December 15, 2011Dear Sir,There is no doubt that our Government does not know how serious the state of our economy is. One only has to walk through the City of Hamilton and see the number of shop staff standing at the entrance to their stores waiting for shoppers which are in ever decreasing numbers. Premier Paula Cox needs to take more action now to avoid more stores closing and as a result more people becoming unemployed.On the residential front, there are several thousand homes that have had their electricity turned off. On the business side, at least 400,000 square feet of office space is vacant which is begging for tenants. I have a few suggestions which, although harsh, need to be considered to even begin to make a difference as to whether Bermuda can survive the devastating slump which it has fallen into. After all, if the likes of Greece, Italy and Ireland are forced to introduce drastic cost cutting measures, then surely Bermuda can do it too.1. All Members of Parliament should take a 30 percent cut in their salary.2. All Government staff workers from middle management and higher should take a 20 percent pay cut.3. All other Government staff should take a ten percent cut in their wages.4. All other Government workers represented by the Union should take a five percent pay cut.5. The present level of added gratuities in restaurants, hotels etc which are 15 percent and higher should be reduced to a maximum of ten percent.I know the above measures will be unpopular, but I am positive they would give the economy the necessary stimulus and possibly bring a smile to many at this time of year. Happy ChristmasWA BLACKPaget