Dear Editor,

Most of us walk around as if we were impervious to illness or accidents, while in fact we are not. We also pretend that we can be in many places at once, this too is not possible. This inability to always take care of our affairs leads us, in some cases, to give others powers of attorney to act on our behalf, mostly in economic and fiduciary matters. It is also done allowing family or trustworthy friends to take medical decisions on our behalf. This phenomenon is played out in our regular lives daily through our elected representatives (government).

The power of attorney given to them entails a certain trust that they would act in good faith and deliver on the needs of people and country to ensure a productive and respectable life. The power of attorney given to government is referred to as a social contract and we expect most of all for our government to act in good faith in their handling of our business.

In a well-functioning democracy and a progressive country ”simper pro gradiens” we should expect no less than good education, proper and quality health care, a secure and safe environment, and a means to make a living or simply a job. In all these issues our government has failed us miserably. Not this government of a majority of eight that took on an impossible task in a time prohibitive period, but also previous governments who have squandered taxpayers’ money, made irresponsible agreements with the Dutch, and a created super government company whose directors believe themselves to be untouchable.

We have made little to no headway balancing our last five budgets, and the one before us now - though presumably balanced - won’t enjoy the support of all, because we are told about belt-tightening and cuts. Our schools are still struggling with the production of, as they put it, what our economy needs. In the meantime, young people returning to our shores to make a contribution are in most cases never answered. Those that do hear from government are sent to job placement centres and put on contract.

Our medical centre is in urgent need of rebuilding and adequate staffing. We are spending close to thirty million dollars a year on referrals, but no one seems to care. The issues surrounding the men and women of the disciplinary services remain unattended. As far as jobs are concerned it seems we are quicker fired than hired, and government involves itself only when some business people complain; there is no intervention when it is about the little man.

People are being evicted from what should be affordable or low-income housing; as we speak again only silence from government. Not to upset the potential campaign financiers we refuse to even consider a quota system, and in our need to be seen as doing something, we propose raising casino fees instead of going for a percentage of the drop.

One thing is sure, the poor can take no more. If government refuses to help, where do we knock next? Pope Francis in his address on the value of labour said, and I quote, “It is necessary to reaffirm that employment is necessary for society, for family, and for individuals. Its primary value is the good of the human person as it allows the individual to be fully realized. Therefore it follows that work has not only the economic objective of profit, but above all a purpose that regards man and his dignity. And when there is no work that dignity is wounded. Indeed the unemployment and underemployment risk being relegated to the margins of society becoming victims of social exclusion and injustice” end of quote.

It is high time the fights between the outgoing and incoming governments stop. The continued speculation with casino and other business licenses is beside corrupt, ludicrous. Let’s truly look at projects and programs that affect people’s lives. Only then will we be perceived as serious.

Elton Jones

Dear Editor,

In order for law enforcement to stay on top of the game that criminals play it is imperative that they start to focus more on the way that law breakers think. More and more, and without any regard for the law, criminals are testing the deficiency of the Justice System. In view of the amount of daring robberies that are consistently taking place, and within such close proximity of the police station, it reveals that the entire police force is under surveillance by criminal minds. Wherever they detect a loophole, they use it as an avenue to strike their potential targets.

This inadequacy continues to be the playing field for criminals and there is no doubt how much they intend to take full advantage of the exposed situation. That is why I deeply appreciated the lecture that was recently given by Commander of the VKS Antonio Rogers. As stated in a preceding article, I wholeheartedly agree with this officer of the law who is advocating that all crimes must be treated as a priority, and that law enforcement must get closer to the community.

This brings me to the real issue at hand, the recent robbery at Bank of Nova Scotia. It is appalling how bold law offenders have become. They premeditate everything - like an entrepreneur, who tries to stay ahead of the competitor. Take a look at how this robber managed to combine timing with the activity that was taking place on the outside to pull off a so-called successful burglary. He anticipated the behaviour of the public (everyone was focused on the activity) and then used this vulnerable aspect of our security to commit the crime.

When I ponder on this scenario, it is my feeling that there is a lot more to the story than what was told. And, as I have indicated, law enforcement must take on the thinking of criminals because with all the initiative taken to curb the escalation of crime, is it normal that a robber would enter this kind of establishment without concealing his identity?

What would be the benefit of undergoing such an enormous risk? And why would the photo of the assailant be so blurry, when cameras are everywhere? Two things come to mind: there is either a lot more to the story than what was brought forward to the public or, this incident was deliberately orchestrated to throw law enforcement off track. Plain and simple: it is my assumption that the robber’s face is not his natural face. I strongly believe that he wore a mask that is identical to his skin colour and then discarded it after he came out of the bank.  

Law enforcement must come to the realization that they are up against a force that is determined to break every rule in society. As such, they must acknowledge that the antiquated way of pursuing crime is long gone. Therefore, law enforcement must be on high alert whenever there are similar activities taking place in the vicinity of financial institutions. They also have to use modern technology to assist them to fight crime effectively. Furthermore, as indicated by one of their own, the Justice Ministry must handle all crimes as a priority and ensure that the community becomes its closest ally.

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

The budget debate is the worst ever. It is totally unacceptable to have only a few parliamentarians taking part in a discussion that entails the running of the island. Listening to the debate, one would think that the meeting involved just MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Cornelius de Weever, the Chairlady and individual ministers.

