Give all the factsFebruary 11, 20111Dear Sir,May I make a couple of suggestions concerning the reporting of the current dire fiscal situation that Bermuda now finds itself in following the reign of the Brown administration. Routinely including this additional information will be very helpful in educating people as to Bermuda's actual position.When reporting the debt per capita, or interest expense per day per capita, also (or instead) report these figures as a per capita expression of the working population. Let's face it, children, the unemployed, the wall-sitters and the elderly aren't making money that will be taken from them in taxes to support this mess, the working people are. That's a much smaller number of people.For example, in an article in The Royal Gazette on February 11, the daily interest expense just on the debt is given as $15 per day per person in Bermuda, but the working population is probably only about 50 percent of the total population, so this is really more like $30 per taxpayer per day! This is just the cost per person for the interest on what they've borrowed (and interest rates are very low right now, just watch what happens when they go up!). Not a penny towards actually repaying the money! Then add the money to hire lots of extra, unneeded but politically connected civil servants, the trips, the parties, the fancy cars etc, and you will find that you spend significantly more per day making sure Government continues to have a good time than you do on yourself and your family.Another thing, Government has a great trick whereby they tax your employer, not you. That way it looks like your taxes aren't that bad. But guess what? When your employer makes a decision about hiring people or laying people off, or giving raises, they look at the total cost of an employee, not just what that employee takes home in their pay packet. The actual cost is about 30 percent more than take home pay and after this year's budget it will probably go up again. So, when you don't get a raise or you get laid off or you can't find a job, realise that the huge tax increases on employers in the last ten years have a lot to do with it. There's only so much money to go around, the more the Government takes, the less you get and the harder it is for you to find a job. People simply can't afford to hire more staff any longer, in fact I personally know of a few small businesses that have had to lay off one employee each, just to have money to pay for additional taxes.Finally, I know the Brown clan likes to stick together, but yesterday's article by Walton Brown where he tries to characterise Government spending wildly beyond its means and borrowing like crazy to make up the difference, leaving a bankrupt country for future generations to clean up, as “prudent fiscal management” takes an extraordinary amount of gall. Why exactly does he still have a column? Opinion is one thing, pure propaganda is something else.ROMEO TANGO ROMEOCity of HamiltonBusiness as usualFebruary 11, 2011Dear Sir,For 100 days now the Government has been claiming that it is no longer business as usual; with one decision they proved it still is.Since the union broke their promise of a 21-day strike notice will the taxpayers get their $6.5 million back?K. SMITHSt George'sFeeling let downFebruary 11, 2011Dear Sir,What a disappointment.In a week when the Minister of Labour felt compelled to remind the population to go to work when it is raining(!), we had a bus driver decide his day job wasn't worth enough to go to, so he called in sick, but continued to go to his evening job for three consecutive days. For this he was terminated from his job, but his union stood behind him, as did his colleagues (I'm sure all wishing they could have three extra days of holiday too). Never mind the circumstances and details: If anyone in the private sector called in sick for three days, but was seen out and about, clearly not sick, each night, they would be fired, and rightly so. Especially in an economic state such as Bermuda is experiencing, there are plenty of people who need jobs and would gladly take the job of someone with so little disregard for theirs.Two things I want to point out:1. Mr Furbert (BIU President) you cannot have it both ways. If you would like for me to consider someone's 18 years of service, then I must also be allowed to consider something that happened 36 months ago, especially as it is relevant. Additionally, if I had called my private sector boss to inform him that I would not be coming to work for him for three days, but would be continuing to work at night for someone else, I would expect to be fired. Simply being transparent about my fraud does not absolve me of the crime.2. Ministers Lister and Wilson and Madame Premier I was proud of my government prior to about 10.45 this morning. Hopeful, was actually the word I used this morning to a neighbour. Hopeful that my Government would stand up for what was clearly the right thing in this situation. Hopeful that my Government would not kowtow to the union's demands. I'm not sure what happened in the 12 hours between Minister Lister's statement last night and today's announcement, but I am disappointed, let down and disillusioned. The political capital you gained in the last two days (shown by the unanimous support of your original stance on Facebook and websites and colloquially among those I spoke with) has been depleted and you now have a deficit, at least for me and my friends. My guess is that one week before the Budget is not when you needed this you just traded the support of a few hundred bus drivers for the rest of the country. So, I wish you luck next week, because I suspect you will need it.JENNIFER ADAMSWarwickStrike was avoidableFebruary 12, 2011Dear Sir,That whole bus strike scenario could've been avoided had the individual been suspended for five weeks from the start. OK, yes, he was covering for someone but, wasn't he supposed to be on sick leave during the day? Hmmmm … why didn't he call management to ask if he could slip in to fill up the buses since he couldn't handle driving the buses during the daytime? Don't you think that would've solved the problem right there and then?Adults who would normally have to catch the bus daily had to find other means of transportation.The fact that unruly children were out of school this week didn't really say much (if the strike had continued on though … that's a different matter since not all children are unruly just that, the unruly ones are unfortunately in town on school days as well).What needs to be addressed to the public though is a notice by the PTB next time they choose to strike since not every individual can get near a radio to hear “Buses are now on strike!”ANONYMOUSDevonshire