Dear Sir,

This letter is a response to Mr Chris Famous’s Opinion article (August 7) concerning the Civil Service, which he is defending, and his response to my criticism, the Observer, whom he bad mouthed.

Mr Famous, let us rewind to the years of Sir David Gibbons as Premier and Finance Minister, balanced budgets, surplus no debt, he went through recessions and depressions.

How about Dr David Saul as Finance Minister under Sir John Swan, again balanced budget, no debt.

He again went through recessions and depressions but knew how to tell Sir John Swan “no” when Sir John wanted to spend money we didn’t have.

Back then Bermuda only borrowed money for capital projects. Back then the Civil Service did not have computers, the internet and the cellphone. All such devices are supposed to improve productivity and thus decrease the size of the Civil Service, not increase it. You sound like the statistics man, please tell me through Pati how many new Civil Service jobs were created between 1998 and 2012 and the total cost of Government of these new jobs?

Bet that figure equates to the current government deficit per annum, along with the massive MP, ministerial and other salary increases instituted during this period.

Finally, in my letter criticising Bob Richards’s poor handling of the Civil Service (July 29), I never mentioned a redundancy, I said salary cuts. Please review my letter again.

And I would like to know if you have spent a month with every civil servant watching what they do all day? You seem to know so much about them, do you know them all on a first-name basis?

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. And I will remain,

THE OBSERVER, Sandys