Here is a selection of online comments made by Royal Gazette readers as they reacted to yesterday’s Budget:

PUBLIC SPENDING CUTS

Alex Grimwood: “and when this government lowers the debt and gets us out the hole ... I guess people will still complain. However, I like the way this government is going. Their eyes are on the main thing, and that is the deficit.”

Squareroot: “Personally I think BR was chicken. He needs to cut Civil unService and he has just kicked the can further down the road. But he averted a general strike. Pure politics, not economics.”

HEALTHCARE

Not what you think: “How about reducing the cost of diabetes by giving people lower premiums for better health indicators? This would cost some cash in the beginning, but may be a motivator for people to improve their health and long term impact.”

32n64w: “Hopefully this one issue will finally convince the PLP that Bermuda simply needs more people on the island to support the economy and in particular our healthcare funding and infrastructure.”

Archie B: “Health care costs are a runaway train. The only people benefiting are the doctors and it is the doctors who are opposing the introduction of new guidelines to ensure there is no overuse of diagnostics such as MRIs. 56 percent of diagnostics like MRIs at the hospital are from doctors outside of KEMH. If left alone and uncontrolled and without proper standards and guidelines no one will be able to afford to retire her.”

AIRPORT/CAUSEWAY REVAMP

Triangle Drifter: “A new airport? As in new terminal? Now that would be nice. Last time a new terminal was kicked around was back in the 80s when Jim Woolridge was minister. I recall a developer who had the idea of somehow building a new terminal around the existing terminal then over a winter tear down the old one from within & fill in to the new outside walls.

“Maybe the new one will have jetways. Heck, even the terminal in Haiti has jetways. Little regional terminals in the US have jetways. Bermuda is still stuck in the 50s.

“Please give the new terminal a name other than a politician. Somebody who had something to do with aviation.

“The bridge. Oh the bridge. So way overdue. It has been a PLP promise since Fabian 10 years ago. Will it be a fixed bridge this time with a span high enough for commercial vessels to get under.

“How about that long promised dock at the airport so that hotels can shuttle guests by water rather than face the turmoil on the roads?”

Changer: “Introduce some private outsourcing now. Start with the Parks Dept so our once beautiful island can become like it once was!”

John Giavarini: “Very treacherous ground. PPPs were a “bold” early initiative of the Labour regime in the UK, and nearly all of them have been terminated or renegotiated because the cost of maintaining them (for the authority involved) has been vastly in excess of that forecast. The idea is, in general, that the private sector raises and puts up the capital cost and the public sector repays it (+ management fees, + expenses + profit) over a long long term, usually 30 years or so. They are a minefield, and the point of them is political so that debt is hidden, the payment phase kicks in after the current politicians have moved, or been moved, on, and so that they don’t get the blame until it’s too late to matter. As mentioned below, we’re soon to get our first kick in the family jewels when we start paying for the new hospital.”

1609: “3p’s are potential financial hand grenades. We don’t even know the TRUE cost of the hospital yet.”

TOURISM

KC25: “Good afternoon. Boston here ... we have just booked our 20th trip to your island ... but I’m thinking it will be our last if casinos are headed to you. Please ... leave things alone or try to revitalise what is there and is working ... Thank you.”

BANKING SYSTEM

Property Guru: “Someone should go back and review the promises HSBC made at the time of the acquisition — opportunities for Bermudians, overseas training, job security etc — and compare to the reality. Approving that deal was one of the worst decisions (and there were lots) made by the last government ... A travesty.”

Joe Gibbons: “I have been saying this for some time, but now that the Minister is saying it, perhaps we can become a little more aggressive. The Monetary Authority has considerable leeway here, despite them being ‘foreign’ banks (BNTB is not yet so). 200% collateral for business loans; personal guarantees over and above business assets; 3 to 5 year maturity dates; months and months before lending is approve: all this should change. Firstly I would allow companies to freely borrow and secure that borrowing on first mortgages (or similar backed securities) from any bank. That may get someone’s attention as the banks do reap millions of bottom line dollars from Bermuda lending. At any rate, the answer is far more complex that some trite comment I can make, however the banks are not doing their part, and we can all agree to that.”

BELCO

Property Guru: “The key step is to spin the grid off from Belco the utility. Independent management of the grid would make for a level playing field which will never exist while Belco owns the grid and is the main producer of electricity.”

Naive Observer: “Exactly. Really the only practical way this can be done. The Grid company would be required to deal fairly with all supply providers (including those companies that already have installed Solar Panels and have excess.) But we also need to make sure that the overall costs do not go up because of the split and having a dual markup on power.”

CIVIL SERVICE

Jeff Shaw: “I think the General message most people are over looking or not taking seriously enough is Bermuda is in a world of hurt. The rich will be fine, it is the other 90% of the population that will pay the ultimate price.

“People who thought their homes were going to be their retirement fund or the rents they collect, well guess what, when the crapola really hits home, which by my understanding based on the Finance ministers language is within a year or two tops, Bermuda will be well on the road to huge unemployment and potential debt default.

“Privatising may sound good but you can bet your bottom dollar that private business will require less staff and higher productivity to make a profit unless of course Government will be doing some subsidising.”

Naive Observer: “Outsourced functions should be put out for Tender. If the existing employees can come in with a competitive bid, great! But if someone else can do it cheaper with the same or (hopefully) better quality then it should go to them.

Here is an opportunity for the BIU to show that is really knows better how to do this stuff! Let them form the required companies and see how they do!”