Sharing the painDecember 13, 2011Dear Sir,“It isn’t manna from heaven,” Ms Cox said of the contents of the public purse. “It’s your taxpayer dollars.” Royal Gazette, December 13, 2011At what point exactly did the Progressive Labour Party and Madam Premier as Finance Minister begin to realise that all the money the PLP has misspent belonged to the taxpayers of Bermuda? Was it before or after she oversaw the national debt increase to over $1 billion?The only group not suffering the results of the PLP’s flagrant overspending is the ridiculously overstaffed and underworked Civil Service that she is protecting and has even given a pay increase. I must admit though, If I was her I would also pamper potentially 5,000 voters when I could do it with taxpayer money.Whichever party gets in after the next election will have to severely cut the Civil Service, at least back to the levels they were at in 1998. The UBP, imperfect as they were, managed to very successfully run this country on $600 million a year. The PLP have failed miserably on virtually double that, inflation allowed.The majority of the Civil Service should immediately be put on four day weeks at 80 percent pay. When they know what it is like to suffer perhaps they will be more understanding to others who pay their wages and salaries. Should the good ones leave and join the private sector, so be it, at least they won’t continue be a drain on our fragile finances.FEELING DE PAINPembroke