My reply to a comment by a reader: here.
Hi politicalwritings,
When something is significant enough, such as retirement planning, I think for the government to have an active hand is a good thing and, for some of us, it is a necessity so that the risk of growing old and destitute is reduced, if not eliminated. Of course, not everyone agrees.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to pinpoint who are the financially responsible ones and who are not amongst CPF members. So, a minimum safety net that covers everyone works.
What we eat and how much we eat is not of the same level of significance as whether we would be able to achieve retirement adequacy. So, I don't think the example you used is appropriate.
When should we have government intervention?
When we cannot reasonably rely on everyone to act responsibly on a matter that has tremendous importance in everyone's lives, especially if irresponsible behaviour would result in ......