The proliferation of illegal handguns and rifles has been an ever-increasing problem since The Bahamas became a haven for drug smuggling, but our Customs, Defence and Police authorities seem unable or unwilling to snuff this out at its source. They can only be coming into this country via one means, importation, and quite likely from one source, the USA where they manufacture and export these things.

We'll be in the international news during the time that he is here is what. Better than some of the news that is being put out on us now.

Yes, for once he is. If Americans come here and break our immigration laws, they are subject to arrest, trial, fines and possible deportation, which is, as I understand him, the point that Mr. Mitchell is making. In the case at hand, it was the involuntary return to The Bahamas by the Americans of 140 persons that our government was satisfied were Bahamians who were illegally in the USA. Would you have preferred that they were sent to Venezuela or somewhere else as the Americans have done with other nationalities?

The pickup system at the Lynden Pindling Airport is in need of dire change. There should be a designated area or spot on the north side of the road coming out of the Customs exit where taxi drivers are required to stand or sit or lineup in their cabs based on the order in which they arrived. The idea of them standing by the exit doors and hustling anyone who comes out of Customs or out of the exit doors needs to cease. There is nowhere I have been in the world where the taxi drivers are permitted to do what they do here. They usually sit in their cabs and wait for a supervisor to call them up in order to pick up passengers. The pick-up spot would be the north side of the crosswalk from the Customs exit going into the car park area using the 2 lanes that are currently only available for taxi cabs.

Livery drivers should be restricted to lining up outside the Customs exit with a sign stating the name of the party that they are there to pick up. They too should not be allowed to hustle passengers as they emerge from the Customs exit.

Taxi drivers have no assigned parties that they are there to collect and would normally transport random passengers emerging from Customs who do not have any pre-arranged transportation to their destination. Livery drivers have pre-arranged transportation arrangements with a party who they are there to collect and no one else.

Between Road Traffic and the Police, they need to enforce these differences as this is what taxis and livery cars are licensed to do. If the drivers of these vehicles want to disobey and block up the roads, they should be arrested for obstruction, disobeying a lawful order and whatever else applies.

Clearly the people in Government are not following the shambles that BPL as a so-called "power producer" has become. On their WhatsApp channel, they report daily outages somewhere or other in New Providence and many times in more than one location. If the power system is so bad that it is breaking down daily, then the natural thing is that the company will incur overtime pay in having their workers go out and work on fixing the problem. After all, which one is worse - no electricity or a bunch of electrical workers being paid overtime pay to get the system back on? If successive governments had spent their time and found the money to repair, replace and rejuvenate the antiquated electricity systems that BEC/BPL has, then we might not find ourselves in the current predicament. First, they tried to fix the problem by bringing in Power Secure but that didn't last. Then they decided to change the name and raise money by issuing rate reduction bonds but they didn't have the guts to go through with that so it died a quiet but expensive death. Then they decided to sell off or set up Bahamas Grid Company but that hasn't worked out yet and the question remains if it ever will. Meanwhile, we the paying public suffer with what has to be the highest rate of power production inefficiency in the Western Hemisphere while sitting around waiting and hoping that Frankie Wilkson's LNG plant is somehow the answer.

You have it in the wrong order. The power goes off and then the overtime is incurred getting it back on. This is nothing new. We've been going through this up and down cycle since 1967. I have no recollection of ever experiencing a power outage until I came back to The Bahamas in 1967 and since then, BEC/BPL have still not been able to fix the problem. This is the worst year of them all because we are going from one power crisis to another on a daily basis. If you follow BPL on their WhatsApp channel, there are very few days when the power does not go off somewhere in New Providence and many times in multiple places all on the same day.

Here we go again, another area of Bahamian society lacking in structure or enforcement. This is a job that requires enforcement between Maritime Affairs, the Defence Force and the Police Maritime Division. We had Beach Wardens at one time. Perhaps we need a full-time Beach Police Unit that has officers on each public beach for people's safety and maintaining peace and order. You can characterise the US Ambassador however you want but at the end of the day, he speaks on behalf his government. Obviously what is happening, or, more accurately, not happening, with the jet ski industry in The Bahamas is worrying to the American government so their spokesperson lets us know that. Time to fix this issue somehow or other.

The chances of this man getting released on bail or having his charges dismissed without a trial is slim to none. If the US has not tried or released Nicholas Maduro of Venezuela and is acting like they want to go after Raul Castro of Cuba and the guys in charge in Iran, what chances does a small fry like Gardiner have of getting released any time soon?

The frequency of power outages in New Providence and also in the Family Islands shows how low our concept of national electricity supply has fallen. As the world gets hotter, especially during summer, thanks to global warming, the less resilient our electricity supply system becomes and its deficiencies become more and more exposed. One has to wonder if BGC know what they are doing and whether they have the financial resources to turn this nightmare around. One wonders if $130 million is sufficient money to repair and replace an old, dilapidated system that is well beyond its prime and in need of plenty money and plenty new equipment.

If this is the Government's idea of "progress", I cry shame on you. This is out-and-out gouging, nothing less. They want me to pay in advance for an inspection service or inspection result that I have not yet received. Does anyone in Government see the number of vehicles and motorcycles riding around in this town without licence plates of any kind? Go collect the licence fees and fines from them first. Does anyone see the number of vehicles, buses and motorcycles who drive through red traffic lights as if it does not apply to them? Go collect the fines payable by them first. Leon Lundy does not know what he is talking about if he believes that the imposition of these new motor vehicle inspection and licensing fees ensures that the Government recovers the actual cost of providing inspection services. So, in his mind the cost of providing the average car inspection is $195? For each driver to be told to turn on your headlights, dip the high beam lights, turn on your winsdshield wipers, blow your horn, turn on your left turn indicator, turn on your right turn indicator, press the footbrake? That costs the Government $195 each time a vehicle inspector does that? What Lundy needs to have is a fee for an unsuccessful inspection fee if that is the problem and it should not be the same as a successful inspection. If there is a problem with unlicensed and uninspected vehicles on the road, the solution is greater enforcement, not the imposition of essentially paying double for not licensing or inspecting during your birth month each year. What is Lundy and his Government doing about $7 plus for a gallon of gas while sitting in long, unmoving lines of traffic trying to go anywhere on this island? And why are electric vehicles being charged less for licensing and registration than other vehicles? Is that to make the sale of electric vehicles by his Cabinet colleague more appealing? Electric vehicles create their own pollution as the electricity company has to produce the "fuel" for such cars, whether it's through diesel generators or however. What is required is enforcement of the road traffic laws and regulations, not more price gouging on underpaid and totally harassed consumers.