October 5, 2006

Dear Sir,

I'm sure everyone has heard, tourism figures are way up, about 20 percent Now if world tourism is up 20 percent according to travel experts, then Dr. Brown's initiatives have grossed a whopping 0 percent. Way to go!

I say he deserves another pay raise, No ... maybe I'll petition the Government to convince them to create a new title, Professor of tourism ( a life long position).

It's going to be tough to beat the whole flop and fizzle thing. Oh Oh and the whole free soda thing, What is his doctorate in anyway, doesn't he know all that sugar will rot your teeth?Hamilton Parish

October 11, 2006

Dear Sir,

Recently there was a news item about flyers posted which essentially said all expats should go home, they weren't wanted. The consensus among the minority who feel this way is that expats are taking Bermudian jobs.

Yet now we have Mr. Thomas of Four Star Pizza saying he has up to 70 openings at any given time which he can't fill. The reason he can't fill them? People think it's 'demeaning' to do this work. No job is demeaning if it is honest work. Would these people prefer to sit at home and complain there are no jobs available? If you refuse to work, don't blame someone else for your joblessness.City of Hamilton

October 9, 2006

Dear Sir,

As a paying and frequent customer of taxi service, I find the debate over whether GPS systems are worth the time and effort it takes to install and use them, a very clear cut one. Let me be clear when I say ? as a paying customer, I will ONLY call on taxi services that use their GPS systems. When I call, all I have to do is say my phone number and the dispatcher already knows my name and address so that I don't have to spend the extra time giving my all my information knowing that there might be a chance that the instructions may be misunderstood. The driver then automatically sees my information in the system so if he/she gets lost, all they has to do is look on their GPS system for my phone number instead of calling back to dispatch and wasting time. The cab service I use has been consistent, efficient and timely and if I feel like I'm waiting too long to be picked up, I call and the dispatcher can tell me exactly where my cab is so I can estimate how much longer I need to wait.

Why would I call a cab service who doesn't have this service? Sure, with any new system, there is bound to be hiccups and minor issues that need to be resolved but this is to be expected and will only get better over time.

I can't speak for other paying customers but here is my position: If you don't have GPS, I'll be calling a taxi service that does.

HAPPY WITH GPS

Warwick

October 9, 2006

Dear Sir,

The Hospital Board has announced plans for new construction at the Wellness Institute which brings the capital expenditure for new hospital construction to 720 million dollars. The modern concept in Psychiatry is to keep psychiatric patients community, and there are many effective psychotherapeutic medications now available that makes this possible.

The Wellness Institute was built 44 years ago and KEMH 40 years ago, with many improvements in the intervening years. Nowhere else in the world would 40-year-old hospitals be considered obsolete. The Hospital Board needs to justify their proposals to the community. The new Chairman of the Board should have hospital experience. I would suggest Dr. Cooke, Dr. Patton or Dr. Eugene Harvey, who are retired medical practitioners, could contribute to the deliberations of the Board.

N.C.

Warwick

September 27, 2006

Dear Mr. Editor,

The recent exposure regarding our Government's sustainable development plan, coupled with the proposed hospital plan, leaves me feeling that we, the Bermudian tax payers, really have no say in how Government spends our money.

It also leaves me feeling that this whole rhetoric around sustainable development is a farce.

How can it be that Government promotes the importance of sustainable development, yet they turn around and decide to build a new hospital on one of Bermuda's few remaining open spaces; especially when it is clear that there are other options (i.e.: the old hospital)?

I understand that we are in need of a new hospital. I also understand and appreciate the importance of the healthcare of our community.

However, I do not feel that our environment should be jeopardised any further when it is clear that there are other options, albeit the other options may be more expensive.

You cannot put a price on open space, especially in Bermuda. When using the expense of the other options as reasons to why they are not viable, I cannot help but think about the fact that expense was not an issue when building a new school (Berkeley).

Expense was also not an issue when Government decided to bring in cars over the size limit for their official use.

Expense, nor the environment, were also not issues when Government decided to drill into the hillside of the House of Parliament so that they didn't have to walk from Bulls Head like the rest of Bermuda.

These are just a few examples that come to the forefront of my mind.

Although the above sounds like I am trying to bash our Government, I truly am not.

I am just trying to make them, and the general public, realise the importance of our environment and how rapidly the long term sustainability of our environment is being compromised for short term benefits.

Look at all the buildings going up in and around Hamilton.

Look at the amount of traffic on the road (namely the amount of SUV's that are too big for our roads). This proposed hospital plan represents a bigger issue: the future of Bermuda, its beauty and its carrying capacity.

The core of sustainable development is to make sacrifices today in order to ensure livelihood in the future; both in our immediate futures and future generations.

The definition of sustainable development is "balancing near-term interests with the protection of the interests of future generations". While a new hospital is definitely in the interest of future generations, I am requesting that the Government consider the other options, despite their cost. I am also requesting that the Government listen the people who are going to the sustainable development meetings and who have spoken up about the hospital plan. The two issues are inter-linked in so many ways, that they represent one issue.

Please let those paying for the new hospital have input on its development. The new hospital, and the protection of the Botanical Gardens, are issues that effect every Bermudian.

Please do not let things resort to people tying themselves to trees in order to save them.

City of Hamilton