Abuse of powerFebruary 12, 2011Dear Sir,The union, the Leaders of this union and some of the members, have killed the tourism business again, and once and for all.Your elation in getting your own way, while placing this Island in jeopardy for one man, and putting the children, the elderly, the tourists, and the general public at risk, is unconscionable. You will rue the day.To bow down to anarchy under the most dishonorable circumstances, shows that some of this Government and some of the members of this union, and the leader of this union, are totally devoid of any moral fibre or integrity.We have examples of courageous leadership, whereby Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher broke the miners’ strike, when no one else would stand firm and hold the line in England, under the most dire circumstances and risk.Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States, broke the air traffic controllers’ strike when no one else would stand firm and hold the line. The risk and threat of a world international breakdown in travel was beyond imagination.Kennedy did it with Kruschev, at possibly one of the most perilous times in our history. Courage and being steadfast are the hallmarks of a leader.In 1981, Bermuda was put to the fire with a strike, and the Government of the day stood firm and held the line, (a lovely expression from wars long ago). So we all went out in our hundreds and volunteered our time to fill in all the jobs that the striking workers had vacated, even to running the tourists to the airport, manning the hospital, doing all the laundry, and cleaning the interior of the hospital building, and any other jobs that needed to be done.I am not suggesting that the union is not well founded, and to flex its muscles for a just cause is what a union is all about, to protect the workers, but and here is that famous but for the union to abuse its power and to hold the entire Island to ransom, and not to give notice and time for all of us to see the issue before it goes too far, or goes to arbitration, is not the fair and decent thing to do. For their leaders to present the dire circumstances to a strike and to guide and advise on the merits of their grievances is the union and its board or committee’s job.This union and its leaders have not done that, they have risked all on an emotional level for one man who is alleged to have lied. They are not worthy of the positions they hold and they too should be fired. For they have forfeited the trust which must be in their constitution, to protect and represent their members honourably.And finally, make sure that bus transport is placed as soon as possible on the essential services list, so that all the nightmare experiences of the past cannot happen again. That would be a good place to start.I just hope that wives and mothers with children who need to put bread on the table and keep their children in school and pay the mortgage, will counsel their men and prevail, and we all know from previous experience, what that is!DIANA WILLIAMSPembrokeHospitality realitiesFebruary 14, 2011Dear Sir,While we appreciate the importance of a healthy dialogue about Tucker’s Point’s SDO, your readers should also understand the stark realities facing Bermuda’s hospitality industry and the important role Tucker’s Point serves in reinvigorating that industry.l Bermuda’s room inventory has declined by more than 50% from approximately 6,000 rooms in the early 1980s to 2,700 rooms today. While respect for the environment is essential, this trend needs to be reversed or Bermuda’s hospitality industry and the Island’s economy may be in peril.l Without a strong tourist industry, critical airlift will be reduced and a decline in all sectors of the economy will accelerate, putting jobs at risk.l One of the early casualties in the declining hospitality industry was Marriott which took over the Castle Harbour Hotel in 1982, investing more than $70 million in the property. In the end, the hotel failed because Marriott created the wrong product for Bermuda. The market wants luxury and high quality.l Bermuda Properties Ltd (BPL), who first invested in the Castle Harbour Hotel in 1958, brought in new Bermudian investors and lenders in 2000. A new Bermudian company was created to take over the failed Marriott hotel and develop Tucker’s Point. Ninety-one percent of the new capital was provided by Bermudian investors and lenders. In total more than $300 million was invested in the hotel, golf, beach and tennis facilities with 50 percent of the investment coming from the successful sale of Tucker’s Point real estate. Without this source of funds, the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa could not have been built. Neither BPL nor its investors and lenders have ever taken capital out of the development reinvesting in it instead.l By any measure, the development was hugely successful until the 2008 recession. The mixed-use hotel, fractional and residential ownership created by Tucker’s Point is a time-tested model in the hospitality industry which needs to be embraced by Bermuda to revitalise its tourism sector.l The agreement with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to manage the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa is an important feather