March 18, 2011.Dear Sir,It would be an understatement to say that Bermuda is going through economic hard times. As a local businessman I have observed the following:Term Limits: This has put a huge strain on many businesses, local and foreign. The unintended consequences are fairly obvious – it makes those businesses that are here nervous about their future and some will (and have) left for other jurisdictions. Other businesses may shy away and opt for Switzerland, Ireland and the Cayman Islands to name just a few. Do we need to have a policy that scares away business that provides millions in payroll tax, social insurance, medical insurance and a virtual laundry list of other services (too numerous to mention here), where we all benefit? While some of these Government policies may be debatable, international business pays a lot towards our economy and they don’t like uncertainty. By the way, a quick calculation of how much money we lose per 100 people who leave their job:Social Insurance – $400,000 per annumPayroll Tax – $800,000 per annumMedical Insurance – $300,000 per company per annumA total of $5 million is not circulating every year and remember this is only 100 people! Also, as I do on occasion, I was listening to Everest DeCosta the other day (somebody give this guy a medal) and a gentleman came on who was talking about how we shouldn’t “bow down” to the international business sector... and that they are not here for us but for themselves. Now, granted, this is an extreme point of view and this gentleman has (I think) very limited knowledge of business or the big picture. However, the sentiment of what he said seems widespread. To him or others who feel this way, I say we (Bermudians) don’t bow to anybody, we offer our services to those who are guests on our Island, to the best of our ability, courteous, efficient and professional...that is all that is required, that is what is known as a “good” attitude! Where does this subservient mind-set come from?This brings me to another topic of concern...ATTITUDE. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone when the BIU are in lock step with the worst employee behaviour ever, what can we all expect? I am referring to the bus driver who was reinstated after cheating his employers of course. I know many hard working Bermudians who felt this was RIDICULOUS! But ‘attitude’ in Bermuda manifests itself in many ways. I heard it referred to as a “sense of entitlement”, which fits perfectly. The current moratorium on cleaners, landscapers and certain restaurant workers is understandable to a point. Government has squandered so much money (especially during the “Brown” administration) with little real planning or transparency. Exempt companies are leaving, hotels are not doing well at all; but here’s the thing, I have never seen many Bermudians who wanted to do most of these jobs. It is mostly manual labour, requiring an aptitude for the field of work, punctuality, dedication and good work ethics. I was heartened to see Senator Kim Wilson’s comments a few weeks ago on this topic. So, how do we handle this? Well, those with high standards, good work ethics and dedication to their work need to leave the Island! Do I have that right? As time goes by, perhaps Col Burch will be ‘encouraged’ by shorter queues at the bank.EMPLOYER LAWCity of Hamilton