Less crime on tourists

July 6, 2010

Dear Sir,

The good news about the drop in tourist arrivals to Bermuda this year is we have seen a massive decrease in tourist robberies while they travel on their bikes, while staying in hotels and muggings on Pitts Bay Road in Pembroke. Heaven help us if one of the local gangsters should shoot or kill a visitor. Tourism would be truly dead in the water. Forget about tar balls on our beaches.

THOMAS OF SOUTHAMPTON

s

The real issues

July 5, 2010

Dear Sir,

I was listening a radio talk show recently, and an older person ... sounded like they could have been in their late 60s ... was on complaining about racial injustices of the past. This person calls all the time with the same subject. I decided to call in and give my opinion on the topic. I explained that people of my generation (born 1976) did not experience the overt racism of the past ... the four boys under six years old that I have today are not either. My boys are coming up with all different colours... just as I did years before. I agree that we should never forget the past but when is enough enough? Must we saddle current and future generations that have no part in the past atrocities with this baggage? The last time I checked it wasn't the white executive climbing in my window to steal my belongings while I am out for the evening. When I am at Ice Queen for a late night snack I never look over my shoulder at the group of white teenagers that are hanging out there.

The main problems that people from my young generation have has nothing at all to do with this racism that the older heads in government speak of. We are more concerned with the fact that we cannot afford to live in our own country. Back in the day the people had hope, they had goals that were actually achievable. You could buy a piece of land and get your mates to assist in building a house on the cheap ... maybe have it all paid off in ten years or less if you really put your back into it. Older members of my family tell me that all I have to do is work hard and save money and everything will be all right. With land and house prices today my wife and I would have to kill ourselves working for the next 40 years to ever hope to own our own house. While we do all this what will become of our four children while we work 12 hours a day?

Better to pay rent and save up money to enjoy life ... take our kids to Disney World ... buy a nice new car, etc. There are many young people out there that feel the same way. What becomes of a country when the ones that should be taking over the economy have no hope or goals? Exactly what is happening now... they have no love for this country... no pride in it. The last time I checked there are many black business owners these days ... making a heck of a good living. The problem is that they usually hire cheap foreign labour... leaving their black brothers behind in order to further themselves. The white man doesn't seem to be the problem here does he? While our leaders waste time convincing the masses that the "white man" is to blame and pursue their own selfish revenge fantasies young Bermudian families like mine are deciding if it's even worth trying to make it here any more.

CLINTON J.A. PAYNTER

St. George's

Saddened by Sir John

July 1, 2010

Dear Sir,

I was so saddened to see in today's (June 30) Royal Gazette that Sir John Swan endorses Premier Brown's insistence that his and his wife's mail be excluded from lawful Customs inspections except in their presence. It lowered my esteem for Sir John considerably. Sir John's comment that the times are different now from when he was Premier is accurate, but not in the sense I believe he meant it.

We now have a Premier whose multiple, documented, unethical acts include unapologetically telling the Bermudian public, "we had to mislead you"; lying to his own colleagues about his intentions and then going behind their backs to try and get an unpopular law passed; disregarding, on more than one occasion, the rule that members of Parliament are not to get involved in the hiring and firing of civil servants; and demonstrating a complete lack of respect for protocol, for his own Cabinet and for the real diplomats who represent both the American and the British governments on this island.

This Premier is infamous for his "my way or the highway" approach. There is a shroud of secrecy that surrounds him and his Government at a time when most other democracies are espousing transparency, and his Government's refusal to answer legitimate questions makes it appear that there is something to hide.

Under this Premier's leadership, we as a country are now so deeply in debt that our children's children won't be able to pay it off, and we are still not clear on where all the money has gone. He now wants to take over the Corporations. Many are convinced this is not only to gain access to the millions the Hamilton Corporation has in the bank, but also to take advantage of the Corporation's excellent credit rating so he can borrow more money and drive us even deeper into the hole.

None of the above lends itself to feelings of trust. In fact, despite, or maybe because of, the constant spin done on just about every news report, the level of belief by many residents in the integrity of this Premier has practically bottomed out.

More to the point, all our elected officials are just that, ordinary folk who were elected to office. Even the Ministerial appointees are just ordinary folk. They have not studied diplomacy (as is evidenced by some of the commentary in the House); they do not function as diplomats and are not entitled to the immunities and amenities that accrue to that status, despite the body-guards, first-class jet-setting around the world, fancy limousines and other trappings that have helped to beggar this country. They are merely "local VIPs", no better than the rest of us Bermudians, entitled to respect but not to extra-legal treatment.

It is arrogance and an overweening egotism to expect special privileges or to think one is above the law. In fact, as a public servant, one should be demonstrating the highest standards and leading by example.

In the case of couriered mail in these dangerous times, it is also foolhardy to try and impede Customs Officers from being diligent in their very important job. Who knows what might be arriving.

SYLVIA HAYWARD HARRIS

Pembroke

Takeover is a distraction

July 16, 2010

Dear Sir,

I just came back from the House of Assembly after sitting in the public gallery to listen to the debate on the intended takeover of Corporation of Hamilton. I did not realise that the proposal was to be tabled today and debated next Friday when I am abroad.

I felt the need to show my face and share with the Honourable Member tabling the proposed legislation that it is not in Bermuda's best interest for Government to extend its bureaucratic fingers to the Corporation.

I have a number of reasons why I think Government should stay out this business. The most important is as follows.

Most of the graduates from our public education system find it difficult to enter college level courses and it is acknowledged that we have lowered our standards. Gangs continue to lure our young people who see little hope in life because their circumstances are so dysfunctional. The impotence of Social Services is one of the factors fuelling our social decay. There is so much work yet to be done by this Labour Government on a social and educational level.

Please backbenchers and elder statesmen of the PLP, concentrate on the nation's most pressing concerns and throw out this bill that only serves to distract from the people's business.

CHERYL POOLEY

Smith's