in Bermuda’s cap and will help boost Bermuda’s tourism industry. Rosewood is among the world’s premier hotel companies and will bring recognition to Bermuda and Tucker’s Point in the highly competitive luxury segment of the global travel market. Rosewood is eager to assume management of the hotel.ED TRIPPEPresident, Tucker’s PointSuffer the consequencesFebruary 10, 2011Dear Sir,For some reason the assurance by Environment Minister Walter Roban that Government has gone “to great lengths” to ensure there are stringent conditions in place to protect the environment near Tucker’s Point Club has not reduced my blood pressure.For reasons already stated by other writers to your paper, this development should not go forward in any way, shape or form. Special Development Orders have no place in a democratic society. They belong to oligarchies and dictatorships where the laws of the land apply only to the people who live in the country and pay taxes, not the privileged wealthy and those in power who bend the rules or simply ignore them when it benefits their wealth and power.If this Government and the foreign owners of Bermuda Properties Ltd think Bermudians will simply sit by as they cook up a plan to bail out the failed business model which is Tucker’s Point Club, they had better think again. We are all suffering in this depressed economy, but we are not all expecting the Government to be responsible for our lack of saving for the future, investment in a sluggish real estate market or loss of a job.If Tucker’s Point Club can’t pay its bills, well, too bad, suffer the consequences. The last thing they should be allowed to do is carve up more of our island.FURIOUSSt. George’sTale of two placesFebruary 10, 2011Dear Sir,This past weekend’s fatal shooting prompted me to share a story with some statistics with you and your readers. Mr Ferguson is fatally wounded in broad daylight at 2pm in the small village of Somerset, population 7,275, population of Bermuda 62,054, Island size 55.21 sq. kms (census 2000). It takes law enforcement between 14 and 30 minutes to respond to 911 calls. The culprit or culprits make good their escape and to our best knowledge have not been apprehended.The very same weekend in a municipality where I have previously resided, there was a similar event with a very different outcome. In Montreal, PQ, Canada there is a population of 3.85 million and in the suburban municipality of Beaconsfield, some 30 kilometers west, there is a population of 19,000. At 4.30am there was a house invasion in Beaconsfield. An innocent household was put in danger, shots were fired and fortunately no one was killed. The owner was able to call 911 for help. Here is what unfolded.The two vandals made good their escape in a Mercedes SUV and one block from the home they had invaded, they were involved in a collision with another vehicle and had to abandon their car and continue through a park on foot. In the meantime within 10 minutes (4.40am) of the 911 call, the police had arrived at the home and had begun their investigation and another patrol car was in pursuit of the culprits. By 5am, a mere 30 minutes from the initial invasion, they had shot and killed one suspect and had the other in custody, and he was in court that morning for mention. Crime demographics have changed in Bermuda and the police force must be adequately trained and staffed in order to be able to cope with these changes.Integrity and accountability do not seem to matter anymore. I was disappointed to hear Assistant Commissioner Mirfield on the news trying to placate the community with excuses as to why it took so long for his department to arrive at the scene in Somerset. This lack of integrity also permeates all of us who live in Bermuda. There are people who know very well who committed this crime and no one cares enough to speak up. It is a shameful example of what we have become as a people, to have such little regard for our fellow man.J HARRINGTONSt George’sBanks’ bad timingFebruary 13, 2011Dear Sir,It is interesting to note that in this particular period where most of the known world is suffering financially, that the local banks have decided that it is time for an increase in mortgage interest rates. Does Government plan to intercede, or will affected persons simply be “up the creek without a paddle”?Like many Bermudians, I lost my job almost two years ago and find myself scraping the barrel to come up with the monthly payments. And this is because my wife still has a good job and I am working at about a third of the salary I earned before being made redundant. With a two percent reduction in my interest rate, however, I would be in a position to make the monthly payments.I keep having this recurring dream that the bank has foreclosed on a few hundred home-owners and that these properties are now on the market at a sale price equal to the outstanding debt. But since there is already a glut (a few thousand units according to a recent article) of empty housing units on the Island there is little or no interest in purchasing these properties due to a lack of available tenants.Common sense would suggest that it is better to reduce the interest rates to a more affordable level than to foreclose on properties and receive nothing!LIVING IN FEARSandys