May 15, 2014

Dear Sir,

The article by Cheryl Pooley in The Royal Gazette of May 15th was truly magnificent and a model of perceptive economic analysis. My congratulations, but please let me humbly offer a minor criticism.

Cheryl recommends a minimum wage of $20 an hour for low income workers. Today on BBC news I learned that someone in Switzerland is calling for a minimum wage of $40 an hour. Surely, we Bermudians are worth more than them. I think we should up her recommendation to at least $60 an hour — we are at least 50% smarter than the descendants of William Tell.

On second thoughts that amendment is way too modest. Personally, I favour a minimum wage of $100 an hour — no make that $500 an hour which means a weekly wage of about $20,000 or $1 million per annum. Now that’s what I would call a real Bermudian minimum.

All we need to do is to ask the House of Assembly to pass a law to this effect and we can all be fabulously wealthy. Whilst they are at it, MPs should pass an act that inspires me to write an opera, for my doctor to find a cure for cancer, and for my cat to write a novel.

Well done Cheryl — go for it, you are a genius.

Yours faithfully,

ROBERT STEWART