Dear Sir,

It has been a while since I wrote to you about my concerns. One of my concerns is the Progressive Labour Party government giving permits for foreigners to work in Bermuda. We have to go back to protecting the Bermudian worker because a lot of them are qualified to work. Some have got papers, some have got experience.

I saw a documentary on a Caribbean island that protects its people. What they do is they allow a foreigner to come in with their money as entrepreneurs but they can hire only local citizens and not be allowed to bring in foreigners.

The PLP says it is for workers, but words don’t match its actions. Mr Editor, Bermuda has at least 200 entrepreneurs that the PLP does not recognise because they are all jailbirds. But I recognise them indirectly as businessmen because they employ people as prison wardens.

The Government gives $80,000 or to pay its wardens without interest. I feel that they answered the call of the PLP to start their own businesses. Now, Mr Editor, the money being given could be given to the businessmen and entrepreneurs in the back of town.

I worked at the Court Street Variety Store for 15 years and we were one of the first shops to have a seven-day-a-week licence. In the 15 years I worked there, the shop hours were from 8am to midnight. If I saw one White person a day, that’s all I saw.

I do want to say that Court Street will always have problems opening businesses for the following reasons:

1, Black people don’t know how to handle money

2, They don’t carry what the White man wants to buy

3, The White man on Front Street has two clientele — Black and White

4, White men don’t have alcoholics and junkies hanging around outside their businesses

For the Black man on Court Street, that is one of his problems. Every day I had to ask them to please move on as they were affecting my business.

I want to say congratulations to the persons that are organising the Court Street vendors and are making an effort to bring business around there. I want to say to White people to go around there and support the businesspeople.

The other day I saw Sir John Swan on television and he said what I have been saying for years: Court Street will not make it because of the lack of White clientele!

Black people, stop running past Court Street and going to Front Street. Learn to support the back of town.

Mr Editor, the finance minister needs to start collecting back taxes that would help to offset Bermuda’s debt. What really irritates me is not collecting social insurance. You are encouraging the businessmen to steal by not turning in the workers’ half of the pension which belongs to the worker. That means the worker will not get a full pension. But I bet the politicians will get their full pensions because, Mr Finance Minister, you are looking after your own.

Wake up, Bermuda Government, and look after your people financially because all senior citizens are on a fixed income. I get a chance to eat a steak, but it’s called hamburger meat — it’s ground up. Meanwhile, you government workers get to eat T-bone steaks, tenderloin steak. That’s not fair to the taxpayers. Wake up and fly right.

WILLARD “FOXY” FOX

Smith’s