Independence, moral standards, traffic congestion and affordable housing solutions are amongst the topics high on the list of areas Bermuda needs to address, according to union chief Ed Ball.

He has his own thoughts on where things are going wrong and how things might be put right. One of the biggest issues, he believes, is the way children are brought up and educated and whether they are being taught to live by the moral codes that served Bermuda?s past generations well.

An increasingly open sexual climate is adversely affecting the Island?s children with some the victims of abuse, while others have started acting out sexual acts at school, said the secretary general of the Bermuda Public Services Union.

He would like to see a sexual predators register as a tool to safeguard children and, by the same token, stringent background checks on guest workers coming to the Island.

He also worries about the impact of increasing openness on sexual matters amongst the populace at large.

?Sex has now become almost a way of life and, to the surprise of many, some Bermudians are becoming sex addicts. It is finding its way into the workplace, whether through pornography or sexuality and behaviours being discussed. In some instances, as we see in the schools, it is now being acted out by children,? said Mr. Ball.

He wonders if it is right for society to have such openness on sexual matters to the point that young children are acting out what they see and hear at home.

Mr. Ball went on: ?Sexual abuse is something that is being inflicted on children and the elderly and not enough is being done to expose the culprits.

?We need to have a sexual predators register and that includes Police checks on every guest worker coming to Bermuda.?

Mr. Ball believes sexuality and openness could be deemed to be a curse on the young.

?We are encouraging them to go out and have sex at young ages because of paraphernalia, video games and open conversations. We are telling young men that they can only become a man if they act out ? and then there are women who have started out in prostitution because they want to buy the fineries,? he said.

This leads on to the wider aspect of families, an area the BPSU has been focusing on this year, particularly through its women?s committee, said Mr. Ball.

?As a union we are very concerned at the preparedness of teenagers because they are the next generation of workers and law-abiding citizens.

?Family values, moral standards and an ability to be able to agree to disagree without being ?disagreeable? is becoming something of the past, which means that people can?t get along together.?

Falling morality and standards of decorum are evident within the school system, said Mr. Ball, who contrasted his own schooling to that of today.

?I started my education in a long wooden structure where one teacher taught three different classes. We did not have the best amenities that these new schools have, but there was order and respect. The teacher commanded order and respect within that school and that was some of the examples we learned from.?

?Bermuda?s former teachers and principals had a formula that worked. What has happened to that formula??

He is concerned by the prevalence of bad language amongst the young, which he says is expressed openly ?as though it is part of their being? and there is a trend towards theft, said Mr. Ball.

He sees stricter discipline at home and at school as the answer.

?The proven method that I have seen operate, be it in the Regiment or very successful schools, is having a very strict disciplinary code. Disorder never promotes order. The education of children also takes place at home and in the community. We should ask who are the role models??

The high cost of living in Bermuda and an increasingly materialistic-driven society are combining to leave many families in financial dire straits as they pursue aspirations such as home-ownership and having the latest model of car, said Mr. Ball.

Some get it right but others are left with severe financial problems.

?There are many Bermudians who have worked hard, in particular single women, to buy homes, educate their kids and save by way of a pension.

?The key is planning to save and living within your means.

?As an example look at the number of people buying sports utility vehicles with many of them having to pay $900 a month towards their loans. I?ve heard banks have had to repossess many of them because people can?t afford to keep up payments. These cars are purely a status symbol and are all about the image the person wants to portray.?

The lack of affordable housing can be addressed if Government accepts it has to build multi-storey homes.

Mr. Ball said: ?On an Island of 21 square miles you can?t constantly build single dwelling homes or two-storey homes for the population. With low-cost housing the only way to go is up, multi-storey.

?We can put in security systems and have strict codes of conduct for tenants to live in such high-rise accommodation. This would offer the low-earning householder to at least have a home.?

These social problems are not restricted to one ethnic group, said Mr. Ball. The pressures of being able to afford a home and the influence of falling moral standards among young people cuts across society.

?White Bermudians are now finding some of their children are experiencing the same challenges as those of young black Bermudians. There is no longer a colour divide when it comes to matters of raising children in this country.

?It all stems from this culture where Bermudians have put more value and store on materialism. The price we are paying is that we are no longer becoming human beings, we are becoming more cold, deliberate and with the view that we must win at any cost rather than try to find a win-win for all parties.?

When it comes to Independence, Mr. Ball believes there is no question that Bermuda will break away from the UK and become a stand-alone nation.

But he feels it important first that Bermudians have independence of mind and a sense of themselves as one people, one community, before becoming a fully-fledged independent nation.

He recognises that dual citizenship rights may have to go as a consequence of Independence, but said if young people don?t feel a sense of national identity in Bermuda then it matters little what those who currently hold the reins of power think about Independence.

?We have to mobilise our people to think that we are our brother?s keeper, that we are a village, so they can then embrace the meaning of Independence.

?If Independence comes without Bermudian support it could create an unknown factor it all depends on how prepared we are within ourselves for this very important question.?

The Pitt Royal Commission that investigated the root causes of the 1977 Island disturbances took evidence from some Bermudians at the time who held the view that if businesses and tourism were to vanish they would quite happily revert to a life of fishing and subsistence from the land.

Almost 30 years later that is no longer a viable options, said Mr. Ball.

?In the Pitt Report, I remember there was a view then that we could all go fishing and plough up the golf courses to feed our people.

?Now the fish stocks have been depleted and most of our remaining farmland has been taken for housing. So to say that if the tourists didn?t come and the exempt business companies left we?d be all right is now foolhardy.?

He added: ?If tourism or exempt company businesses declined the hardships would force Bermudians to re-look at how they live and the unfortunate part is that some may not be in a position to survive because they don?t have savings or an avenue to escape to another country.

?So it is imperative that every Bermudian embrace the best case scenario and worst case scenario as it pertains to being productive, saving and ultimately educating the next generation to keep the ball rolling at a level of continuing success.?

The issue of traffic congestion is also one Mr. Ball feels need to be urgently addressed and that includes another look at the idea of a bridge linking Boaz Island with Spanish Point, something that would become more feasible should an upgraded Dockyard make it unnecessary for cruise ships to reach Hamilton.

Major housing building projects on the South Shore will only exasperate the already problematic traffic situation on South Road and Middle Road during morning and evening rush hours, said Mr. Ball.

?Will we now think about building a bridge across to Spanish Point, will we have one-way streets such as Harbour Road during rush hour, or mandatory bus transport for all school kids?? he asked.