world. Same goes for cigarettes. And 7% consumption tax. Taxes for property speculators.
Average, not absolute number. Average. The average is very high. Skinny, pretty, stylish, happy and friendly (and educated)... all at the same time... is normal. Not so in the US etc. China for sure. But there is something SE Asian in the mix in Singapore. And don't mention the low tax regime. Lucky bastards.
It wasn't a criticism. But, Freedom runs deep in the human spirit. It is hard to define. Sing aint free. But for the most, it doesn't matter one bit in Singapore... except for that human spirit nagging back in the head. Anyway, visit there often and want to live there. Will be the 6th major venue I have lived, and the time is right.
I see. Freedom is subjective. For me, I don't feel restricted living in Singapore. So, happy here. Some Singaporeans prefer U.S/Australia/New Zealand because they can afford to live in bigger houses and cheaper cars. It's all subjective.