Keep in mind the US has more people than Singapore, so the number will obviously be higher for the US. But if we were to enforce drug laws in the US like Singapore, you would see a lot more death sentences. And floggings, if we had that in the States. But yes, I do see it hypocritical when we criticize Singapore. Except it's a bit of a straw man when the US has 300 million (compared to Singapore's 4 million), and every state having their own opinion on how to apply it, if at all.
Singapore admittedly isn't that bad. It is one of the most efficient economies in the world, but freedom of speech is very controlled, and libel laws come with criminal consequences. If you stay out of hot topic areas, you won't run into trouble, but you will if you have thE limelight over you on an unpopular topic.
Don't forget to remember the simple guideline that epitomizes Singapore's reaction to lawbreaking on the back of the disembarkation card on the plane in bold, all-caps red letters: "Welcome to Singapore. Death to drug traffickers under Singapore law." [1]
When I visited Hungary in 1988, I was handed a photocopied paper at the border that stated that "Hungary has no drugs, prostitutes, gangs", and so on...good times.
That night we were watching a dubbed version of "9 to 5" on TV, and my mother's cousin asked me if I smoked dope - because all North Americans do, no doubt. :)
Singapore admittedly isn't that bad. It is one of the most efficient economies in the world, but freedom of speech is very controlled, and libel laws come with criminal consequences. If you stay out of hot topic areas, you won't run into trouble, but you will if you have thE limelight over you on an unpopular topic.
Don't forget to remember the simple guideline that epitomizes Singapore's reaction to lawbreaking on the back of the disembarkation card on the plane in bold, all-caps red letters: "Welcome to Singapore. Death to drug traffickers under Singapore law." [1]
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SingaporeEmbarkationCard.p... Taiwan used to have a similar message, but has been rarely enforced.