I have written many letters to your column and although they have all been on issues and topics that are dear to me, none of them causes me greater concern than the topic I am about to write on.

It does not take a rocket scientist to realise how vital tourism is to Bermuda's economy. And it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that Bermuda's tourism industry is in dire need of revitalisation.

I applaud the efforts of all the hotels in Bermuda who are trying to upgrade their facilities. However, having said that, service needs to be upgraded and maintained as well. In other words a five star facility must also comprise of five star service. This however, is not the topic I wish to write about. I would need at least 15 pages to express my feeling about service in Bermuda.

My topic is "Legalizing gambling in Bermuda''. If we were to allow Casino style gambling in Bermuda, I am sure there would be so much income in the way of revenue for Government coffers, that Bermuda could be the Monte Carlo of the Atlantic: tourism numbers would increase, night life would be rejuvenated, the taxi industry would benefit, restaurants, the citizens of Bermuda would benefit. I envision a well organized "Bermuda Gaming Commission''. A commission that is by partisan, comprising of persons from the business community. This, hopefully, would reduce the risk of the evils typically associated with gambling and casinos in general.

I realize that this is a very touchy and divisive subject and it annoys me to know that many of the people who disagree with Bermuda having legalized gambling are the same people that gamble when outside of Bermuda. These people in my view are holding Bermuda back.

If Bermuda is to strive and survive, we must take our heads out of the sand and accept the fact that we must look at new ways of attracting tourists to our shores, and keep them here.

Bermuda has so much to offer as far as friendliness, sophistication, cleanliness, stable political climate and natural beauty. Bermuda's greatest asset is its peoples. Make no mistake, there are lots of Bermudians out there that are suffering.

I think we must seriously consider allowing casinos in Bermuda and the way I would do this is by way of a REFERENDUM. Holding a Referendum in my view is the best vehicle by which the voting citizens of Bermuda can express and determine the direction in which their country will go.

I would allow only the major hotels of Bermuda to have a licence. As we know, cruise ship passengers are not allowed to gamble while their respective ships are in port. These persons would be allowed to partake on land at the major hotels. This would be an enormous revenue earner for the taxi operators of Bermuda. I would insist that portions of profits generated as a result of the casino be levied to Government. This revenue could and should go towards the funding of housing for low-income families, upgrading of Bermuda's hospitals.

The experience of first class gambling and entertainment would be available to any Bermudian or resident who could afford it.

Yes, there are negatives associated with gambling. Persons could become addicted and yes it could create family strife, but I think that the majority of Bermudians have more self-control than that. I think the positive spin-offs outweigh the possible negatives.

After speaking with a lot of Bermudians that have been to Las Vegas recently I discovered to my surprise, that most of them comment on how wonderful the entertainment is and how excellent the service is. If Bermuda had a few licensed casinos in the major hotels with first class entertainment that was preceded with local acts and available to Bermudians and tourists alike, Bermuda would recapture her reputation as a fun and friendly place to live and visit. Let's face it, Bermuda can be very boring. It's expensive and the nightlife sucks, especially for the younger generation.

We have prime real estate being used for container ships and storage. January to March, Front Street and most of Hamilton is lifeless after 5 p.m. We are smacked dab in the middle of North America and Europe, our climate is relatively comfortable year round and we are considered some of the friendly people in the world. Let's take advantage of this perfect spot in the Atlantic.

I realize that perhaps legalized gambling may not ever be a reality in Bermuda and we will continue to see revenue leave our shores and be spent in other jurisdictions, but we should at least hear the pros and cons on this subject and at the end of the debate let the people have the final say by way of a "REFERENDUM''.

RAMADHIN SMITH Pembroke Let market forces prevail January 18, 2001 Dear Sir, While having a quick lunch today I heard on a local radio station the biggest lot of hot air and misguided commentary I have heard since the last talk show I listened to (incessantly they're all the same). It was about the Transport Ministry/BIU proposed taxi dispatch system.

