March 6, 2011Dear Sir,For Premier Cox to ask private companies if they are willing to reduce fees is not only insulting, but audacious. I am sure when Premier Cox made her speech at the Business Bermuda's AGM on Thursday last, more than a few jaws dropped. First of all, if Government is going to ask private companies to reduce their fees, isn't leading by example the right thing to do? I haven't heard of Government cutting back on any of the perks they receive. How about all of these credit cards used by certain Government employees and politicians? How about cutting back on some of these Government cars? How about cutting back on what is paid to Cabinet Ministers starting with the Premier who receives $224,000 a year.For those of you who don't realise this, President Obama receives just over $400,000 a year, and I am sure that no one envies the responsibilities that he has to deal with every day. So is the Bermuda Government saying that 21 square miles is comparable to the United States of America and that we have half of the problems that United States has, consequently, the Premier is rightfully entitled to this $224,000 a year salary? Where in the world is the justification for this remuneration? Also, I am sure there are a few more “consultants” hanging around that we don't need so how about getting rid of some more dead weight that we are paying for?Business Bermuda is not responsible for the failure of this Government and yet the Premier in my estimation, laid a guilt trip on them by the tone of her address. She might as well ask every Bermudian to send in a few hundred dollars to help pay back our money they wasted, mismanaged, or whatever else one does with money that disappears. I had to smile at one paragraph that I read in the article where Premier Cox told the audience at the Business Bermuda AGM. She said that she was at this AGM to “challenge” companies and get them to “step out of (their) comfort zone” and ask whether they were “getting and giving value for money”. Now isn't that “the pot calling the kettle black”? And another goodie was when she mentioned why international businesses weren't doing more to help. Is she serious? It seems to me that our new Premier is really living in another world.PAT FERGUSONWarwick