Forget about MP Tamara Leonard, who declared that she will not support the budget prior to it coming to Parliament. So, whatever she said during the meeting is null and void. As a matter of fact, she was absent in the initial stage of the debate, and so her comments add no value to something she has already condemned before acquiring the adequate clarification to her inquiries.

Can one imagine that for the past two consecutive days, Chairlady Sarah Wescot-Williams is the only MP who supports the government, asked questions regarding the budget? Then what purpose do they serve by being there? This is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. Whoever is the designer of this strategy needs to rethink this tactic, because it does not sit well with the public. And so, I will repeat myself, this parliament is worse than the previous!

Continuing, it is unacceptable that the Minister of Transportation would settle for the notion of bending the traffic rules just to reward irresponsible drivers. This is not a wise move at all. It is for this reason that crime continues to rise, because the rules always have to be broken just to please a few.

How is it that some of us can abide by the rules and not others? And, why is it that just 30 minutes away, in the Virgin Islands, motorists can adhere to the traffic ordinances by giving preference to bus drivers, when children embark and disembark from school buses? I will echo the sentiment of Commander Antonio Rogers, who stated that all crimes must become a priority. When will government take the lead and do the right thing?

It would be more suitable if the Minister of Education was present to handle the questions and answers that relate to her portfolio. In the dialogue, it became known that it is not a priority for the minister to start curbing the influx of students, who burden the school system. Yet, the minister’s substitute indicated, that bus owners would be paid per student and that four classrooms are expected to be erected later this year. I was hoping that MP’s would question, why is it necessary to construct the extra classrooms? Does this relate to the continual flood of students?

I also thought they would have requested a hard copy to view the sequence of this non-stop incursion, to measure the impact, but particularly over the last three years. The question is: Which Minister of Education has the fortitude to tackle this issue, which will then force the Minister of Justice to do his job. Teachers are fed-up of the constant disruption and the minister is well aware.

Are we to accept that it is okay for casinos to get a break on taxes, while the small man is hunted down and threatened all the time? Why is it that big businesses are allowed tax write-offs, while the small man is forced to even borrow money from the bank to pay arrears dated back to 20 years? This unfair practice of government is what’s causing a lot of friction within the community. I expected that the MP’s would have challenged the Minister of Finance to explain the difference between writing off taxes for businesses and that of individuals.

It is imperative that MP’s take some time to revisit the law on the restriction of locals visiting the casinos and get relevant feedback from the minister in charge. Here is where a lot of locals are losing their pay checks, which eventually causes a lot of conflict within the family and a burden to the social system of government.

Do we see why nothing much can get done in Parliament? Parliamentarians are too busy dictating to their ministers. The photo of MP Silvio Master on the front page of The Daily Herald on Wednesday, speaks for itself. Mind you, this is an MP who has a speech impediment ever since he announced his so-called departure from the UP Party, but found his tongue to converse with “his minister” during her presentation. Surely, I will come back at this another time.

In conclusion, the format that was used to conduct the budget debate was not as effective as it should be. It would have been more organized and easier to follow, if parliamentarians had requested that their questions be posed to the individual ministers to give them a better opportunity to exhaust the necessary inquiries as need be.

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

First of all, “scientists agree that mutations cannot transform an original species of plant or animal into an entirely new one.” Nowadays genetic screening is a common practice. Laws now passed where people can walk into Fertility Laboratory Clinics and choose their future child.

The future embryo is scanned with a computer to see which one will be selected by the future parents to be implanted in the mother’s womb or develop outside the womb. In this master piece of genetic engineering, high technological computers are going through thousands of genes with DNA to be available for future parents. During this process many embryos are destroyed.

Do you remember “Dolly” the sheep? Dolly was created in 1979, and was the first cloned sheep. She died in 2015. Her pair is still living today. Then Alice was developed outside the womb in a test tube. However, embryos can be scanned onto a computer to let parents see what their future child will look like. Is not this amazing for parents today?

On the other side society can end up with designer children. There may be more Hitler, Robotic cops, and more disability children. We may also end up breeding human with weird contraptions such as people with wings or a man with an animal head. On the good side doctors will be able to see if a foetus has a disorder and can help the child born with an excellent immune defensive system, free from AIDS, cancer, diabetes and prostate diseases.

Charles Darwin, in his book The Origin of Species... said I view all beings not as special creations, but as lineal descendants of some few beings. Nonsense! Do you believe that all creatures gradually evolved from a common ancestor? Now let us read what God said in Genesis 1: 11, 12, 26, and 27. Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and earth, a direct statement from God. God stressed in 11 and 12 that the earth will bring forth fruit trees yielding fruits after his hands whose seed is in itself, and no other species.

In 26 and 27, God created man in his own image, not by mutations or cloning. God did not create people as gadgets or some marketing tools. Genetic engineering is big business and gears to huge profits. Imagine saying to a molecular biologist that you need a child with weird contraptions, what kind of society are we going to have? Nowadays fruits are produced without seeds, read Genesis 11 and 12 again about these seedless fruits.

Many of these fruits are beautiful on the outside and rot in the inside, avocados and mangoes are typical examples of genetically cloned foods. Most of these are not naturally produced they are cloned or mutated species, not real. We heard of genetically modified foods, medicines and crops – remember these cannot be transformed entirely into the original. They are not the same as the original or naturally produced.

Joseph Harvey