Until Bermuda's public servants (including but not limited to taxi drivers, ferry crews, immigration and planning department personnel and air port personnel of all disciplines) cease organising their work practices to exclusively convenience themselves they are going to continue to suffer the low public esteem which they presently earn from the locals and the tourist industry will continue its death spiral. I used to think Bermudians were perhaps not all that well educated formally, but possessed much common sense.

I now think most lack common sense as well.

Dr. Brown was no doubt away making his fortune in America when the BIU was busy killing our tourist industry less than twenty years ago, spitting on visitors trying to lug their baggage across the causeway while the union was blackmailing the transport industry off the roads to maximize the damage. If the recalcitrant drivers want none of the BIU scheme now, they may have good reason. The Minister would do well to reflect that he has bedded down with an agency whose reputation has many more years of rehabilitation before it it is ready to be accepted in such a role.

I have a better idea for Dr. Brown. Cut his losses and leave the dispatchers alone. Simply take the cap off the number of taxis on the road and let the market take care of the problem (how novel!). Given a chance, it always does, with the best results to those who are intended to be served and to those who provide the service by cutting out the dead wood.

Dr. Brown has done an extremely creditable job in rehabilitating TCD and making it user friendly. His staff there are refreshing to deal with. I will vote for him at the next election on that criterion alone. I would like to see him take over from the present Minister of the Environment and the present Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. Despite their feeble rhetoric, both of the incumbents seem incapable of grasping and putting into practice the concepts of efficiency, user friendliness and public service. The Planning Department's service to the public is a disgrace. The Immigration Department's service to employers who are not in the international sector is even worse.

Dr. Brown's `can-do' approach with results of the type he has demonstrated at TCD would go a long way towards strengthening a government which has more problems than it is prepared to admit to.

WARWICK VOTER Writer's opinion flawed January 22, 2001 Dear Sir, I read with great interest a letter written and signed by S. Williams of Devonshire regarding the issue of dual citizenship and the disqualification of serving in the House of Assembly.

The writer made two main points in the letter.

The first was that "Dr. Ewart Brown was obliged to give up his American citizenship so that he could legally serve as an MP whilst Mr. Michael Dunkley was not obliged to because of legal niceties.'' This opinion is incorrect as both Dr. Brown and myself have renounced our US citizenship. Dr. Brown just prior to the last election and myself many years before I even entered politics. However, we both attained US citizenship in different ways. Dr. Brown by virtue of his own act, myself when I was born as my mother was at the time a US citizen.

By way of background Section 30(1) (A) of our Constitution covers the problem faced by Dr. Brown. It states that "No person shall be qualified to be appointed as a Senator or elected member of the House of Assembly who is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.'' Thus Dr. Brown had to renounce his US citizenship in order to sit in the House. This clause is not unique to Bermuda; many other countries have the same or a very familiar clause in their constitution for a very good reason. Simply put, once a person has taken an oath of allegiance to a foreign power he or she has in fact disqualified themselves from serving.

For those who have been following the PLP government and its proposed constitutional changes this is one of the changes that they want to make. The UBP feel this would be a very bad decision.

Dual citizenship is fine and a positive development for many Bermudians. That was the second point that S. Williams made in the letter. I agree with the comments made on this point. However dual citizenship for any serving member of our House or Senate always opens the possibility that the member could be put in a very compromising position when making a decision affecting Bermuda and the other country in which citizenship is held. Thus the reason for section 30 (1)(A) of our constitution.

Mr. Editor I am pleased that you have allowed me to correct the false accusation written. I am happy to discuss this matter in more detail with anyone if they so choose. I can be reached at telephone number 236-0153.

In closing I would urge every Bermudian, no matter what political affiliation, to carefully follow the path to proposed constitutional changes. Make your voice heard. Stand up and be counted. Any change could have a very broad and profound impact on our future. Let us all make it our responsibility that any change is for the betterment of our children and us.

