Mr. Roberts, sorry Sir, your response to Ms. Brown is unacceptable.

"Mr Roberts said: “ It has been no secret, I have sent out many press releases listing what I plan on doing. The press needs to do their research. Read the PLP plan, its in there.”

Mr. Roberts, are you claiming that the sentences in "The Charter for Governnce" can be called a plan. They are broad objectves that have to be deeloped. Press releases are not a plan. You were a businessman and you know better.

"In the Charter for Governance, the PLP promised to develop a national water policy in conjunction with all national stakeholders, implement legal and regulatory reform to assure the proper extraction of ground and potable water and ensure all Bahamian communities have access to piped potable water by 2017"

If the press were to do research, they would find broad objectives not a plan. Ms. Brown's question is still unanswered.

Mr. Roberts, Sir, "Is there a comprehensive plan for the Department of Water and Sewerage"? Yes or No. If Yes, when will the comprehensive plan be distributed to the public? If no, when will the comprehensive plan be completed?

Execution if the dismissal: The manner of the dismissal cannot be overlooked. The individual(s) who handled the dismissal should be fired because of incompetence or failure to execute his/her/their job properly. The fallout could have been minimized. The fallout is expensive (cost to reputations). Unfortunately, the callous way the situation was handled, the lack of respect, and ridicule (rather than sympathy) for the employees of the Urban Renewal by the Progressive Liberal Party agents have exacerbated this incident.

This is the same Sir Baltron Bethel who led The Bahamas government's negotiating team during the Bahamas/Baha Mar negotiations. We all know how that worked out!!!
volunteer bahamas/community service
Sir Baltron service should be a service to the country not a paid position.

TRUTH
Some argue that politicians lie because the public doesn’t want to hear the truth. Harry U. Frankfurt, in his essay "On Truth" wrote " ...how could a society that cared too little for truth make sufficiently well-informed judgments and decisions concerning the most suitable disposition of its public business? How could it possibly flourish, or even survive, without knowing enough about relevant facts to pursue its ambitions successfully and to cope purdently and effectively with its problems?" He added "It seems even more clear to me that higher levels of civilization must depend even more heavily on a conscientious respect for the importance of honesty and clarity in reporting the facts, and on a stubborn concern for accuracy in determining what the facts are." pg 16.

Civility please!
JT, a discussion on the form of the lotteries business is very important.
Why not a national lottery with monthly drawings? The funds for education etc.
Why are we selling foreign lotteries? Are we proping up the US economy?
Does the wide range of U.S. lotteries for betting increase the possibility of "reckless" betting?
Why not develop our own lotteries system like Jamaica and Barbados? (Government tax for education etc.)

We will observe the debate. Let's see how Christ-like the pastors and self-proclaimed Christians behave.

Great! I agree that our focus should be on the New Testament and not the Torah. Ironically, this evening I heard a Minister on NB12 telling our young people that they must follow the Judeo-Christian principles. I don't think some of our Pastors can deal with the gentle, compassionate Jesus.

Comrades, now that we agree that The Bahamas is not a “Christian Nation” but a nation with an abiding respect for “Christian Values”, I wish to point out that the framers of our Constitution did not define “Christian Values”. What were they saying or trying to say? (Perhaps because I did not attend ‘The Government High School’, I have a deficient intelligence and cannot comprehend the term “Christian Values”. One Website I visited defined “Christian Values” as the teachings of Christ passed down through the centuries. This doesn’t help me because in The Bahamas, we have numerous ‘Christian’ denominations and each has its own interpretation of The Bible. In a brief reflection, I have flashes of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7)—beatitudes, new laws, Lord’s Prayer, Money and Warnings.
Bahamians, what are Christian Values?
Are “Christians Values” moral codes?
Are “Christian Values” something we had in 1973 or a goal?
Should “Christian Values” be “Bahamian Values”?
What do you think?

About the Rule of Law. (I am not a lawyer).
To keep our discussion focused, we can eliminate the exemptions to the Lotteries and Gaming Act (Chapter 387)
The exemptions are those lotteries that do not have CASH winnings.
14(1) Exemption of small lotteries incidental to certain entertainments. (bazaars, sales of work, fêtes, dinners, dances, fairs and other entertainments of a similar character) e.g. Roman Catholic Church
15(1) Exemption of private lotteries (club, institution, organization) e.g. Rotary Club
16(1) Exemption of lotteries conducted for charitable and other purposes. e.g. Ranfurly Home for Children etc.

Here are the offences based on the Lotteries and Gaming Act (Chapter 387)
Offence to pay money for purpose of participating in lottery (customer?)
Offence to receive money for purpose of lottery (cashier?)
Offence to possess instruments for gambling (receipts?)
Offence to possess books etc. having names etc. for purpose of lottery (King Tut, Deam Book?)
Offence to declare winner etc. of lottery (Cable network channels?)
Offence to be found on premises where lottery is taking place (employees/customer?)
Offence to permit premises to be used for a lottery (Owner/Landlord?)
Offence to promote, organise or conduct a lottery (business owners? billboards, signs etc. ?)

Obviously, some of us do not have "an abiding respect" for the rule of law. Is the proliferation of "Web shops" an direct way to force the Government to adjust the Lotteries and Gaming Act?

The current discussion is legalizing the lotteries not homosexuality. Let's deal with one issue at a time.

Do we want legalized lotteries in The Bahamas? If no, why not? If yes, why?