Dear Editor,
Exactly 5 months after our homes, our businesses, our economy, our country and our lives were battered by the passing of Hurricane Irma, so many of us now are suffering from an entirely man-made disaster, the one being foisted on us by the insurance industry. The pressure to settle, the low-ball amounts, the incomprehensible manner at how these sums are reached, the slow payment of the funds, the rumours of insolvency or sale of certain companies...all have been used against us; we who diligently insured our properties and made our timely payments.
All of this is being played at the expense of those who often can least afford it. Without roofs over their heads, it is impossible to wait out a better settlement and many are accepting the first offer, not knowing their rights or seeing the protection of their government.
Insurance industry adjusters have acted with impunity and without oversight, paying out what they want, rather than what was covered and paid for. Terms such as “underinsurance and re-insurance,”...none of which are stated in the policies that you and I bought, are suddenly are being used against us.
In fairness, some insurance companies have acted honourably, but others, and one in particular, has not. Ask your neighbours, your friends, and it becomes readily apparent.
It is time for our elected officials to step in today, and put their credibility on the line...towards the needs of their people. Elections are around the corner and a great deal of good can be done.
The pace of recovery is directly tied to the settlement and payment of claims. The people are suffering, jobs are being lost, revenue to the private sector from taxi drivers, tourism workers, building contractors and trades, and the subsequent flow through to the Government’s treasury, all suffer.
Name withheld at author's request
The entire clientele of Christian Kingdom Credit Union, which is better known as CKC Credit Union, owes its clients for too long. And it's time the Government, CKC and the Central Bank to put their act together to make payment to CKC clients.
Both parliamentarians and Ministers made empty promises to the people. Many of the people are deeply in need of their money to repair their homes and properties.
It seems we will have to try get the Dutch Government involved.
Cuthbert Bannis
Dear Editor,
A week ago I wrote in reference to some criminals burning their garbage, dead animals and human waste in a clearing near the dump every day in the early evening. The toxic smoke blankets the area and stinks up everyone's house and makes them sick.
Well ... they must have read it because the burning stopped ... for two days. Now they do their burning between 5:00 and 7:00am in the morning hoping that the dark will hide their crimes.
And make no mistake. This is not the dump itself ... that continues to burn for two months now on the OTHER side. This is individuals doing this on public lands that I have witnessed and reported.
Is this really the best the police can do? To let this continue day in and day in and day out? Really?
I see the campaign ads showing up in the paper now. Smiling faces of wannabe politicians with clever catch phrases that mean nothing. How about showing a little initiative and stopping this travesty that happens every day? Then you could have something positive to lay claim to in your ads instead of the usual gum-flapping platitudes.
You want to make a difference? Here's your chance.
Steven Johnson
For chritsmas we fete
For karnaval we goin fete
But in we house
We still getting wet
And the stigma
Of Irma
Aint gone yet
But nobody for we care
So long as they could get
Ah lion shear
So they eating high on
The hog
While we in the yaard
Catching the dog
The workers are marching
The street
While we president in
Paris paying the treat
We in the street of marigot
Pulfiar
While he and macron drinking
Champaing n eating caviar
And at the end of the tunnel
We can't see the light
Cauz te pitch dark night
The president of the chamber
Resing
But we still refuse te see
The sign
Even Stevee Wonder could see
What happening te wee
R. Helligar
Dear Editor,
Every journey starts with the first step. Because I know of the following I have I know that a whole lot of people read the opinion page of The Daily Herald, because that is where conscientious and responsible people express themselves openly. Some are open enough and do not mind adding their name to their letter, others request the editor to withold their name for which ever reason, but the paper is read worldwide and as usual everybody interprets what is written in their way.
I read a letter written to you by Jim and Judy Quai from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I have read tons of articles written by people from all over the world, some of which more interesting than others, some pleasant, some troubling, but when I have to read that “this is concerning for future tourism” from a police officer and his wife, tourists from Canada who need to know that Sint Maarten is not a high crime area, that does not sit well with me.
It does not sit well with me because that is something that i hear constantly. Lack of police presence, the police are not keeping order like in your days and some more. I know that i have written to you in the past about the fact that the then head comnmissioner Peter de Witte shrugged his shoulders when it was made known that no statistics of police activity were compiled of 2014 and it remained at that.
I am sure when people in government read this they are going to want to know what is Russell talking about. The headline of the Quais’ letter is: Not a lot of arrests. Logic would tell me that if there is no crime there is no need for arrests, but statistical facts speak volumes. In this age of computer and other technology, please show some statistics to erase the doubt. We do not need a snowball effect of that letter.
Russell A. Simmons
