Dear Editor,
Today there were two articles in The Daily Herald that set me to thinking. The front page article under the heading “We have a lost generation that we have to deal with”, and the ad by SZV on page 16.
I’ll first start with SZV’s ad. The ad placed in the paper mentions the names of a number of persons (including the name of our Finance Minister), who are requested to report to SZV’s office as soon as possible in order to update their accounts. They are asked to bring along: bank book or recent bank statement (not older than six months) and a valid ID. Failure to do so would result in their pension being blocked.
The required documents when applying for your old age pension benefits are:
- Valid ID
- Registration form from Census Office
- Bank account number
- If not registered on St. Maarten, proof of having contributed to AOV/AWW taxes
- if married, marriage certificate.
A person’s bank book and/or bank statement is a private document used to record personal bank transactions and are not meant for public viewing, so why would you even consider to hand same over to a clerk in the SZV office? The required info should be a correct/active bank account number. It would be interesting to know if all those listed will comply with this ‘‘new” requirement.
Next up, the front page article “We have a lost generation that we have to deal with”.
Really? And then the quote: “Figures show that there is not an increase in crime, but rather an increase in the violent nature of crimes being committed.” Could this perhaps be linked to a total lack of conscience and a false sense of entitlement? Instead of being “brought up” these persons have been “jerked up” and ignore the limitations of reality and spend beyond their means, never having been taught that effort and hard work are required to meet one’s needs.
TV-shows, movies, electronic games, and not to forget every-day-real-life portray violence and disrespect. Just look around you at the decline in morality, wide-spread acceptance and admiration of vulgarity, substance abuse, the ghettos, the potholes, the non-existing sidewalks and the list goes on. It’s not just the “lost generation, on all levels in our community, including the “elected” officials (past and present), you will find a total lack of integrity.
There is absolutely no respect for others or another’s property. It’s not only necessary to deal with “the lost generation”, but it is high time to start working on a better way of life for all. It is high time that government officials pay much-needed attention to our schools, medical facilities, law enforcement and infrastructure, instead of putting their own pockets on the priority list. Instead of setting the bar higher, we kept on lowering it and we are now reaping the results.
Rita R. Halley