MICHAEL H. DUNKLEY, M.P.

Devonshire South Education system a farce January 22, 2001 Dear Sir, As I read the lead story in Saturday's (January 20, 2001) edition of The Royal Gazette , three thoughts pass through my mind.

First, I commiserate with the parents of the Police cadet students, who have come face to face with the farce that constitutes Bermuda's public education system. How confusing for them this all must be -- the report cards and results earned by their children had all looked fine, so how could they be failing the Police cadet academics? Second, I feel angry, as this reality brought back to my memory my family's experiences with the public education system in Bermuda. My son attended Clearwater Middle School from September, 1995 to March 1997. It was one bad experience after another, for those 18 months, and culminated in my withdrawal of my son from that school. I was furious with the officials of the day, from the Clearwater Middle School level right on through to the Premier of the day, and told them so, face to face. In the spring and early summer of 1997, there were a number of articles and letters to the editor published about the state of public education in Bermuda. None are more relevant to this latest saga than the lead article in the April 14, 1997 edition of The Royal Gazette ("Shocking stories emerge about public high schools''). Regrettably, it should come as no surprise to anyone that education officials have been misleading Bermudians for a very long time indeed.

Third, and most importantly, I feel for the Police cadets themselves, for it is them who must bear the brunt of the mistakes and ineptitude of those who have created this farce we call public education in Bermuda. It is the student who, for two or more decades now, has been short-changed by the public education system. It is their future that is at stake. Sadly, while the current government administration lays claim to making improvements, it is coming too slowly and too weakly. In my opinion, unless the public education system is modelled along the lines of the private system in terms of standards, expectations, discipline, testing, there will be no real progress.

The problem today is significant and needs some bold action now. A soft approach to finding the solution will come up seriously lacking, several dollars short and many days late. This is a tough problem that requires some tough people to take a tough stance. The incredible amount of bureaucracy that burdens the system serves only to reduce the time available for teaching. Not surprisingly, the costs associated with our overstaffed Department of Education that creates this bureaucracy, results in a cost per student that exceeds the cost per student in the private system. Paradoxically, the end result is that we have a situation where the tax-payer is paying more for an inferior product. Where is the sense in this? I believe strongly that the current Opposition has a lot to answer for, as regards this problem. In my opinion, they have led us to where we are today, and I lay the blame squarely at their feet. Over the years, they did not have a vested interest in the public education system, as their sons and daughters did not, as a general rule, use the public education system. When they were the government of the day, they did not fulfil their responsibilities regarding public education. I believe strongly that they owe every Bermudian an apology. By virtue of the article in your January 20, 2001 edition, my accusations back in April 1997 have been proven true. While my family and I have come full circle, the frustration and agony I felt back in April 1997 were very real and very painful. Never did I receive the information I sought from then Minister of Education, Jerome Dill, nor from the Premier, Pamela Gordon. Given this latest revelation, I feel an apology is the very least they could cough up.

E.H. TROTT Hamilton Have you seen our cat? January 23, 2001 Dear Sir, We should like to publicly thank the S.P.C.A., the Ocean View Farm, BFAB, the vet practices, our colleagues, and friends for all their help in trying to trace our two cats that mysteriously disappeared last month December 6th and 7th). Special thanks go to Debbie Boyer who gave up her lunch hour to create a camera ready advertisement for the newspaper.

Since a neighbour actually rescued his cat from a trap in the neighbourhood during the same forty eight hours in which our cats disappeared, it is highly likely that our pets were also trapped. If so, then they have either been released somewhere, or disposed of. The unknown makes the situation difficult.

In case they were released, probably far from home in Gilbert Hill, Smith's Parish, could we please ask anyone who suddenly finds, or in fact, has already found a pale ginger and white neutered male cat with "chewed up ears'', and/or a tiny calico cat -- mainly white with ginger and black patches tatoo X948 to call 236-6763. Hope springs eternal.

TERRY & MARY DRAYCOTT Smith's Parish