UBP was just as corruptAugust 29, 2006

Dear Sir,Some of your letter writers are always referring to the PLP government as incompetent and corrupt. Well let me remind you and some of your so called concerned readers about the incompetent and corrupt previous UBP governments and their predecessors, which were one and the same even though the UBP was not formed until 1965. Who were they? The very same people who organised the UBP: The Triminghams, Dills, Coopers, Zuill’s, Cox’s, Smiths. So all of the previous government’s mistakes are theirs too.

Like the fact that even though they were using Government money up until the time that the schools where desegregated in 1970 to keep their children in school up until the age of 17 or 18. They only opened free government secondary schools for every other child in 1956. Before this, children by law only had to be in school until the age of 13. And I might add this was only after that well known expatriate by the name of E.F. Gordon went to England and asked the UK government to intervene on the Bermudian children’s behalf.

These are the names of the four secondary schools that they opened especially for those who are not old enough to remember. The Technical Institute, Girls High, Cunningham’s and the St. George’s Secondary. And where were these schools located? On vacated British military camps at Prospect and St. George’s which were closed in 1951. Does that mean if the British had not vacated those barracks for another ten or 20 years would I have been thrown out of school at 13 in 1972? Probably. So you see, this is one of the reasons why we have a troubled education system today.

They only provided secondary education to the masses because they had to. They never had any intention of educating the majority of Bermuda’s children. When you misdirect a majority of a nation for generations, do not be surprised to find Bermuda or any country in the state that we are in today. When the Dockyard was also closed in 1951 we had to actually buy it from the UK. What did the Government of the day do with a lot of the buildings that they just paid for? Allow them to be turned into chicken coops?

Remember the incident with Dr. Edward Harris of the Maritime Museum who rescued the Parsonage from being a chicken coop? With some of his own money, I might add. Then the UBP government wanted to throw Dr. Harris out.

And where was Mrs. Jackson’s concern for the Lefroy buildings when some of them were used for chicken coops? After some of her hard-earned tax dollars where used to buy them. I not only call this incompetence, I call these crimes against humanity.LESLIE JAMES SMITH

SandysIs Govt. hiding something?September 8, 2006This was sent to the Ministers of the Environment, Minister of Works and Engineering and the Department of Planning and copied to The Royal Gazette.Dear Sir,Re:<\p>Proposed development at “Loughlands”, South Road, Paget. As a Bermudian first and then as a neighbour of the development, I strenuously object to the proposed development at the “Loughlands” property. The land was zoned as tourist accommodation and now open space is being turned into a congested development. You are allowing every inch of land in Bermuda to be built on with no regard to the previous zoning.

There will be little open space left for our children. It is a fact that there is plenty of housing for all Bermudians but not enough ‘affordable’ housing. Your Government needs to establish what it in fact means when it says ‘affordable housing’. Condos at $500,000-$600,000, are not especially ‘affordable’ to a lot of people and will require both adult members of the family to have good paying jobs.

You are allowing the desecration of open space and overdevelopment that will result in another 96 cars on the road. South Road, by 7.30 a.m. in the morning, is already backed up to Horizons and beyond. What about another 96 cars trying to get onto South Road in the morning? Has anyone considered this? Something needs to be done about the convergence of traffic all at one point at the Paget traffic lights!

Why does your Government not look at this problem? As no plans for the development have been made available to the general public, there is a perception that this Government is hiding something. I thought the PLP Government was supposed to be a transparent and open government? As for the Sustainable Development initiative and the announcement of the new Hospital being built on the Botanical Gardens, this Government will go down in history as the ones who destroyed more open space than any other Government before.

I am sure this letter will have no effect as your Government has railroaded this development through under a Special Development Order but if there is an objection period to the development, please consider this as one.ROBERT MASTERS

Paget <$>Why Loughlands is neededSeptember 8, 2006

Dear Sir,This is a response to “We are not going away” Paget. Many people are very frustrated in Bermuda because of the housing situation. Can you imaging earning $80,000 to $150,000 a year and still not able to afford a home.

Have you lived through the frustration of paying rents so high that it limits your saving capacity? Well this is a Bermudian reality. And it is not going away any time soon. Any development such as Loughlands will have some impact on the environment. However, isn’t better to offer hope to our people, rather than see some of our best minds leave the island for better housing prospects?

I think Paget is presumptuous, and callous to use, the mundane things in life such as traffic as a reason that the Loughlands development should be held off. Paget is not living through the pain, grief, anger, tears and stress of not being able to afford a home. Paget may even be a landlord getting more than his fair share of the bounty. Some of us are not getting our share, which is laughable as Bermuda supposedly is the third richest country in the world.

So Paget and cosigners I would like to suggest that if you do not like the idea of a Loughlands development in your back yard, then move out and sell your houses for about $450,000. I did not say a $1 million plus because it brings us back to the reason why housing in the Loughlands is so very much needed.NOT GOING AWAY EITHER

St. George’sTribute to Belco workersDear Sir,The Men & Women of BELCO

The men and women who work day and night

Trying to make sure we always have light

They leave their homes at any hour

To try their best to restore our power.

They are out in their trucks after every storm

To try and right what has gone wrong.

We sit at home, moan and complain

To light an oil lamp is such a pain.

And dip a pail of water just for a drink

Some think this is terrible, what do you think?

These workers have families just like us

If we do not get our lights we make a fuss.

We know they get paid for their hard work

But saying “Thank You” to them is a very nice perk,

So when we see them working on the road

A “Thank You” to them will lighten their load.

A GRATEFUL BERMUDIAN