May 22, 2009

Dear Sir,

As I have written in a number of letters, none of which I have seen published, and predicted, tourists are shunning Bermuda. This is a shame. The financial services industry employees relatively few citizens. Again, as I have written and predicted, until Bermuda seriously addresses education for that industry (and places necessary inducements on foreign corporations to favour citizens) will the country have a pleasant future.

The Premier's erratic, even Aminish (not that he's assassinated anyone, yet), behaviour must be of concern to foreign corporations. They want a nice, quiet place to churn money.

As I have written and predicted, Bermuda could be headed the way of Nantucket. The trouble is: Nantucket is close enough to the mainland to support some level of commuting of service staff. Bermuda has not that luxury. Bermuda has to attract sufficient tourists to employ citizens in service occupations for the foreseeable future; unless and until an industry can be built based on the native skill set and levels of citizens. I do not know what those might be. I would wager, however, that the standard of living from such might not be too high.

Given that Bermuda, that I could see, has no indigenous power, agriculture, water, or exportable good, a self-sufficient community in the 21st Century sense is highly unlikely. Steps must be taken now, if not already too late, to educate the citizens toward some other area of export, if not financial services.

India did this in a few years. It now poaches much of the IT industry from the US. Bermuda could do the same. (I have already volunteered to teach in that area, should a four year college be established.) There really is no other choice, if something like the accustomed standard of living is to continue. The alternative is well described in "The Lord of the Flies".

ROBERT YOUNG

Connecticut