August 30, 2012Dear Sir,The Progressive Labour Party were voted into government by the majority of Bermudians, so the fault is with us, not them. However, many believe that by issuing their manifesto long after the United Bermuda Party had issued theirs in 2007, the PLP was able to cherry pick and plagiarise the sound UBP policies while their spin doctors twisted other UBP policies that could be manipulated for racial and emotional gain, which were then printed as large format advertisements in The Royal Gazette. Along with the election giveaways, because we still had money then, and Americanised negative campaigning, the PLP had a winning hand. Most Bermudians know the election issues and while education, unemployment, crime and social issues are very important, the economy will likely be the key battleground. Although the PLP's supporters will try and deny it, the global recession has hardly touched Bermuda. The PLP Government has done most of the damage all on their own as the revenue and expenditure figures attest.Eugene Cox as Finance Minister in the first PLP Government received average annual revenue of around $645 million and spent an average of about $650 million but was still able to reduce the national debt by $25 million to $120 million by sound fiscal management, due in part to inheriting a healthy economy and sinking fund from the UBP. All Bermudians applaud him. During the first eight full financial years under Premier Paula Cox's stewardship of our economy, the PLP Government received average annual revenue of around $890 million (almost 40 percent per year more than her father received) but still managed to spend and annual average of about $1.05 billion (nearly 20 percent more than received and 60 percent more than her father spent) with the consequence that our national debt increased by $1.1 million plus annual debt service charges now approaching $85 million a year. Way to go, Paula. Even allowing for inflation, Paula significantly outspent her father and with her PLP colleagues also created the mountain of debt that we all have to deal with.How can any PLP supporter say that the global recession caused Bermuda's financial problems when Bermuda's revenue was still very high. In 2006/07, the PLP Government received about $880 million in revenue. (About $175 million more than Eugene Cox last received). In 2011/12 the PLP Government received about $870 million, just $10 million less, but with a record of waste already established, had the PLP Government reformed and not continued to spend our money like the proverbial drunken sailor we would have had no more debt today than we had at the start of the global recession.Nobody within the PLP can satisfactorily explain where the money has gone. We all know of the PLP's proclivity to award large uncontested contracts to friends and family, but these form a tiny portion of the funds actually spent. We also know the PLP gave away millions of dollars to gain votes in General Elections, only to claw it back soon after. We also know that the Civil Service, perhaps better described as the Secret Service, based upon protecting their own at the taxpayer's expense, have increased their numbers beyond economical sustainability and many believe they are grossly overpaid and underworked. The increased cost of salaries, wages, benefits and pensions for the bloated Government and Quango employees will no doubt account for the vast majority of the increase in the national debt. I don't believe it is either the UBP's or the OBA's position to tell the PLP Government how to get out of this financial mess but before I vote, I want to know what each party proposes to do to get Bermuda back to the sound financial position we were in before Eugene Cox left us.The ruling party determines when the general election will be called, so they can be fully prepared before advising Bermuda of the date and so advise the voters what they propose for Bermuda for the next five years. I challenge the PLP to have their election manifesto prepared and printed for distribution to all voters within two days of the election being called. I further challenge the UBP and the OBA to have their election manifestos prepared and printed within a week. I also challenge the three parties to debate their manifestos in a public arena with an independent mediator and open questions from registered voters and so we can determine who has the best plans for returning Bermuda to financial stability, full employment and a socially balanced community.SEEKING INFORMATIONPembroke